Trigger.dev Has a Free API That Runs Background Jobs in TypeScript Without Infrastructure

Trigger.dev runs long-running background jobs in TypeScript. No queue setup, no worker management, no Redis. Define a task, trigger it from your app, monitor in the dashboard.

Quick Start

npx trigger.dev@latest init

Define a Task

import { task } from '@trigger.dev/sdk/v3'

export const processOrder = task({
  id: 'process-order',
  run: async (payload: { orderId: string }) => {
    // This runs in the background, not in your request handler
    const order = await db.orders.findUnique({ where: { id: payload.orderId } })

    await sendConfirmationEmail(order.email)
    await updateInventory(order.items)
    await notifyShipping(order)

    return { processed: true }
  }
})

Trigger from Your App

import { processOrder } from './trigger/process-order'

// In your API route
app.post('/orders', async (req, res) => {
  const order = await db.orders.create({ data: req.body })

  // Fire and forget — runs in background
  await processOrder.trigger({ orderId: order.id })

  res.json({ status: 'created' }) // Responds immediately
})

Scheduled Tasks (CRON)

import { schedules } from '@trigger.dev/sdk/v3'

export const dailyReport = schedules.task({
  id: 'daily-report',
  cron: '0 9 * * *', // 9 AM daily
  run: async () => {
    const stats = await calculateDailyStats()
    await sendSlackMessage(stats)
  }
})

Retry and Error Handling

export const riskyTask = task({
  id: 'risky-task',
  retry: { maxAttempts: 3, minTimeoutInMs: 1000, factor: 2 },
  run: async (payload) => {
    // Automatically retries on failure with exponential backoff
    await callUnreliableAPI(payload)
  }
})

Free Tier

Feature	Free	Pro ($30/mo)
Tasks	Unlimited	Unlimited
Runs	1,000/month	25,000/month
Concurrency	5	100
Log retention	7 days	30 days

The Bottom Line

Trigger.dev replaces BullMQ + Redis + worker infrastructure with TypeScript functions. If you need background jobs in a serverless world, this is the simplest path.

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