Oban
Oban is a self-hosted, database-backed background job framework for Elixir and Python.
What Oban is
Oban is a self-hosted, database-backed background job framework for Elixir and Python. Its open-source foundation provides durable jobs, automatic retries, error handling, transaction safety, and at-least-once execution. The free plan includes community support but excludes durable workflows, global and rate limiting, and queue partitioning. Pro workflows checkpoint each step in Postgres and resume from the last completed step after a crash, restart, or deployment. Pro also adds cluster-wide concurrency limits, rate limiting, queue partitioning, and burst mode. Oban Web presents jobs, queues, schedules, and workflows across a cluster in a real-time dashboard, with controls to pause queues, retry or cancel jobs, and trigger crons. Workflows coordinate through Postgres without a separate orchestration service. Pro costs $135 a year when billed yearly, or $150 a month when billed monthly. Each standard license covers one application with unlimited nodes. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Good
- Supports Elixir and Python
- Automatic retries and transaction safety
- Postgres workflow checkpointing in Pro
- Real-time Oban Web dashboard
- Scheduled jobs and custom retry policies
Watch out
- Free plan lacks durable workflows
- Pro license covers one application
- No free trial
- Self-hosted deployment required
Who it suits
Oban suits developers deploying Elixir or Python background jobs in self-hosted environments. The free plan fits basic processing, while Pro targets teams needing workflows, limits, dashboard controls, and support.
Verdict
Oban provides a database-centered foundation for reliable background jobs, with advanced controls in Pro. Choose Pro when workflow recovery, cluster limits, and dashboard management are required.
Plans and prices
From Oban's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free | Free · Community support · No durable workflows · No global and rate limiting · No queue partitioning |
| Pro (monthly) | $150 a month | 1 application · Unlimited nodes · Email support · Elixir or Python · Billed monthly |
| Pro (yearly) | $1,620 a year | 1 application · Unlimited nodes · Email support · Elixir or Python · Billed yearly as $1,620 |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | Application bundles · Elixir and Python included · Multi-year licenses · Invoice/PO payment · Enterprise support available · Custom |
The facts
Each one read from Oban's own pages, with the date it was checked.
The company
- Company
- The makers describe themselves as Parker and Shannon Selbert, a small software shop developing, designing, and supporting Oban.checked 7 Oct 2026
What it does
- Concurrency
- Pro adds cluster-wide concurrency limits, rate limiting, queue partitioning, and burst mode.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Dashboard
- Oban Web shows jobs, queues, schedules, and workflows across a cluster in a real-time dashboard, with controls to pause queues, retry or cancel jobs, and trigger crons.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Data protection
- Oban Pro supports encrypted job arguments at rest; its documentation says metadata, error messages, and stacktraces remain plaintext.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The maker documents Elixir and Python packages, and says workflows coordinate directly through Postgres without a separate orchestration service.checked 7 Oct 2026
- License limit
- A standard Pro license covers one application, defined as a system sharing one production database, and permits unlimited staging or production nodes for that application.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Oban is a background job framework for Elixir and Python, backed by a database.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Reliability
- The open-source foundation provides durable background jobs, automatic retries, error handling, transaction safety, and at-least-once execution.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security review
- The enterprise page says Oban will answer security questionnaires and share the executive summary from its latest security audit.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Pro includes email support, while Enterprise Support offers a private Slack or Teams channel, prioritized support, configuration review, and video issue-triage calls during US and UK business hours.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Workflows
- Oban Pro workflows checkpoint each step in Postgres and resume from the last completed step after a crash, restart, or deploy.checked 7 Oct 2026
Money
- Trial
- The pricing FAQ says Oban does not offer a free trial.checked 7 Oct 2026
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