Platform Release: InBetween Nexus
PRODUCT PUBLISHING -
ORCHESTRATED
InBetween Nexus is our microservices-based, API-first, headless platform for automated document generation.
A dedicated Job Orchestrator schedules and manages generation jobs and intelligently distributes them across independently scalable generator services. This provides the foundation for two powerful Nexus services: Nexus Auto Generator and Nexus On-Demand Generator.
Architecture
One orchestrator, many generator services
Nexus no longer runs as a single application that requires work to be routed manually. It is headless and API-first from end to end. Any system, including a scheduler, script, another product in your stack, or a PIM, can call Nexus directly via its API without requiring a user interface (UI).
At the center of every call is the Job Orchestrator. It schedules incoming generation jobs, routes each one to the appropriate generator service, and balances the workload across all active instances. Each generator runs as an independent microservice, allowing it to scale, deploy, and operate independently. A volume spike or failure in one service therefore does not affect the others.
Each generator service also governs its own memory and processing capacity automatically. Resources are distributed across the jobs running at the same time, allowing the service to remain stable even under high workloads. Large jobs may take longer to process, but they do not bring the service down. Job queues are stored on disk rather than in memory, ensuring that even large backlogs can be handled without consuming excessive server memory.
This also changes how Nexus uses computing resources. Generator capacity scales according to the actual workload instead of being permanently provisioned for peak demand. Individual services can also be updated independently, enabling smaller and lower-risk releases.
Background Generations use the Nexus Auto Generator, while PIM · fastlane uses the Nexus On-Demand Generator.
Web UI and External API illustrate how the same platform can serve additional Nexus clients.
Two services, one platform
Nexus Auto Generator and Nexus On-Demand Generator are two services built on the same Nexus Platform. They share the same Job Orchestrator, generator microservices, and underlying data layer. Which service handles a request simply depends on how the documentgeneration is triggered.
Nexus Service
Nexus Auto Generator Service
Headless bulk generation, running where your data lives.
- No UI required. Nexus Auto Generator runs entirely in the background, triggered by a schedule, a live configuration change, or a near‑real‑time data change — cron expression, fixed interval, one‑shot start time, or immediate. Configuration changes take effect live, with no restart.
- Dynamic bulk generation. Each run builds its document set from live product data, and can regenerate only what actually changed since the last run — so large catalogs don't need a full regeneration every time.
- 2–4x faster generation. Bulk runs are fanned out across the Job Orchestrator and multiple generator nodes in parallel, instead of one long sequential job — cutting total run time by 2–4x (range depends on catalog size and template complexity).
- Delivers where you need it. Finished output can be uploaded to Akeneo PIM, Amazon S3, and/or any S3‑compatible object storage — in any combination, within the same run — through the InBetween Data Connector, a data‑connector framework shared across InBetween Classic and Nexus, paired with InBetween Datahub, our universal data framework.
- Built to extend. The same connector framework is designed to bring on additional PIM and DAM systems through configuration, not a custom build per system.
- Fail‑safe by design. A single running instance per configuration prevents duplicate runs; a schedule that fires mid‑run is never dropped, just queued to run right after; failed calls retry automatically; and a run that hits trouble releases its locks cleanly instead of getting stuck.
- Tracked and observable. Every run is recorded in the Job Repository and reportable in detail — see below.
Speed‑up range reflects internal benchmark testing across representative customer projects; actual results depend on catalog size, template complexity, and data volume.
Nexus Service
Nexus On‑Demand Generator Service
One click, from inside Akeneo.
Nexus On‑Demand Generator is the Nexus service behind the Datasheet Automation App on the Akeneo Marketplace. Templates and data mapping are configured directly in the Datasheet Automation App's own interface, and documents are generated with a single button from the product and product model screens in Akeneo — no separate tool, no context switch.
- Built for the click. Requests run on Nexus's real‑time lane, engineered for a response in seconds rather than minutes.
- Same platform, same guarantees. It inherits the Nexus Platform's fail‑safe execution, Job Repository history, and observability from the shared core underneath.
- Consistency over raw speed. A click here typically generates one document, or a handful — already a matter of seconds. The platform's gain for this service isn't a speed multiplier; it's the same reliability and troubleshooting depth as every other Nexus service, at the response time users already expect.
Rendering
A new templating engine underneath
The InBetween Nexus Platform uses a new templating technology that enables output capabilities not available with the previous engine, along with a range of features exclusive to the Nexus Platform.
- SVG image support. Use SVG images in PDF generation.
- PDF/UA generation. Create accessible PDF documents.
- Print PDF generation. Create print-ready PDFs with customizable print profiles.
- HTML generation. Generate HTML and PDF from the same template.
- Protected PDF generation. Create password-protected PDFs with configurable permissions.
- Extended barcode support. Choose from 32 barcode symbologies covering most industry requirements.
- Extended query syntax. Benefit from smart sorting, “last item” lookups, list sorting, string operators such as upper/lower case, trim and replace, as well as extended math operators.
- Static pages in a publication. Add a static PDF or image file directly as a page or master page.
- Related products with their own data. Include related products in a generation request, each with its own variable values.
