Saga vs. Workflow

Both sagas and workflows are sequential multi-step processes, but they serve different purposes.

Key Differences

Feature	Saga	Workflow
Purpose	Transactions with rollback	Data pipelines
Compensation	✓ Every step has an undo	✗ No rollback
Data passing	Limited	✓ Output → Input
On failure	Rollback all steps	Stop or skip
Use case	Orders, payments, bookings	ETL, analysis, reports

When to Use Sagas

Use sagas when:

Steps have side effects that need to be undone
Consistency is critical
You need all-or-nothing semantics

Examples: Order processing, payment flows, booking systems

When to Use Workflows

Use workflows when:

Steps transform data sequentially
No rollback is needed
Each step's output feeds the next step's input

Examples: Data pipelines, report generation, content processing

Decision Tree

Does the process need rollback?
├── Yes → Use a Saga
└── No
    └── Does each step's output feed the next?
        ├── Yes → Use a Workflow
        └── No
            └── Are steps independent?
                ├── Yes → Use a Pool
                └── No → Use a Supervisor