iii README

The project's README from github.com/iii-hq/iii. As one markdown file: README.md.

iii

iii: point-to-point integrations vs zero-integration via shared runtime

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What is iii? · Quick Start · Add Workers · SDKs · Agent Skills · Console · Resources

What is iii?

iii is the easiest way to compose, extend, and observe every service in your stack in real time.

Every backend starts as a project before the first line of business logic. Queues, cron, HTTP, state, observability, agents, and sandboxes each usually bring their own integration story. iii collapses that into one live system surface.

iii compose --namespace dev --up
iii trigger -n dev compose::add worker=queue
iii trigger -n dev compose::add worker=agent
iii trigger -n dev compose::add worker=<anything>

Each worker joins the live catalog. Every other worker is notified and can call it immediately. Browse available workers at workers.iii.dev.

That is the agent story too: when a task needs a capability the system does not have, an agent can add a worker, discover its functions, call them, and trace what happened. Same interface a developer uses.

Three Primitives

Worker _ Function _ Trigger is the entire mental model.

Workers are processes that register with the iii engine and then register triggers and functions. A TypeScript API service is a worker. A Python data pipeline is a worker. A Rust microservice is a worker. Any functionality can be transformed into a worker with a few lines of code. Compose can also add workers at runtime, so agents and applications can extend the system while it is running.

Triggers are anything that causes a function to run. A trigger can be a direct call to a function, an HTTP endpoint, a cron schedule, a queue subscription, a state change, a stream event, or anything else. Triggers are declarative: the Worker defines "this function runs when this thing happens," and iii handles routing, serialization, and delivery.

Functions are units of work with a stable identifier (e.g., content::classify, orders::validate). It receives input, does work, and optionally returns output. Functions exist in workers.

By mapping everything a service can do to these three primitives iii creates a development process that is both effortlessly composable, and completely observable.

What Changes

Before iii:

After iii:

Platform teams publish workers. Application teams register functions and declare triggers. Agents use the same catalog and the same function calls.

Extending iii is adding a Compose worker. Composing iii is calling functions. Observing iii is opening the trace.

Quick Start

Watch the iii intro (click to play)

Install iii:

curl -fsSL https://install.iii.dev/iii/main/install.sh | sh

Then scaffold and start a project:

iii project init myapp    # scaffold a project
cd myapp
# declare project workers in worker-compose.yaml
iii compose --up          # start the engine and project workers

Full walkthrough at the Quickstart guide.

Add Workers

Declare project workers in worker-compose.yaml, or add them through a running Compose daemon:

iii trigger -n dev compose::add worker=queue

Browse packages at workers.iii.dev and see the Compose documentation.

SDKs

Language Package Install
Node.js iii-sdk pnpm add iii-sdk or npm install iii-sdk
Python iii-sdk pip install iii-sdk
Rust iii-sdk Add to Cargo.toml
Go iii-sdk go get github.com/iii-hq/iii/sdk/packages/go/iii

Agent Skills

Install iii's agent-readable reference material for the engine primitives:

npx skills add iii-hq/iii/skills

These cover every iii primitive: HTTP endpoints, queues, cron, state, streams, custom triggers, and more. See skills/ for the full list.

Each worker in iii-hq/workers also ships its own skill. Install them alongside the worker itself:

npx skills add iii-hq/workers --list        # list available worker skills
npx skills add iii-hq/workers --skill database # one worker
npx skills add iii-hq/workers --all         # every worker skill

The engine-owned workers (configuration, iii-worker-manager, iii-http-functions, iii-stream, and iii-sandbox) and the automatically supplied engine functions, telemetry, and observability workers live in this repo. HTTP, cron, queue, state, pubsub, and bridge are standalone Compose workers. Install an engine skill with npx skills add iii-hq/iii --full-depth --skill <name>; standalone workers ship their own skills in iii-hq/workers.

Console

The iii-console is a developer and operations console for inspecting workers, functions, triggers, queues, traces, logs, and real-time state. See the Console docs for setup and usage.

Repository Structure

Directory What it is README
engine/ iii Engine (Rust) - core runtime, modules, and protocol engine/README.md
sdk/ SDKs for Node.js, Python, Rust, and Go sdk/README.md
console/ Developer console (React + Rust) console/README.md
skills/ Agent-readable reference material skills/README.md
website/ iii website website/
docs/ Documentation site (Mintlify/MDX) docs/README.md

See STRUCTURE.md for the full monorepo layout, dependency chain, and CI/CD details.

Examples

See the Quickstart guide for step-by-step tutorials.

Resources

Star History

Star History Chart

License

The iii is licensed as such:

Directory License
engine/ Elastic License 2.0
sdk/ Apache License 2.0
console/ Apache License 2.0
docs/ Apache License 2.0
website/ Apache License 2.0

The engine runtime is licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 (ELv2). All SDKs, CLI, console, documentation, and the website are licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for additional details.

iii (iii-hq/iii)

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Iii
What is this?iii is a real-time engine for your backend stack: queues, cron, HTTP, state, observability, agents, and sandboxes are collapsed into one live system surface where every service is composable and observable.
So is it a library I import, or something I run?It is a Rust engine you run. Your services connect as workers through SDKs, register with the engine, and immediately join a live catalog that every other worker can see and call.
How do I get it running?Install the iii CLI, declare your project workers in worker-compose.yaml, and start the whole stack with: iii compose --up. Ready-made workers can be browsed at workers.iii.dev.
Which languages can I write workers in?Official SDKs exist for Node.js (iii-sdk via npm/pnpm, requires Node >= 20), Python (pip install iii-sdk), Rust (add to Cargo.toml), and Go (go get github.com/iii-hq/iii).
Who works with it day to day?Platform teams publish workers, application teams register functions and declare triggers, and AI agents use the same catalog and the same function calls — one surface for all three.
Is it fully open source?Not entirely. The engine runtime is Elastic License 2.0 (source-available with restrictions), while all SDKs, the CLI, the console, docs, and the website are Apache 2.0.
What is the core mental model?Three primitives: Worker, Function, Trigger. Workers register functions with stable ids like content::classify, and triggers are declarative — a direct call, HTTP endpoint, cron schedule, queue subscription, state change, or stream event — with iii handling routing, serialization, and delivery.
How do AI agents fit in?Agents use the same catalog as developers: when a task needs a capability the system lacks, an agent can add a worker, discover its functions, call them, and trace what happened. Agent-readable skill docs install with npx skills add iii-hq/iii.
Can services be added while everything is running?Yes — Compose can add workers at runtime, so agents and applications can extend the live system without a restart. Workers can also be declared up front in worker-compose.yaml.
How do I see what the system is doing?The bundled iii-console lets developers and operators inspect workers, functions, triggers, queues, traces, logs, and real-time state. It is a React + Rust app that ships in this repo.
What are similar projects?encore, electric, flue, mem0, mcp-toolbox, evenfire, openclaw-enterprise, carno.js
Which topics is it in?primitives, genai, engine, message-queue, cron, microservices, monorepo, sandbox, http, orchestration, observability, real-time
Creator
iii-hq
Size
590.3 MB
Stars
18.8K
Updated
CommitOct 14Releaseiii/v0.24.5Oct 13
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days