Venkat Malladi

Venkat Malladi

Sprocket

3 minute read

Introducing Sprocket

We are excited to announce Sprocket, a validator and linter for the Workflow Description Language (WDL). Beyond just validation and linting, Sprocket is under active development towards becoming a workflow execution engine for bioinformatics and computational research. Sprocket uses WDL as it’s workflow language of choice, making it a valuable addition to the growing ecosystem of WDL tools.

What is Sprocket?

Sprocket is written in Rust. The code that drives Sprocket is split across the wdl family of crates, the sprocket command line tool, and the Visual Studio Code extension.

Sprocket aims for the following:

  • WDL Compatibility: Full support for workflows written in WDL, allowing users to define complex workflows in a readable and intuitive format.
  • Lightweight and Fast: Optimized for speed and minimal resource usage, Sprocket is a perfect fit for small-to-medium-sized computational projects.
  • Flexible Deployment: Sprocket can run on local machines, clusters, and cloud environments, giving users the freedom to scale their workflows as needed.
  • Open-Source: Developed under an open-source license, Sprocket encourages contributions from the community to extend its capabilities.

Why Use Sprocket?

Sprocket aims at providing a minimal yet robust alternative for testing and running WDL workflows.

  • Simplicity: For users who need to run WDL workflows quickly without complex infrastructure setup, Sprocket offers a straightforward solution.
  • Speed: Sprocket is optimized to run workflows with low overhead, helping users execute their tasks faster and more efficiently.
  • Community-Driven: As an open-source project, Sprocket is actively developed and improved by its community, making it adaptable to the needs of users in bioinformatics and beyond.

VS Code Extension for Sprocket

To streamline the workflow development process, Sprocket provides a dedicated Visual Studio Code extension. This extension integrates Sprocket directly into the popular code editor, offering a powerful environment for writing, running, and debugging WDL workflows.

Here are some of the features the VS Code extension offers:

  • Syntax Highlighting: The extension provides WDL syntax highlighting, making your code more readable and easier to navigate.
  • Auto-completion: It supports auto-completion for WDL tasks, inputs, and outputs, helping you write WDL scripts faster and with fewer errors.
  • Integrated Workflow Execution: You can execute Sprocket workflows directly within VS Code, eliminating the need to switch between the editor and the terminal.
  • Real-time Error Checking: Catch issues in your WDL code as you write with integrated real-time error checking.
  • Output Logs: View detailed execution logs within the VS Code interface, making debugging faster and more intuitive.

Getting Started with the VS Code Extension

To begin using the Sprocket VS Code extension, follow these simple steps:

  1. Install the Extension: Open Visual Studio Code, navigate to the Extensions tab, and search for “Sprocket.” Install the extension from the marketplace.
  2. Configure Sprocket: Set up the Sprocket executable path by going to your VS Code settings and pointing to the Sprocket installation on your machine.
  3. Run WDL Workflows: Open a WDL file in VS Code, and you’ll see the Sprocket toolbar to execute and monitor workflows directly from the editor.

For more detailed instructions, you can follow the official Getting Started Guide for VS Code.

Getting Started with Sprocket

Interested in trying out Sprocket for your next project? Head over to the official Sprocket documentation for detailed installation instructions and usage guides. Whether you are working on local workflows or deploying large-scale computations, Sprocket’s flexibility ensures you can adapt it to fit your needs.

What’s Next?

Sprocket is under active development, and we welcome contributions from the community! Whether you want to suggest new features, report bugs, or contribute code, check out our GitHub repository and join the conversation on the OpenWDL Slack and discuss in #sprocket channel.

Conclusion

Sprocket is a new fast, lightweight, and user-friendly WDL engine designed to make workflow execution easier and more efficient. With a focus on simplicity and performance, Sprocket is a great choice for anyone working with WDL workflows, from small research projects to large-scale bioinformatics pipelines.

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