Complex scenarios, as one workflow.

Probe runs workflows defined in YAML. The definition looks like GitHub Actions, and the actions come built in: HTTP, DB, Shell, SSH, gRPC, SMTP, IMAP, Browser. The result of an action can be checked, so the same file serves for testing and monitoring too.

Install Probe Read the quickstart

An example sign-up scenario

Create account posts the form and publishes the id that comes back. Database and Mailbox both depend on it, so Probe runs them at the same time — one asks SQLite for the row, the other opens the mailbox over IMAP. Activate waits for both before following the confirmation link.

signup-flow.yml

1name: Sign-up Flow2 3vars:4  api: https://api.example.com5  mail_user: ada@example.com6  mail_pass: "{{MAIL_PASS}}"7 8jobs:9- name: Create account10  id: signup11  defaults:12    http:13      url: "{{vars.api}}"14  steps:15  - name: Post the form16    id: create17    uses: http18    with:19      post: /signup20    test: res.code == 201 && res.body.status == "pending"21    outputs:22      user_id: res.body.id23 24- name: Database25  id: db26  needs: [signup]27  defaults:28    db:29      dsn: file:./app.db30  steps:31  - name: Row is pending32    uses: db33    with:34      query: SELECT status FROM users WHERE id = ?35      params: ["{{outputs.create.user_id}}"]36    test: res.code == 0 && res.rows[0].status == "pending"37 38- name: Mailbox39  id: mailbox40  needs: [signup]41  defaults:42    imap:43      host: imap.example.com44      username: "{{vars.mail_user}}"45      password: "{{vars.mail_pass}}"46  steps:47  - name: Confirmation arrived48    uses: imap49    with:50      commands:51      - name: select52        mailbox: INBOX53      - name: fetch54        sequence: "1"55        dataitem: ALL56    test: |57      res.code == 0 &&58      res.data.fetch.messages[0].subject == "Confirm your address" &&59      res.data.fetch.messages[0].to == vars.mail_user60 61- name: Activate62  needs: [db, mailbox]63  defaults:64    http:65      url: "{{vars.api}}"66  steps:67  - name: Follow the link68    uses: http69    with:70      get: "/users/{{outputs.create.user_id}}"71    test: res.code == 200 && res.body.status == "active"

$ probe signup-flow.yml

Sign-up Flow ⏺ Create account (Completed in 0.11s)  ⎿ 0. ✓  Post the form ⏺ Database (Completed in 0.02s)  ⎿ 0. ✓  Row is pending ⏺ Mailbox (Completed in 0.03s)  ⎿ 0. ✓  Confirmation arrived ⏺ Activate (Completed in 0.01s)  ⎿ 0. ✓  Follow the link Total workflow time: 0.15s ✓ All jobs succeeded

What a workflow is made of

A workflow is a set of jobs, and a job is a sequence of steps. Steps run one after another, in the order you wrote them. Jobs run in parallel by default; only the ones with needs wait for what they depend on. Add repeat to a job and the same file runs on an interval and reports a success rate.

Read the jobs and steps guide

Supported actions

A step names an action in uses, and Probe starts that action as its own process and talks to it over gRPC. The built-in actions go through exactly the same handshake an out-of-tree plugin does, so none of them is a special case. What Probe cannot reach yet, you can add.

Read the actions reference

Shared steps, in a file of their own

A scenario usually starts by logging in, and every scenario after the first repeats it. Put those steps in a job file and any workflow runs it with uses: embedded, handing it vars and reading its outputs back. The job's steps appear nested under the step that called it, so a failure still says which one broke.

orders.yml

1name: Orders2 3vars:4  password: "{{PASSWORD}}"5 6jobs:7- name: Order history8  defaults:9    http:10      url: https://api.example.com11 12  steps:13  - name: Log in14    id: auth15    uses: embedded16    with:17      path: ./login-job.yml18      vars:19        username: ada20        password: "{{vars.password}}"21    test: res.code == 022    outputs:23      token: res.outputs.token24 25  - name: List orders26    uses: http27    with:28      get: /orders29      headers:30        authorization: "Bearer {{outputs.auth.token}}"31    test: res.code == 200

1name: Log in2 3defaults:4  http:5    url: https://api.example.com6    headers:7      content-type: application/json8 9steps:10- name: Post credentials11  id: login12  uses: http13  with:14    post: /login15    body:16      username: "{{vars.username}}"17      password: "{{vars.password}}"18  test: res.code == 20019  outputs:20    token: res.body.access_token

Read the embedded action reference

What a step can say

Whatever action a step names, these fields are available to it.

test

A step passes when the expression is true. Everything about the response is in scope.

yaml

1test: res.code == 200 && res.body.status == "ok"

outputs

Name a value once, then read it from any later step or job.

yaml

1outputs:2  token: res.body.access_token

iteration

Run one step once per set of variables, without copying it.

yaml

1iteration:2- {name: Alice, role: admin}3- {name: Bob, role: user}

retry

Give a flaky step another go, after a pause.

yaml

1retry:2  max_attempts: 33  interval: 5s

skipif

Leave the step out when the condition holds.

yaml

1skipif: vars.env == "local"

wait

Pause before the step runs, for whatever has to settle first.

yaml

1wait: 5s

Install

Probe is a single Go binary with no runtime dependencies.

$ go install github.com/linyows/probe/cmd/probe@latest

Or build from source

git clone https://github.com/linyows/probe.git
cd probe
go build -o probe ./cmd/probe

Read the installation guide