
Automation
trigger.dev
Makes AI jobs survive production, not just the demo
★ 16k
August 2026
Apache-2.0
Automation
What it does
Runs long-lived AI workflows as real background jobs: durable execution, automatic retries, scheduling, and a dashboard that shows where something stopped instead of leaving you to guess. Self-host it or use the managed service. Two things to plan for — retries against paid APIs cost money each time, and anything that might run twice needs to be safe to run twice. Apache-2.0.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals

Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineRequired
- API keyRequired
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
trigger.dev FAQ
- Is trigger.dev free?
- trigger.dev itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use trigger.dev?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does trigger.dev work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use trigger.dev commercially?
- The licence is Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trigger.dev (this page) | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| n8n | Required | Not needed | Yes | No | Not verified |
| kestra | Required | Not needed | Yes | No | Yes |
| heym | Required | Required | Yes | No | With conditions |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.