Pipedream
Dev tools
workflow automation
SHOW HN2019
245points
107comments
#144of 2,195 in 2019
Top 7%of 2019 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
16 positive, 36 neutral or asking, 0 mixed, 19 critical, out of 71 comments about the project. Thread score -0.07.
Idea: 4 for, 5 againstPricing: 2 for, 6 againstDocs: 5 for, 3 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstDesign: 2 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Name and branding liked
From 3 comments
Speaking of which, it's always overwhelming learning new tools. I know I can benefit from this, but at the same time I'm not sure I can risk trying it out given the time it will…
hanniabu on HNI also think the name is fabulous - quite surprised the domain name was available!
bogle on HNCongrats on launching! I'm a founder of a startup in the same space, so just wanted to say good luck. I love the name. It's exciting to see so many folks working on making…
keithwhor on HN
Demo looks slick and useful
From 2 comments
The example demo looks very slick! it looks like Zapier but a bit more low level. Also for anyone interested in running functions but not interested in handling the complexity of…
zlagen on HNHaha, damn nice job. I actually thought about this 1 yr ago and started working on something very similar, though it was more interactive. Even started an LLC and got a good…
michannne on HN
Objections
Unclear how the service will make money and stay free
From 4 comments
It looks like an interesting alternative to Zapier (or its open source counterpart n8n [1]). As a potential user, before even trying the tool I'd like to know how are you…
zimmund on HNHow's this going to be monetized? What sort of execution limits are there?
lukevp on HNThis isn't an answer to how they might monetize this service and quite frankly I've seen the OP/Co-Founder post their "answer" to this question on multiple other comments and…
haggy on HNfree until when :)
grafcet_online on HN
Risk of shutdown and lock-in if the service closes
From 2 comments
So basically, people are going to build on top of your service and if yall don't figure out a revenue model, you'll need to close down shop, leaving people scrambling to migrate…
cpursley on HNThe risk isn't small compared to the value add, especially if all they are doing is providing an abstraction layer that isn't "too hard." The value seems to be free hosting for…
alttab on HN
Docs and landing page hard to use or display poorly
From 3 comments
FYI, your docs don’t display properly in Safari on iPadOS; the content is hidden behind the navigation, which doesn’t seem to be collapsible. Here’s a screenshot to show what I…
LyndsySimon on HNI'd have an easier time evaluating pipedream if I got something other than a blank page when clicking through to the website from my mac running chrome.
davidthewatson on HNI do not feel that this is the best article to sell me on your product. It compensates for trying to describe a rock solid use case with a lot of links to other things with…
xemdetia on HN
Requests
Python support for workflows
From 2 comments
This looks pretty awesome, even at this stage. I’d love the ability to write workflows in other languages (particularly Python), but understand that this seems pretty early-stage…
LyndsySimon on HNFrom the intro article: (Yes, Python is coming.) +1
pdonis on HN
Deploy workflows from source control and CI/CD
From 2 comments
Forgive me if this is clean and I haven’t seen it I’m just browsing from a mobile device. With all workflow type services I’ve encountered I find that the actual underlying…
chrismatheson on HNHi, Dylan, a co-founder here. Deploying workflows from source via CLI or your CI/CD pipeline is in the works! We want you to host workflows on Github / Gitlab and be able to…
dylburger on HN
GitHub event tutorials
From 1 comment
Speaking of which, it's always overwhelming learning new tools. I know I can benefit from this, but at the same time I'm not sure I can risk trying it out given the time it will…
hanniabu on HN
Questions
How is the service monetized?
From 3 comments
If I can run workflows for free, how are you making money?
michaelmior on HNIt looks like an interesting alternative to Zapier (or its open source counterpart n8n [1]). As a potential user, before even trying the tool I'd like to know how are you…
zimmund on HNHow's this going to be monetized? What sort of execution limits are there?
lukevp on HN
How is it different from AWS Lambda or cloud functions?
From 3 comments
Why would I use this instead of an option built into a major cloud provider such as AWS, GCP, or Azure? How do you differentiate yourself. Do you (or will you) support frameworks…
linuxdude314 on HNHow does this differ from Amazon Lambda? Only read the landing page so far but it looks like Lambda with just Node support. Can someone correct me if I’m off?
pythonwutang on HNI like it but I don't fully get it. Why use this service and not Lambda or Azure Functions?
jcmontx on HN
What security measures exist against malicious user code?
From 1 comment
What security measures are in place to deal with malicious code from other users?
atarian on HN
Alternatives named
Zapier
From 1 comment
It looks like an interesting alternative to Zapier (or its open source counterpart n8n [1]). As a potential user, before even trying the tool I'd like to know how are you…
zimmund on HN
n8n
From 1 comment
It looks like an interesting alternative to Zapier (or its open source counterpart n8n [1]). As a potential user, before even trying the tool I'd like to know how are you…
zimmund on HN
AWS Lambda
From 2 comments
How does this differ from Amazon Lambda? Only read the landing page so far but it looks like Lambda with just Node support. Can someone correct me if I’m off?
pythonwutang on HNI like it but I don't fully get it. Why use this service and not Lambda or Azure Functions?
jcmontx on HN
Huginn
From 1 comment
Possible alternative for self-hosted applications: https://github.com/huginn/huginn/
l1n on HN
Cloudflare Workers
From 1 comment
The example demo looks very slick! it looks like Zapier but a bit more low level. Also for anyone interested in running functions but not interested in handling the complexity of…
zlagen on HN