Defer: The Zero Infrastructure Background Processing Platform for Node.js Developers

Defer is a Paris-based startup that offers a zero-infrastructure background processing platform for Node.js developers. Founded in 2022 by Bryan Frimin and Charly Poly, the platform aims to simplify and streamline background jobs, CRONs, and workflows for developers, enabling them to focus on product work. In this article, we will explore Defer, its features, and how it works.

What is Defer?

Defer is a background processing platform that enables developers to move slow code out of the user's journey, thereby improving web application performance. It is a fully managed platform that offers a simple and well-documented API, making it easy for developers to improve web applications' performance in a few minutes instead of days.

How does Defer work?

Defer works by providing developers with a unique developer experience that makes it easy to create or transform existing functions into background functions without the usual boilerplate code that current open-source solutions bring. Defer's infrastructure handles background function executions with the configured parallelism and retries, without requiring infrastructure work or DevOps knowledge. The Defer Dashboard allows developers to manage applications with multiple environments and get a sense of their product’s health with analytics and a filter-rich executions list view. Developers get notified on Slack upon failure and can quickly access the execution’s logs and business metadata to narrow down the issue and keep users in the loop.

Who are the founders of Defer?

Defer was founded in 2022 by Bryan Frimin and Charly Poly. Bryan Frimin has 8+ years of experience building back-end and server architectures in startups, while Charly Poly was a tech lead at Algolia, where he built a background jobs processing platform that contributed to $12M of new revenue. Both founders have extensive experience in the startup industry and identified a gap between current solutions and actual product needs, leading them to create Defer.

What are the features of Defer?

Defer offers several features that enable developers to streamline and simplify background jobs, CRONs, and workflows. Its well-documented API makes it easy for developers to use, and its infrastructure handles background function executions with the configured parallelism and retries, without requiring infrastructure work or DevOps knowledge. The Defer Dashboard allows developers to manage applications with multiple environments and get a sense of their product’s health with analytics and a filter-rich executions list view. Developers get notified on Slack upon failure and can quickly access the execution’s logs and business metadata to narrow down the issue and keep users in the loop.

What are the use cases for Defer?

Defer is ideal for companies looking to match modern product criteria while keeping engineering time to a minimum. Its simplicity and ease of use make it an attractive solution for developers looking to streamline and simplify background jobs, CRONs, and workflows. Companies can use Defer to improve web application performance, reduce engineering time, and improve user experiences.

What are the advantages of using Defer over other solutions?

Defer has several advantages over other background job processing solutions. Firstly, it provides a simple and well-documented API that allows developers to improve their web application's performance in just a few minutes, as opposed to the days or weeks it would take with other solutions. This ease of use means that developers can focus on product work and not on building and maintaining infrastructure.

Another advantage of Defer is that it provides a fully-managed platform with a Vercel-like developer experience. This means that developers do not need to worry about infrastructure work or DevOps knowledge. They can simply use the Defer Dashboard to manage their applications with multiple environments and get a sense of their product's health with analytics and filters-rich executions list view.

Furthermore, Defer handles background function executions with the configured parallelism and retries, so developers do not need to worry about these details. Defer also provides notifications on Slack upon failure and allows developers to quickly access the execution's logs and business metadata to narrow down the issue and keep users in the loop.

Finally, Defer aims to become a cross-language reference, meaning that it will be able to support developers using a wide range of programming languages. This will enable developers to use Defer across their entire tech stack, reducing the need to learn and maintain multiple solutions.

What are the key features of Defer?

Defer offers a range of features that make it an attractive solution for Node.js developers. These features include:

Simple and well-documented API - Defer's API is easy to use and well-documented, allowing developers to improve their web application's performance in just a few minutes.

Fully-managed platform - Defer is a fully-managed platform, meaning that developers do not need to worry about infrastructure work or DevOps knowledge. The Defer Dashboard allows developers to manage applications with multiple environments and get a sense of their product's health with analytics and filters-rich executions list view.

Parallelism and retries - Defer handles background function executions with the configured parallelism and retries, meaning that developers do not need to worry about these details.

Notifications and logs - Defer provides notifications on Slack upon failure and allows developers to quickly access the execution's logs and business metadata to narrow down the issue and keep users in the loop.

Cross-language support - Defer aims to become a cross-language reference, meaning that it will be able to support developers using a wide range of programming languages.

Conclusion

Defer is a promising zero-infrastructure background processing platform that aims to simplify the implementation of background jobs, CRONs, and workflows for Node.js developers. With a user-friendly API and a managed platform, Defer provides an easy-to-use and reliable solution for asynchronous processing, enabling developers to improve web applications' performance and user experience without the need for extensive DevOps knowledge.

Defer's founders, Bryan Frimin and Charly Poly, have a strong background in building scalable and resilient infrastructures, and their experience reflects in the platform's architecture and features. Defer's platform brings a unique developer experience that eliminates the need for boilerplate code and enables developers to focus on product work, improving their productivity and efficiency.

Defer's pricing model is transparent and flexible, allowing developers to choose the most suitable plan based on their usage volume and budget. With a free trial and a cost calculator, users can test the platform's features and estimate their costs before committing to a plan, ensuring that they make an informed decision.

Overall, Defer is a promising solution for Node.js developers who need a reliable and easy-to-use background processing platform. With its unique features and transparent pricing, Defer has the potential to become a popular reference for cross-language background processing in the future.