Installation

Install the package

npm install @michaelrwalker/step-queue bullmq

bullmq is a peer dependency, not a bundled dependency: install it alongside Step Queue explicitly. Step Queue targets bullmq ^5.0.0.

Install a schema library

Input validation is powered by Standard Schema, so bring whichever compliant schema library you prefer: Zod, Valibot, ArkType, Effect Schema, and others all work. The examples throughout this documentation use Zod:

npm install zod

A schema library isn’t required for a QueueOnly producer, or for a QueueSystem that skips defineInputSchema, but without one, job data isn’t validated at enqueue time and the initial step type has to come from ProcessorBuilder.init<T>() instead.

Connect to Redis

Step Queue doesn’t manage Redis itself. It passes a BullMQ ConnectionOptions object straight through to the Queue and Worker it creates. Point it at a running Redis instance:

import { QueueSystem, NameFactory } from "@michaelrwalker/step-queue";

const connection = { host: "localhost", port: 6379 };

const myQueue = new QueueSystem(NameFactory({ name: "MyCoolQueue", env: "dev" }))
  .defineConnection(connection);

defineConnection has to be called before defineProcessor: calling it out of order is a compile error (and throws at runtime if the type check is bypassed). See QueueSystem reference for the full lifecycle.

For local development, run Redis however you normally would (a local install, Docker, or a managed instance) and point host / port at it. Step Queue does not start, stop, or configure Redis on your behalf.

Next

Continue to the Quick Start for a complete worked job.