Digest and Batched Notifications

Batch related notifications into a single digest message using Novu’s digest step. Instead of sending one notification per event, Novu collects events over a time window and delivers a summarized message such as “10 people liked your post.”

How does digest work in Novu?

Add a digest step to your workflow before the channel step. Novu collects events that match the digest key within the configured window, then renders a single notification with aggregated content. Typical digest settings:

Window: 5 minutes, 1 hour, or 24 hours depending on urgency
Digest key: A field such as payload.postId to group events
Template: Use digest variables to list aggregated items

When should I use digest notifications?

Scenario	Digest window	Example message
Social activity	1–24 hours	”10 people liked your post”
Weekly summary	7 days	”Your weekly activity report”
Comment threads	15–60 minutes	”5 new replies on your thread”

How do I trigger events for digest workflows?

Trigger the same workflow for each individual event. Novu handles batching automatically based on the digest step configuration and digest key.

import { Novu } from '@novu/api';

const novu = new Novu({ secretKey: process.env.NOVU_SECRET_KEY });

await novu.trigger({
  workflowId: 'post-liked',
  to: { subscriberId: 'user_123' },
  payload: { postId: 'post_456', likerName: 'Alex' },
});

import os
import novu_py
from novu_py import Novu

with Novu(secret_key=os.getenv("NOVU_SECRET_KEY", "")) as novu:
    novu.trigger(trigger_event_request_dto=novu_py.TriggerEventRequestDto(
        workflow_id="post-liked",
        to={"subscriber_id": "user_123"},
        payload={"postId": "post_456", "likerName": "Alex"},
    ))

import (
    "context"
    "os"

    novugo "github.com/novuhq/novu-go"
    "github.com/novuhq/novu-go/models/components"
)

s := novugo.New(novugo.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("NOVU_SECRET_KEY")))

_, err := s.Trigger(context.Background(), components.TriggerEventRequestDto{
    WorkflowID: "post-liked",
    To: components.CreateToSubscriberPayloadDto(components.SubscriberPayloadDto{
        SubscriberID: "user_123",
    }),
    Payload: map[string]any{
        "postId":    "post_456",
        "likerName": "Alex",
    },
}, nil)

use novu;
use novu\Models\Components;

$sdk = novu\Novu::builder()
    ->setSecurity('<YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE>')
    ->build();

$sdk->trigger(
    triggerEventRequestDto: new Components\TriggerEventRequestDto(
        workflowId: 'post-liked',
        to: new Components\SubscriberPayloadDto(subscriberId: 'user_123'),
        payload: [
            'postId' => 'post_456',
            'likerName' => 'Alex',
        ],
    ),
);

using Novu;
using Novu.Models.Components;
using System.Collections.Generic;

var sdk = new NovuSDK(secretKey: "<YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE>");

await sdk.TriggerAsync(triggerEventRequestDto: new TriggerEventRequestDto() {
    WorkflowId = "post-liked",
    To = To.CreateSubscriberPayloadDto(new SubscriberPayloadDto() {
        SubscriberId = "user_123",
    }),
    Payload = new Dictionary<string, object>() {
        { "postId", "post_456" },
        { "likerName", "Alex" },
    },
});

import co.novu.Novu;
import co.novu.models.components.*;
import java.util.Map;

Novu novu = Novu.builder()
    .secretKey("<YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE>")
    .build();

novu.trigger()
    .body(TriggerEventRequestDto.builder()
        .workflowId("post-liked")
        .to(To2.of(SubscriberPayloadDto.builder()
            .subscriberId("user_123")
            .build()))
        .payload(Map.ofEntries(
            Map.entry("postId", "post_456"),
            Map.entry("likerName", "Alex")))
        .build())
    .call();

curl -X POST 'https://api.novu.co/v1/events/trigger' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: ApiKey <NOVU_SECRET_KEY>' \
-d '{
  "name": "post-liked",
  "to": { "subscriberId": "user_123" },
  "payload": { "postId": "post_456", "likerName": "Alex" }
}'

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between digest and throttle?

Digest batches multiple events into one summarized notification. Throttle limits how often a subscriber receives notifications for the same workflow within a time window.

Can I send digests across multiple channels?

Yes. Place digest before multiple channel steps (for example, in-app and email) so all channels receive the batched summary.

Use Cases

Guides

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Recipes

Framework

Migrate to Novu

Digest and Batched Notifications

How does digest work in Novu?

When should I use digest notifications?

How do I trigger events for digest workflows?

Frequently asked questions

​How does digest work in Novu?

​When should I use digest notifications?

​How do I trigger events for digest workflows?

​Related guides

​Frequently asked questions

How does digest work in Novu?

When should I use digest notifications?

How do I trigger events for digest workflows?

Related guides

Frequently asked questions