Relay
Altivar’s own event-routing layer: the piece that makes a pricing engine, a CRM and an accounting package behave like one system.
Relay is Altivar’s internal product. It is not sold separately and it is not a client project — it is the integration layer underneath the systems we build, which is why every client system gets the same delivery guarantees.
- Type
- Internal product — not sold separately
- System
- Automation & integration layer
- In use since
- 2022
- Surfaces
- Internal console only
- Status
- In production under live client systems
| Event | Destination | Latency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| quote.issued | crm.deal.update | 180ms | Delivered |
| job.won | ops.create | 240ms | Delivered |
| invoice.raised | accounting.sync | 310ms | Delivered |
| quote.viewed | analytics.track | 90ms | Delivered |
The commercial problem
Most integration failures are silent, and silence is expensive.
A webhook that quietly stops firing costs more than one that fails loudly. Before Relay, each build re-invented retries, mapping and alerting slightly differently — which meant each build had a slightly different set of ways to fail quietly.
Before: integration re-implemented per project
System strategy
How the system was shaped.
01
One event model
Every system emits events in the same shape, so routing is configuration rather than code.
02
Retries with a ceiling
Exponential retry, a dead-letter queue, and an alert to a human before anything is lost.
03
Mapping you can read
Field mapping held as data and reviewable, not buried in a script nobody remembers writing.
04
Nothing fails silently
Every delivery, retry and failure logged and queryable — the audit trail is the product.
Two journeys, one system
- 01Not client-facingRelay has no public surface. Clients experience it as things simply staying in step.
- 02Quote issuedAn event fires the moment a quote leaves the system.
- 03Systems followCRM, accounting and reporting update without anyone re-typing anything.
- 04Failures surfaceIf a downstream system is down, the event waits and a person is told.
- 05History keptEvery delivery is queryable months later, which is what makes disputes short.
- 01Event emittedApplication layer publishes a typed event; it does not know or care who is listening.
- 02Routed by configurationSubscriptions defined as data, changeable without a deploy.
- 03Mapped and deliveredFields mapped to the destination’s shape, delivered with idempotency keys.
- 04Retried or escalatedExponential retry, then a dead-letter queue and an alert to a named owner.
- 05Logged permanentlyPayload, attempt history and outcome retained for audit.
Key capabilities
What the system actually does.
- Event routingTyped events, subscriptions as configuration, no deploy to change a route.
- Retry & alertingExponential retry, dead-letter queue, alerts to a named owner.
- Field mappingReadable, reviewable mapping held as data.
- Idempotent deliverySafe redelivery without duplicating downstream records.
- Audit logEvery attempt and outcome retained and queryable.
Architecture snapshot
Four layers, one source of truth
Nothing exotic. A boring, well-drawn architecture is what keeps a system cheap to extend three years later.
- Median delivery latency
- 210ms
- Delivery rate across live systems
- 99.98%
- Access model
- Internal only · MFA
- Public surfaceNone — Relay is internal infrastructureNo public surface
- Application layerEvent bus, subscription routing, mapping, retry policyCore logic
- Data layerEvent store, delivery attempts, dead-letter queuePostgres
- Integration layerOutbound adapters for CRM, accounting, messaging and analyticsAdapters
Accessibility
- Internal console follows the same WCAG 2.2 AA standard as client-facing work.
- Delivery results are stated in text; colour is a secondary signal.
- Log tables are navigable by keyboard with proper header association.
Commercial value
What this is built to achieve
Figures from Altivar’s own monitoring of Relay in production. Relay is an internal product, not a client deployment.
- 99.98%event delivery across live systemsMeasured
- 0failed events in the last seven daysMeasured
- 210msmedian delivery latencyMeasured
Future expansion
Where it goes next.
In progress
Replay tooling
Replay a window of events against a rebuilt destination without duplicating records.
Scoped
Schema registry
Versioned event contracts so a downstream change cannot break a producer silently.
Concept
Client-visible delivery status
Expose integration health in client dashboards where it is genuinely useful.
Related systems
Other systems
Aviation & charter · Lead generation
Live systemMeridian Air
Win more charter trips by quoting first, with pricing the brokers trust.
Aviation parts & MRO · Sales platform
ConceptTailwind RFQ
Answer AOG requests in minutes instead of hours, without losing margin.
Same problem, different sector?
The pattern behind Relay — the integration layer that keeps every client system in step — transfers to most businesses selling complex, high-value work.