Pasm Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Feature Expansion for PHP-Based Workflows:

  • Enables integration of asynchronous, event-driven workflows (e.g., task queues, job orchestration) in Laravel/PHP applications without relying on external services (e.g., AWS SQS, RabbitMQ).
  • Supports complex, long-running processes (e.g., data migrations, ML pipelines, multi-step user journeys) with built-in retry, timeout, and failure handling.
  • Decouples components for microservices or modular monoliths by abstracting workflow logic into reusable, testable units.

• Roadmap Prioritization:

  • Build vs. Buy: Justifies not building a custom workflow engine if the package meets core needs (e.g., DAG support, state persistence, monitoring).
  • Tech Stack Alignment: Validates PHP/Laravel as a viable platform for workflow automation, reducing pressure to adopt Go/JavaScript alternatives.
  • Scalability Proof Points: Demonstrates how to handle thousands of concurrent workflows with minimal infrastructure changes (e.g., database-backed state).

• Use Cases:

  • Internal Tools: Automate admin tasks (e.g., "approve → notify → archive").
  • Customer Journeys: Multi-step onboarding (e.g., "submit → validate → charge → deliver").
  • Data Pipelines: ETL processes with error recovery (e.g., "fetch → transform → load").
  • Event-Driven Architectures: Replace cron jobs with reactive workflows triggered by database changes or external events.

When to Consider This Package

Adopt If:

• Your team owns the infrastructure and prefers database-backed workflows over message brokers (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka).
• You need simple to intermediate workflows (not ultra-low-latency or distributed transactions).
• Your stack is Laravel/PHP-heavy, and you want to avoid polyglot persistence or external dependencies.
• You prioritize developer productivity over fine-grained control (e.g., no need for custom plugins or Kubernetes operators).
• MIT license is acceptable (no vendor lock-in concerns).

Look Elsewhere If:

• You require sub-millisecond latency or global scale (consider Step Functions, Temporal, or Camunda).
• Your workflows need human interaction (e.g., approvals with timeouts) → use Camunda or Zeebe.
• You’re locked into serverless (e.g., AWS Lambda) and need native integrations → use Step Functions or AWS SDK.
• Your team lacks PHP expertise or prefers strongly typed languages (e.g., Go, Java) for workflows.
• You need advanced features like:
  • Saga patterns with compensating transactions (limited in pasm).
  • GraphQL/Webhook triggers (may require custom glue code).
  • Multi-tenancy isolation (package may need extensions).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives:

*"This package lets us build and own workflow automation in PHP/Laravel—reducing reliance on third-party services like AWS Step Functions or external brokers. It’s like ‘serverless workflows’ but self-hosted, cost-effective, and fully observable via Laravel’s ecosystem. We can:

• Cut cloud costs by avoiding managed services for simple/moderate workflows.
• Accelerate feature delivery by reusing workflows across teams (e.g., marketing campaigns, data processing).
• Future-proof our stack by keeping workflow logic in PHP, avoiding vendor lock-in. Risk is low: MIT license, active community (via boson-php), and minimal operational overhead."

For Engineering:

*"Pasm gives us a lightweight, database-backed workflow engine with:

• Laravel-native integration: Uses Eloquent models for state, queues for execution.
• No broker dependency: Avoids RabbitMQ/Kafka complexity for most use cases.
• Developer-friendly: Define workflows in PHP classes (no YAML/JSON DSLs).
• Battle-tested: Forked from [boson-php/boson], which powers production workloads. Tradeoffs: Not for ultra-high-scale or human-in-the-loop workflows, but perfect for internal tools, data pipelines, and async Laravel jobs. Let’s prototype a [use case X] to validate!"*

Call to Action:

• Spike: Build a POC for a high-priority workflow (e.g., order processing) to compare dev time vs. alternatives.
• Architecture Review: Assess if database-backed workflows fit your recovery/scalability needs.
• Tech Debt: Audit existing cron jobs/queues to identify candidates for workflow refactoring.