Gearman vs Graphile Worker
Gearman
gearman.orgGraphile Worker
worker.graphile.orgSide by side
| Figure | Gearman | Graphile Worker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 7 |
| Spec score · Task Queue Software | 8.8 (#4) | 9.1 (#1) |
| Database integrations | The download page lists MySQL and PostgreSQL user-defined functions that expose Gearman client calls to SQL queries, triggers, and stored procedures. | The maker says Graphile Worker pairs well with PostGraphile, PostgREST, and other database-centric application frameworks. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation site includes getting started material, a manual, protocol specifications, generated gearmand documentation, libgearman references, install guides, SSL instructions, and changelogs. | The documentation includes installation, configuration, CLI, library, schema, TypeScript, SQL, cron, scaling, error handling, Docker and FAQ sections. |
| Security | The download page says the pure Perl Gearman client and worker API supports SSL. | The connection documentation describes SSL-encrypted PostgreSQL connections and CA certificate configuration. |
| Support | The project directs users to its Google Groups mailing list and Matrix chat. | Community help is provided through Graphile Discord and GitHub, with paid professional support available. |
| What it does | Gearman distributes work to other machines or processes for parallel execution, load balancing, and cross-language function calls. | Graphile Worker stores jobs in PostgreSQL and executes them with Node.js workers. |
Plans
Graphile Worker
- Graphile WorkerFree
- Graphile Worker OSSFree
- Worker Pro launch offer$25 a month
- Worker Pro Launch Offer$25 a month
- Worker Pro regular price$100 a month
- Worker Pro regular pricing$100 a month
- Private Advisor sponsorship$899 a month
In their own words
Gearman
Gearman is a free, self-hosted application framework for distributing work across machines or processes. A client submits jobs, a job server routes them, and a worker performs them, allowing parallel processing and load balancing. Jobs can run asynchronously in the background or receive priorities. Clients and workers may use different language interfaces when they understand the workload; listed interfaces include C, C#/.NET, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Lisp. Messages can reach 4 GB, with chunking for larger messages. Clients and workers can connect to multiple job servers and fail over when one dies. The C job server supports persistent queues. MySQL and PostgreSQL functions expose client calls to queries, triggers, and stored procedures, while the pure Perl API supports SSL. Gearman runs on Linux and Windows, offers API access, and is licensed under BSD. GearmanSharp is incomplete.
Graphile Worker
Graphile Worker stores jobs in PostgreSQL and runs them on Node.js, so background work does not hold up application responses. It is free and open source under the MIT license, and is self-hosted in standalone or embedded mode, including within an application server's Node.js process. Jobs execute at least once, and failed jobs are retried automatically with exponential backoff. Recurring tasks can use crontab-like schedules with optional backfill; other controls include de-duplication by unique job_key and batch jobs that append data to queued jobs. The feature list says execution typically begins in under 3ms using PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY. The current version requires PostgreSQL 12+ and Node 22.18+. Installation is supported through npm, Yarn or pnpm, and global installation is not recommended. Database connections can use SSL encryption and CA certificate configuration. Community help is available through Graphile Discord, with professional support contracts also offered. Worker Pro adds crashed-worker recovery and live migration to new Worker versions.