- Flexible template repetition. Repeat templates by product, repeat marker, or individual area within a single template.
History & Troubleshooting
Every job, accounted for
The Job Orchestrator keeps a Job Repository — a record of every submitted job, its status, progress, and output summary — separate from where the finished documents themselves end up. That separation matters operationally: job history and troubleshooting don't have to cost you disk space you didn't plan to spend.
Full history, either way.
Repository history (meta information) and/or output document artifacts can be configured to be archived individually with configurable TTL options. This separation allows users to cater to their actual operational / compliance needs. In any case, the outputs will always be available in the desired primary output location (upload storage).
Retention you can shape per use case.
Keep history only, keep history plus a temporary retrieval window, or keep full repeat‑download capability — bulk background runs and interactive UI generation don't have to be governed the same way.
Resilient by default.
If the durable history database is briefly unreachable, the repository automatically falls back to file‑based history instead of losing track of jobs — generation keeps running either way.
A reliable answer, every time.
Support and operations always have a place to check what ran, when, and whether it succeeded — the basis for recovery and historical job checks.
Observability
See what every run actually did
Nexus Auto Generator includes a reporting layer built specifically for high-volume background runs, providing clear visibility into every generation job.
Run statistics
Documents attempted and generated, plus throughput for the run.
Performance
Time spent per stage — fetching data and rendering — down to individual documents, so a slow run is diagnosable, not just visible.
Distribution
How work split across generator nodes, and where time was actually spent.
Queue & capacity signal
Render time and total time‑in‑queue are reported separately — so a slow turnaround reads as a capacity signal, not a performance regression.
Delivery confirmation
Generation success and delivery success are tracked as two separate facts — confirming not just that a document was produced, but that it actually reached its destination.
Content quality
Issues classified by severity — missing assets, untranslated fallback content, rendering‑configuration gaps — surfaced per run.
Deployment
The Nexus Installer
The InBetween Nexus Platform comes with a single, self-contained installer for the complete Nexus service environment. It includes the Job Orchestrator, generator services, and all required messaging and repository components for both Windows and Linux (64-bit). No additional components need to be installed separately. The installer includes its own message broker and document repository database and starts them automatically.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | 64‑bit Windows or Linux | |
| CPU | 12 vCPU | 24+ vCPU per host, scaling with concurrent generation volume |
| Memory | 64 GB | 112+ GB per host |
| Storage | 100 GB SSD | 250+ GB SSD, scaling with cache and output retention |
| Messaging & repository database | Bundled with the installer and self‑managed — no separate install required | |
| Network | Outbound access to your PIM and any storage endpoints where output is delivered | |
Indicative starting point for planning — validate against your expected generation volume before sizing a production deployment.
InBetween Nexus 2.0.0 is generally available now. Nexus Auto Generator and Nexus On‑Demand Generator should be licensed as add-ons and enabled through configuration — project migration would be required. Reach out to your InBetween sales team to plan your upgrade or onboarding.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the InBetween Nexus Platform
Answers to common questions about use cases, services, integration, capacity planning, job tracking, and onboarding.
Who is the InBetween Nexus Platform designed for?
The platform is designed for organizations that generate product publications regularly, in large volumes, or directly from a PIM. It supports both automated background production and individual document requests on the same technical foundation.
What is the difference between InBetween Classic and the Nexus Platform?
The main difference is the architecture. The Nexus Platform is headless, API-first, and built around independently scalable services coordinated by a central Job Orchestrator. InBetween Classic and Nexus share InBetween’s publishing expertise and connector framework, but Nexus is designed specifically for service-based, automated document generation.
Which Nexus service is right for my use case?
Nexus Auto Generator is intended for scheduled, event-driven, and high-volume background production. Nexus On-Demand Generator supports individual document requests directly from Akeneo. Organizations can use either service independently or combine them for different publishing workflows.
Can Nexus work with our existing systems?
Nexus is designed to connect with existing data sources, applications, and storage environments. The appropriate setup depends on your PIM, output destinations, and how document generation should be triggered.
How should we plan the required capacity?
Capacity depends primarily on concurrent generation volume, catalog size, template complexity, and output retention. The published system requirements provide a starting point, but production sizing should always reflect the expected workload.
How do we know whether a job completed successfully?
The Job Repository records the status, progress, and output summary of every generation job. Generation and delivery are tracked separately, allowing teams to confirm both that a document was created and that it reached its intended destination.
What is required to get started?
Nexus Auto Generator and Nexus On-Demand Generator are licensed as add-ons and enabled through configuration. Existing projects require migration planning. Your InBetween team can review the current setup and define the appropriate onboarding or upgrade path.
About InBetween
InBetween Deutschland GmbH, a global leader in digital publishing solutions, has been at the forefront of product and brand professionalisation for more than 20 years. Our software automatically creates catalogs, sales folders, price lists, datasheets, and more, all based on your latest product data. This saves you significant and measurable time and costs, while increasing the quality of your output documents by reducing manual errors. Our solution offers both fully or partially automated publications, personalised for different customer segments, in a variety of output formats and languages suiting your company.
