Overview: Novu is an open-source notification infrastructure designed to simplify multi-channel communication for developers. It unifies email, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messaging into a single API and dashboard, eliminating the need to integrate with each provider individually. Built with TypeScript and Node.js, Novu targets product teams and engineering organizations that need to scale transactional and engagement notifications without building custom notification systems from scratch. The platform supports both cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployments, with core functionality licensed under MIT and enterprise features available separately.
What You Get
- Unified API for multiple channels - Send notifications via email (SendGrid, Mailgun, SES, etc.), SMS (Twilio, Plivo, Nexmo), push (FCM, APNS), and chat (Slack, Discord, MS Teams) using one consistent API.
- Embeddable Inbox component - Drop in a real-time, customizable notification center into React apps using @novu/react with minimal configuration.
- No-Code Email Editor - Design and preview email templates visually without writing HTML or CSS.
- Digest Engine - Combine multiple notifications into a single digest email to reduce user inbox clutter.
- User Preferences Component - Allow users to control notification channels and frequency via an embeddable UI.
- Multi-provider support - Pre-built integrations for 15+ email providers, 14+ SMS gateways, 5 push services, and 4 chat platforms with detailed setup guides.
- Self-hostable core - Run the full notification stack locally using Docker, with all non-enterprise features available under MIT license.
Common Use Cases
- Building a multi-tenant SaaS dashboard with personalized notifications - Use Novu’s embeddable Inbox and user preferences to let each tenant customize how they receive alerts via email, SMS, or in-app.
- Scaling transactional notifications for e-commerce platforms - Route order confirmations, shipping updates, and password resets through Novu’s unified API to avoid provider lock-in.
- Problem: Managing 10+ notification providers → Solution: Novu’s single API - Replace fragmented codebases with one integration point that supports email, SMS, push, and chat without rewriting logic per channel.
- DevOps teams managing microservices across cloud providers - Centralize notification routing from different services into one dashboard, using Novu’s self-hosted option to comply with data sovereignty requirements.
Under The Hood
Novu is a comprehensive notification infrastructure platform designed to streamline multi-channel messaging and workflow orchestration. It provides developers with a modular, extensible system for managing notifications across various channels such as email, SMS, and push. The platform is built with a monorepo structure that separates backend and frontend concerns, enabling scalable development and clear architectural boundaries.
Architecture
Novu follows a layered backend architecture with NestJS and a React-based frontend dashboard, emphasizing modularity and domain-driven design.
- The backend is organized into distinct modules that encapsulate functional areas like authentication, workflows, and enterprise features
- A layered approach separates API controllers, services, and data access layers for improved testability and scalability
- Design patterns such as strategy pattern and dependency injection are used to support flexible authentication and service configuration
- Component interactions are managed through well-defined service boundaries and shared libraries, promoting reuse and maintainability
Tech Stack
The system is built using TypeScript with a rich ecosystem of modern frameworks and tools.
- The backend leverages NestJS and the frontend uses React, with extensive integration of UI libraries like Radix UI and Tailwind CSS
- Key dependencies include Zod for validation, class-validator, and various internal Novu packages for core functionality
- Development tools include Vite for frontend builds, NestJS CLI for backend workflows, and Biome for linting and formatting
- Testing is supported through Mocha/Chai for backend, Playwright for end-to-end frontend tests, and comprehensive test configurations
Code Quality
The codebase demonstrates a mature testing strategy with broad coverage and consistent error handling practices.
- Extensive test suites cover core logic, migration flows, and API endpoints with a focus on reliability and correctness
- Error handling is implemented using try/catch blocks and graceful degradation to ensure system resilience
- Code consistency is maintained through TypeScript type safety and standardized naming conventions across modules
- While the architecture supports scalability, some technical debt is present in migration logic and legacy component structures
What Makes It Unique
Novu distinguishes itself through its innovative approach to notification workflow management and cross-channel integration.
- The platform enables developers to orchestrate complex notification workflows with a modular, extensible architecture
- It uniquely supports multiple communication channels through a unified API and flexible configuration system
- Its enterprise-grade features, including authentication strategies and role-based access control, set it apart from generic notification tools