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Dagster
What Dagster is
Dagster is a data-aware orchestrator for building, running, and monitoring data pipelines and assets. It models assets and their dependencies so teams can see lineage across a data platform. Pipeline features include partitions, incremental runs, declarative workflows, and fault-tolerant orchestration. An integrated catalog centralizes data discovery, lineage, workflows, and operational metadata. For data quality and visibility, Dagster provides code-embedded validation, automated testing, freshness checks, and observability tools. Its integration directory includes Airbyte, Anthropic, Apache Airflow, AWS services, and Azure Data Lake Storage. With Dagster+ hybrid deployment, compute can run in a customer's infrastructure while Dagster manages the control plane. The core orchestration framework is open source and available on GitHub. Dagster lists Solo at $10 a month and Starter at $100 a month; these plans also charge by credit and by serverless compute minute. Solo includes one user, one code location, and one deployment. Starter includes up to three users, five code locations, one deployment, and Catalog Search. A 30-day free trial is listed. Pro pricing is available by contacting sales. Dagster's website says it is now part of Prefect.
Who it suits
Dagster suits data teams that need to define, run, and monitor pipelines and understand how data assets depend on one another. Its hybrid option is relevant to customers who want compute to run in their own infrastructure while Dagster manages the control plane.
What it does well
- Models data assets and dependencies for lineage visibility.
- Supports partitions, incremental runs, declarative workflows, and fault-tolerant orchestration.
- Integrated catalog brings together discovery, lineage, workflows, and operational metadata.
- Includes validation, automated testing, freshness checks, and observability tools.
- Core orchestration framework is open source and available on GitHub.
What to know first
- Solo is limited to one user, one code location, and one deployment.
- Starter is limited to three users, five code locations, and one deployment.
- Solo and Starter add per-credit and serverless-compute-minute charges.
- Pro pricing requires contacting sales.
Limits
Solo includes one user, one code location, and one deployment. Starter includes up to three users, five code locations, and one deployment; both plans also charge per credit and per serverless-compute minute.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | billed monthly · 1 user · 1 code location · 1 deployment | $10 a month |
| Starter | billed monthly · Up to 3 users · 5 code locations · 1 deployment | $100 a month |
| Pro | Unlimited code locations · Unlimited deployments | On request |
| Solo Plan | $10 per month; plus $0.040/credit and $0.010/minute for serverless compute · 1 User · 1 Code location · 1 Deployment · 30-day free trial | $10 a month |
| Starter Plan | $100 per month; plus $0.035/credit and $0.010/minute for serverless compute · Up to 3 Users · 5 Code locations · 1 Deployment · Catalog Search · 30-day free trial | $100 a month |
| Pro Plan | Contact Sales · Custom Serverless compute · Unlimited code locations · Unlimited deployments · Cost Tracking and Insights · Personalized Onboarding Support · Private Slack channel · Uptime SLAs · Custom Security Questionnaires | On request |
As dagster.io lists them, read 20 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Dagster website.
- Choose the open-source core framework or review Dagster+ plans.
- Start a 30-day free trial of Solo or Starter if appropriate.
- Select a plan based on its user, code-location, and deployment allowances.
- For hybrid deployment, run compute in your infrastructure while Dagster manages the control plane.
- Use the integration directory to connect listed tools such as Airbyte or Apache Airflow.
Verdict
Pick Dagster if you need asset-aware orchestration, pipeline visibility, and data-quality tools, especially when you want to run compute in your own infrastructure. The core framework is open source, and a 30-day trial is listed. Check the per-credit and per-minute charges on Solo or Starter, or contact sales for Pro pricing.
Questions
Is Dagster open source?
Dagster's core orchestration framework is open source and available on GitHub.
How much do Dagster plans cost?
Solo is listed at $10 a month and Starter at $100 a month. Both also list per-credit and per-minute serverless-compute charges; Pro pricing is available by contacting sales.
Does Dagster offer a free trial?
Yes. A 30-day free trial is listed for Solo and Starter.
Which platforms are listed for Dagster?
The listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, and web.
Can Dagster run compute in my infrastructure?
Dagster+ hybrid deployment lets customers run compute in their own infrastructure while Dagster manages the control plane.
What integrations are listed?
The integration directory includes Airbyte, Anthropic, Apache Airflow, AWS services, and Azure Data Lake Storage.
Facts from Dagster's own pages
- Company status
- Dagster's website states that Dagster is now part of Prefect. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Data catalog
- Its integrated catalog centralizes data discovery, lineage, workflows, and operational metadata. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Data quality
- The platform provides code-embedded validation, automated testing, freshness checks, and observability tools. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Dagster says inbound requests to Dagster+ require HTTPS and persistent data in its Postgres database, Redis message queue, and S3 buckets is encrypted at rest. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States · dagster.io, 28 Sept 2026
- Hybrid deployment
- Dagster+ hybrid deployment lets customers run compute in their own infrastructure while Dagster manages the control plane. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The official integration directory lists tools including Airbyte, Anthropic, Apache Airflow, AWS services, and Azure Data Lake Storage. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Lineage and visibility
- Dagster models data assets and dependencies to provide visibility across the data platform. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Open source
- Dagster's core orchestration framework is open source and available on GitHub. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Pipeline features
- Dagster supports partitions, incremental runs, declarative workflows, and fault-tolerant orchestration. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Security and data handling
- The security page says customer pipeline code and data stay in the customer's environment and are not stored or accessed by Dagster+ hosted services. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Security testing
- Dagster says formal IT risk assessments and network and Dagster+ penetration tests are performed at least annually. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Support
- The plan comparison lists community and Support Center and Ask AI support, while Pro includes personalized onboarding support and a private Slack channel. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- Usage pricing
- The pricing page defines one credit as the sum of asset materializations and ops executed, with each materialization and each executed op counting as one credit. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Dagster describes itself as a data-aware orchestrator for building, running, and monitoring data pipelines and assets. · dagster.io, 2 Oct 2026
Where Dagster stands on Freedom251
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