Webhook infrastructure comparison
Simple Relay vs Temporal
Looking for a Temporal alternative for webhook reliability? First decide whether you need HTTP delivery infrastructure or durable orchestration for application workflows.
Simple Relay is a self-hosted HTTP relay that receives, persists, and forwards requests with retries. Temporal is a durable execution platform for writing workflows in code and resuming them after failures. They can complement each other: a webhook relay can handle reliable ingress, while Temporal can orchestrate the work triggered by an event.
Other comparisons: Simple Relay vs Hookdeck · Simple Relay vs Svix · Simple Relay vs Convoy
Simple Relay and Temporal at a glance
These tools address different layers of an event-driven system.
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| What matters | Simple Relay | Temporal |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Reliable HTTP ingestion, proxying, and forwarding | Durable execution and orchestration of application workflows |
| Webhook ingress | Dedicated HTTP endpoints to receive and persist webhook requests | Your application receives the HTTP request and starts or signals a Workflow |
| ACK and persistence | Low-latency ACK after the inbound request is durably persisted | Workflow state and event history are persisted by the Temporal Service |
| Retry model | HTTP delivery retries with failed requests available in the DLQ | Workflow and Activity retry policies for application steps |
| Work duration | Request delivery and outbound HTTP proxy operations | Multi-step, long-running workflows that may wait, resume, or coordinate work over time |
| Production deployment | One self-contained binary or container; no external services required by default | Temporal Cloud or a self-hosted Temporal Service, plus application Workers |
| Best suited for | Teams that want a focused self-hosted HTTP reliability layer | Teams building durable business processes with multiple steps and side effects |
Product details reviewed October 15, 2026. Temporal details are based on its official Workflow documentation, Tasks guide, and production deployment guide.
HTTP relay vs durable workflow orchestration
Simple Relay and Temporal solve related reliability problems at different points in the request lifecycle.
A webhook provider sends an HTTP request to your public endpoint. Simple Relay is designed to accept that request, persist it before ACK, and forward it to your application with retry and replay support. This makes it a focused webhook relay and HTTP delivery layer.
Temporal helps you model what happens after an event reaches your application. You define a Workflow in code; Temporal records its event history and coordinates Activities, timers, retries, and resumption. This is useful when processing involves multiple dependent steps, long waits, or side effects that must recover after a crash.
Example: receive an event, then start a durable workflow
A payment event can first reach Simple Relay, which persists the HTTP request and forwards it to an application endpoint. That endpoint can start a Temporal Workflow when the next work includes coordinated steps such as updating an order, issuing a receipt, and waiting for later confirmation. The relay handles the webhook edge; Temporal manages the long-running business process.
When Simple Relay may be a good Temporal alternative
Simple Relay may fit when the main requirement is receiving and forwarding HTTP reliably, without introducing a workflow orchestration platform:
- You need a stable inbound webhook endpoint with a low-latency ACK after durable persistence.
- You want asynchronous HTTP forwarding, delivery retries, and DLQ replay.
- You prefer a self-hosted single binary or container with an embedded UI.
- Your event processing is handled by your application and does not require a durable multi-step workflow engine.
Review the Simple Relay benchmarks and compare results using your own deployment and workload. Get started with the quickstart, then see inbound webhook handling, retries and DLQ replay, and production deployment.
When Temporal may be a better fit
Temporal may be the better fit when an incoming event starts a business process that spans multiple steps, services, or time periods. Workflows can coordinate Activities, wait for signals or timers, and resume from persisted history after failures. A Temporal deployment includes the Temporal Service and your application Workers, whether you use Temporal Cloud or self-host the service.
In this architecture, Simple Relay and Temporal can work together: the relay handles the HTTP edge and durable intake, while a backend Worker starts a Temporal Workflow to process the event. Whether both are useful depends on your reliability needs and how much operational complexity you want to manage.
Frequently asked questions
Is Simple Relay a replacement for Temporal?
Not for durable workflow orchestration. Simple Relay is a narrower alternative when the need is a self-hosted HTTP relay for persistent webhook intake, forwarding, and retries. Temporal provides a framework and service for durable application workflows.
Can Temporal receive webhooks?
Your application can receive an HTTP webhook and use it to start or signal a Temporal Workflow. Temporal then coordinates the workflow execution; it is not itself a drop-in public webhook relay endpoint.
Can Simple Relay run long-running business workflows?
Simple Relay handles HTTP delivery and retries. For business processes that need durable multi-step orchestration, timers, signals, or workflow history, use a workflow engine such as Temporal.
How do I compare webhook ACK latency?
Review the Simple Relay benchmark page; it is not a head-to-head Temporal test. Reproduce the measurements under conditions similar to your own. Because the two products operate at different layers, compare equivalent request paths.
Try Simple Relay
If you need a lightweight HTTP relay for durable webhook intake and forwarding, start Simple Relay and test it with your event flow.
Start the quickstart · View the source on GitHub
Other comparisons
Explore other webhook infrastructure comparisons: Simple Relay vs Hookdeck · Simple Relay vs Svix · Simple Relay vs Convoy.