Dagu vs Rundeck

Dagu is a self-hosted workflow engine for defining DAG workflows in YAML and managing runs, logs and retries through a built-in web interface. It runs as a single binary locally or across distributed workers, without an external database or message broker. Workflows can run shell scripts, Docker containers, SSH commands, SQL queries, HTTP requests, chat completion steps and Agent Harness steps. Scheduling supports cron timezones, catchup windows, overlap and retry policies, zombie detection, lifecycle handlers and notifications. Built-in actions cover HTTP, mail, SSH, SFTP, Git, S3, Redis, LLM, browser, computer, SQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite and DuckDB. Dagu also supports MCP connections from clients including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Zed and Cline. The project is open source under GNU GPL v3.0. Its free Community plan includes unlimited servers and workers, with up to two API keys. Team is $50 a month and Pro is $150 a month; both add SSO, role-based access, audit logging, incident routing and standard support.

Rundeck orchestrates existing automation for routine work across development and production environments. It combines scripts, tools, APIs, and system commands into workflows, with job scheduling, infrastructure management, self-service, and automated operations. Users can schedule recurring tasks such as reports or file transfers, while the job activity log records run times, output, and duration. Rundeck includes ready-made plugins and lets users create integrations; featured community plugins include Ansible, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Chef, Puppet, HashiCorp Vault, Azure Storage, Google Cloud Platform, and Jira. Granular role-based controls govern what can run and who can run it, while an activity audit trail and Key Storage help restrict access to sensitive job data. Rundeck Community is free for small teams, with registration required. Commercial versions include high availability and resiliency, and the hosted offering lists a 99.9% SLA. Commercial support is available by phone, email, or portal; a commercial trial is offered. Supported systems include Linux, Windows, and macOS, with web, API, and self-hosted options.