BCC2020

→ Abstract


The presenter(s) will be available for live Q&A in this session (BCC West).

Evan Floden 1, Kevin Sayers 1, Paolo Di Tommaso 1,2

1 Seqera Labs, Barcelona, Spain.
2 Comparative Bioinformatics, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
Email: paolo@seqera.io

Project Website: http://nextflow.io
Source Code: https://github.com/nextflow-io/nextflow
License: Apache 2.0


Main Text of Abstract

Nextflow is a popular open source workflow management system for the development and
deployment of data analysis pipelines. It simplifies the use of multi-scale containers and allows
seamless integration with commonly-used batch schedulers and well as built-in support for
cloud computing services such as AWS Batch and Google Cloud Life Sciences.

During the years, it has evolved to address the growing requirements from the community and
the need to manage the increasing complexity of -omics data analysis pipelines. One of the most
significant changes during the past year was the introduction of an important revision of the
Nextflow syntax termed DSL2, which represents a major shift in the capabilities of the language.
A key component of DSL2 is the ability to modularize workflows. This feature enables the reuse
of workflow components reducing development time, ensures easier testing for more robust
workflows all while continuing to use the dataflow programming paradigm that characterizes
the technology. This presentation introduces the key features of DSL2 and the advantages it
provides to workflow developers.

Another advance in the Nextflow ecosystem has been the development of Nextflow Tower by
Seqera Labs. This is an open-source web application for the management of Nextflow pipelines.
It provides an extensive overview of resource utilization and enables sharing and collaboration.
Nextflow has integrated support for Tower and provides a streamlined configuration to push
workflow data.

The Nextflow userbase has also expanded rapidly in the past year, in part due to the continued
development of high-quality, open source workflows from the https://nf-co.re community. This
valuable addition has not only accelerated development but also enriched the Nextflow
ecosystem into a community of world-class scientists collaborating on a diverse set of essential
problems.