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Apache DolphinScheduler

dolphinscheduler.apache.org

Free plan Open source WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Spec score 8.9 #3 of 24 in Workload Automation Software

What it is

Apache DolphinScheduler is a free, open-source workflow orchestration platform for designing and running data workflows through visual directed-acyclic-graph interfaces or code. Workflows can be built with drag-and-drop tools or defined in Python, YAML, or the Open API. The project lists more than 30 task types, including Shell, SQL, Spark, Flink, Hive, Kubernetes, and HTTP. Scheduling supports cross-project and cross-workflow dependencies, pause and resume operations, and serial or parallel batch backfills. A decentralized multi-master, multi-worker design is described as increasing scheduling capacity with cluster size. Deployment options are standalone, cluster, and Kubernetes. Standalone is for evaluation, recommended for fewer than 20 workflows, and its in-memory H2 database is cleared when the service stops or restarts. Authentication includes password, LDAP, Casdoor SSO, and OAuth2, with administrator-managed resource controls. The security model assumes a trusted network.

Spec sheet

What it does
Apache DolphinScheduler is a distributed workflow-orchestration platform for building and running data-pipeline DAGs through a visual interface.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Deployment
The maker documents standalone, cluster, and Kubernetes deployment; standalone is intended for quick evaluation rather than production.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
API
The product supports workflow coding and integration through its Open API, and the maker provides a Python API for defining workflows as code.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Support
The homepage directs users to documentation, quick starts, and a community mailing list for updates.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
License
The source repositories identify the software as licensed under Apache License 2.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Founded
2017Read 28 Sep 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Access controls
The security guide describes administrator-managed users, tenants, queues, tokens, worker groups, and authorization for resources and data sources.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
Authentication
Supported login methods are password authentication, LDAP, Casdoor SSO and OAuth2 authorization.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Authorization
The security center controls queues, tenants, users, alarm groups, worker groups, tokens, projects, resources and data-source permissions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Backfill
Complement runs support executing a workflow over a selected date range in serial or parallel mode.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Community support
The project directs users and developers to GitHub issues plus users and dev mailing lists for support and discussion.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Concurrency
The official site claims support for millions of data tasks with high concurrency, throughput and low latency.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Dependency management
Workflows can express dependencies across projects and workflows, including dependent and sub-process task nodes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Documentation depth
Documentation covers installation, architecture, configuration, security, API usage and individual Python task classes with code and YAML examples.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Execution controls
Users can kill, pause and resume task or workflow execution.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Extensibility
The platform supports custom task types and plugin families for tasks, data sources, storage, alerts and scheduling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
High availability
The architecture uses decentralized multi-master and multi-worker services so masters and workers can be scaled independently.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Independent project footprint
The public repository page shows about 14.5 thousand stars and 5.1 thousand forks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Latest release
GitHub lists version 3.4.3 as the latest release, published on September 6, 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: code review workflow
An independent review says UI-authored DAGs are easy to build but harder to review in pull requests than code-defined pipelines.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
Limit: failure recovery incident
A published incident report reproduced a master-crash scenario where restart caused previously unscheduled tasks to run together and potentially exhaust CPU and memory.Read 15 Oct 2026 · medium.com
Limit: operational complexity
Independent catalog coverage rates operational complexity as high because production deployments require multiple services and infrastructure components.Read 15 Oct 2026 · matca.io
Limit: scaling and maintenance
A field report describes painful configuration sprawl, many manual operations, and significant infrastructure management when moving to Kubernetes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apachedolphinscheduler.substack.com
Maker founded
The Apache Software Foundation says it was formed in 1999.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apache.org
Maker headquarters
The Apache Software Foundation lists its mailing address in Wilmington, Delaware, United States.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apache.org
Maker legal name
