- Category
- Developer Tools
- Rank
- No. 3721Tools index
Previous survey · No. 3543 ·
- Type
- TOOL
- Use case
- Workflow Automation
- GitHub
- 4 stars
- Date
About
CatQueue is a zero-dependency job queue for Node.js and TypeScript that runs entirely on PostgreSQL instead of requiring a separate broker like Redis. It provides built-in idempotency keys, a per-attempt error log stored as JSON, dead-letter queues with replay, and atomic job locking via SELECT FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED, positioning it as a Postgres-native alternative to BullMQ for teams that already run Postgres.
At a glance
CatQueue stores background jobs in PostgreSQL for Node.js apps. It is worth trying if you already operate PostgreSQL and want retries and failed-job handling without a separate Redis broker.
Good fit
Node.js teams that can run a migration and test how workers recover from interruption.
Consider something else when
Keep your current queue if it already meets your throughput, scheduling or workflow needs.
Start here
Run a synthetic job that fails once and succeeds on retry. Stop a worker mid-job and check how it recovers and whether the side effect happens twice.
Cost and requirements
The package declares ISC licensing. It requires Node.js, PostgreSQL and the documented database migration.
Limits to know
The queue adds load to PostgreSQL. A job key does not make an external side effect safe to repeat. The project marks dependency graphs as work in progress.
Sources checked 2026-11-05. Source-based assessment.
Why it made the leaderboard
Removes the need to run Redis just for job queuing when a team already runs Postgres, with documented performance comparisons against BullMQ.
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Editorially curated, with community endorsements as a secondary signal. Corrections welcome.