What is Apache Airflow and what does Apache Airflow do?

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform for programmatically authoring, scheduling, and monitoring workflows. It excels at orchestrating complex data pipelines, automating tasks, and managing dependencies. While offering a visual interface for monitoring, Airflow requires coding proficiency for workflow definition.

How does Apache Airflow integrate with other tools?

Apache Airflow integrates seamlessly with various tools and platforms, including BigQuery, AWS, and GCP, through its extensible framework and APIs. This allows for flexible and efficient data pipeline management across different services.

What the main competitors of Apache Airflow?

Top Apache Airflow competitors include Astro by Astronomer, Kestra, AWS Step Functions, and Prefect. These alternatives offer similar data pipeline orchestration capabilities, with varying focuses on ease of use, scalability, and specific features.

Is Apache Airflow legit?

Yes, Apache Airflow is a legitimate and widely used open-source workflow management tool. It's especially safe and suitable for automating data pipelines and other batch-oriented tasks. While it has its complexities, its flexibility and integration capabilities make it a powerful choice for many.

How much does Apache Airflow cost?

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform, meaning it's free to download and use. However, running Airflow involves costs like server infrastructure, cloud services, and potential add-ons depending on your setup. Therefore, determining if it's "worth it" depends on your specific needs and existing resources.

Is Apache Airflow customer service good?

Customer reviews on Apache Airflow's support are positive, highlighting quick setup and ease of use. However, the user interface is reported to be buggy and can negatively impact productivity.

Apache Airflow

Website LinkedIn Twitter

Ratings

4.3/5

(87)

Apache Airflow description

Apache Airflow is an open-source tool used for setting up, managing, and tracking workflows. It's designed for tasks with a clear beginning and end, like transferring data or running reports, rather than continuous processes. Airflow lets you define these workflows as code, offering flexibility and making them easy to change and manage. While it has a visual interface for monitoring, comfort with coding is key. If you're looking for a tool to automate repetitive tasks and don't mind a bit of code, Airflow might be a good fit.

Who is Apache Airflow best for

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform ideal for data engineers and scientists seeking a robust workflow management solution. Its Python-based approach offers flexibility, while integrations with various services like AWS and GCP streamline data pipelines. Users praise its extensive features and continuous improvement. However, some find the UI challenging and troubleshooting complex. If your team is comfortable with code and needs a powerful orchestration tool, Airflow is worth considering.

Best for small to large companies with data engineering needs.
Ideal for data-driven businesses in software and IT.

Apache Airflow features

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Supported

Airflow integrates seamlessly with various tools and platforms through its extensible framework and APIs.

Supported

Airflow offers built-in retries, custom exceptions, and logging for reliable error handling.

Supported

Airflow integrates with CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment.

Qualities

We evaluate the sentiment that users express about non-functional aspects of the software

Ease of Use

Rather positive

+0.67

Reliability and Performance

Neutral

+0

Ease of Implementation

Strongly positive

+1

Scalability

Rather negative

-0.33

Apache Airflow reviews

We've summarised 86 Apache Airflow reviews (Apache Airflow G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.

Pros of Apache Airflow

Excellent integration with various services (BigQuery, AWS, GCP).
Python-based DAGs offer flexibility and ease of use.
Provides a good user experience for scheduling and orchestration.
Offers extensive features for DAG creation.
The platform is continuously improving with promising new releases.

Cons of Apache Airflow

Clumsy UI makes it difficult to view tasks, especially when retriggering.
Troubleshooting and debugging can be time-consuming.
Performance issues arise with numerous tasks in a single instance.
Lack of keyword search in logs makes error analysis difficult.
Managing the metadata database can be challenging.

Apache Airflow alternatives

Datacoves

Better suited for enterprise users needing streamlined data transformation. A no-code/low-code platform, unlike Airflow, which requires coding proficiency. Datacoves is growing faster. Focuses on data transformation and management, a more specific use case than Airflow's general workflow orchestration. It prioritizes data security and offers flexible deployment.
Read more
kestra

Better for non-technical users due to the visual workflow builder. Has significantly more momentum currently. Lower ratings on Glassdoor compared to Apache Airflow's G2 ratings.
Read more
Amazon Elastic Interface

Better for managing network connections for cloud applications. More focused on scaling applications and handling network traffic. Geared towards large ecommerce businesses and AWS EC2 users. Has more momentum.
Read more
Google Cloud SDK

Better for developers interacting with Google Cloud Platform. Offers a streamlined command-line interface for cloud development and deployment. Google Cloud SDK is a free and open-source Apache Airflow alternative.
Read more
SAP Fiori

Better for users who prioritize a simplified, user-friendly interface for SAP applications. Suited for businesses reliant on SAP software seeking improved user experience and streamlined workflows. An Apache Airflow alternative focusing on intuitive design and ease of use for SAP systems.
Read more
Astro by Astronomer

Easier to use and implement. Better customer support. Has a faster website traffic and employee growth on LinkedIn, suggesting more momentum. Integrates with AWS and Azure. More expensive with usage-based pricing.
Read more

Apache Airflow FAQ

What is Apache Airflow and what does Apache Airflow do?

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform for programmatically authoring, scheduling, and monitoring workflows. It excels at orchestrating complex data pipelines, automating tasks, and managing dependencies. While offering a visual interface for monitoring, Airflow requires coding proficiency for workflow definition.
How does Apache Airflow integrate with other tools?

Apache Airflow integrates seamlessly with various tools and platforms, including BigQuery, AWS, and GCP, through its extensible framework and APIs. This allows for flexible and efficient data pipeline management across different services.
What the main competitors of Apache Airflow?

Top Apache Airflow competitors include Astro by Astronomer, Kestra, AWS Step Functions, and Prefect. These alternatives offer similar data pipeline orchestration capabilities, with varying focuses on ease of use, scalability, and specific features.
Is Apache Airflow legit?

Yes, Apache Airflow is a legitimate and widely used open-source workflow management tool. It's especially safe and suitable for automating data pipelines and other batch-oriented tasks. While it has its complexities, its flexibility and integration capabilities make it a powerful choice for many.
How much does Apache Airflow cost?

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform, meaning it's free to download and use. However, running Airflow involves costs like server infrastructure, cloud services, and potential add-ons depending on your setup. Therefore, determining if it's "worth it" depends on your specific needs and existing resources.
Is Apache Airflow customer service good?

Customer reviews on Apache Airflow's support are positive, highlighting quick setup and ease of use. However, the user interface is reported to be buggy and can negatively impact productivity.

Reviewed by

MK

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.