The Apache Software Foundation is the nonprofit organization that hosts and governs the project.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apache.org
Metadata databases
Standalone can use H2 by default or be configured to use MySQL or PostgreSQL for metadata.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Multi-tenancy
Tasks can run under isolated tenants, worker groups and environments, with tenant permissions mapped to Linux users.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Praise: enterprise fit
A production case study credited task-type breadth, visual processes, monitoring, high availability and multi-tenant support as reasons for choosing DolphinScheduler.Read 15 Oct 2026 · medium.com
Praise: monitoring and alerts
The same benchmark praised built-in task-status monitoring, historical queries, real-time logs and multiple alert channels.Read 15 Oct 2026 · medium.com
Praise: visual usability
An independent benchmark reported that the visual interface reduced the learning barrier for non-developers compared with code-only DAG tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · medium.com
Project governance
Apache board records state that DolphinScheduler became an Apache top-level project in 2021 and had 59 committee members and 27 PMC members in July 2025.Read 15 Oct 2026 · whimsy.apache.org
Public API
The API server exposes an Open API documented through a Swagger UI endpoint at /dolphinscheduler/swagger-ui/index.html.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Python SDK
PyDolphinScheduler lets users define workflows as Python code and is installed with pip as apache-dolphinscheduler.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Release
The Apache download archive lists version 3.4.3, dated 2026-09-08.Read 9 Oct 2026 · downloads.apache.org
Scalability
The product uses a decentralized multi-master and multi-worker design, and its homepage says scheduling capacity increases with cluster size.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Scheduling
Workflows support cross-project and cross-workflow dependencies, pause and resume operations, and batch backfills in serial or parallel mode.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
SDK release model
PyDolphinScheduler has its own codebase, users, tests and independent release cycle from the main scheduler.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
SDK Windows limitation
The Python package does not work on Windows with Python 3.10 or newer because its py4j dependency is incompatible there.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security boundary
The maker’s security model says deployment assumes the user’s network is secure and trustworthy and that the product does not address internal network cross-infiltration.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security caveat
The security model warns administrators to fully trust authorized users because scripts and task inputs can perform operations on worker hosts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Self-hosting
Deployment options include standalone, cluster, Docker and Kubernetes modes operated by the customer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · matca.io
Standalone limit
The maker recommends standalone for fewer than 20 workflows and warns that its default in-memory H2 database is cleared when the service stops or restarts.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
Standalone limits
Standalone mode is recommended for fewer than 20 workflows because it uses an in-memory H2 database and a testing ZooKeeper server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
System requirements
The standalone guide requires JDK 1.8 or 11, a binary package and a deployment account with passwordless sudo privileges.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Task catalog
The official site lists more than 30 built-in job types, including Shell, SQL, Python, Spark, Flink, Hive, Kubernetes, HTTP, MLflow, SageMaker and SeaTunnel.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Task types
The homepage lists more than 30 built-in task types, including Shell, SQL, Spark, Flink, Hive, Kubernetes, and HTTP.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Versioning and recovery
Workflow instances support modification, rollback and rerun without changing the workflow template.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Visual workflow editor
The product lets users create workflows with drag-and-drop DAG editing and visual process definitions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Workflow design
Users can create workflows with a drag-and-drop interface or define them with Python, YAML, or the Open API.Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org

Plans and prices

Apache DolphinScheduler Free Open-source workflow orchestration platform Read 9 Oct 2026 · dolphinscheduler.apache.org
Open source Free Apache-2.0 software · self-hosted deployment · no paid tier stated Read 15 Oct 2026 · matca.io

Every Apache DolphinScheduler plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Visual DAG workflow builder
  • Python, YAML, and Open API
  • 30-plus built-in task types
  • Cluster and Kubernetes deployment
  • Multiple authentication methods

Limits

  • Standalone suits fewer than 20 workflows
  • Standalone data clears on restart
  • Security model assumes a trusted network

Who it suits

It suits teams building self-hosted data workflows that need visual design, code-based definitions, scheduling, and execution observability. Linux, web, API, and self-hosted access are listed.

Verdict

DolphinScheduler combines visual workflow construction, code interfaces, broad task types, and dependency-aware scheduling. Production users should choose cluster or Kubernetes deployment rather than the evaluation-oriented standalone setup.

Where Specifiction places it

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