Compare Apache Airflow vs. Kestra vs. Prefect

Airflow is a community-driven platform designed for the programmatic creation, scheduling, and monitoring of workflows. With its modular architecture, Airflow employs a message queue to manage an unlimited number of workers, making it highly scalable. The system is capable of handling complex operations through its ability to define pipelines using Python, facilitating dynamic pipeline generation. This flexibility enables developers to write code that can create pipelines on the fly. Users can easily create custom operators and expand existing libraries, tailoring the abstraction level to meet their specific needs. The pipelines in Airflow are both concise and clear, with built-in parametrization supported by the robust Jinja templating engine. Eliminate the need for complex command-line operations or obscure XML configurations! Instead, leverage standard Python functionalities to construct workflows, incorporating date-time formats for scheduling and utilizing loops for the dynamic generation of tasks. This approach ensures that you retain complete freedom and adaptability when designing your workflows, allowing you to efficiently respond to changing requirements. Additionally, Airflow's user-friendly interface empowers teams to collaboratively refine and optimize their workflow processes.

Kestra is a free, open-source orchestrator based on events that simplifies data operations while improving collaboration between engineers and users. Kestra brings Infrastructure as Code to data pipelines. This allows you to build reliable workflows with confidence. The declarative YAML interface allows anyone who wants to benefit from analytics to participate in the creation of the data pipeline. The UI automatically updates the YAML definition whenever you make changes to a work flow via the UI or an API call. The orchestration logic can be defined in code declaratively, even if certain workflow components are modified.

Prefect Cloud serves as a centralized hub for managing your workflows effectively. By deploying from Prefect core, you can immediately obtain comprehensive oversight and control over your operations. The platform features an aesthetically pleasing user interface that allows you to monitor the overall health of your infrastructure effortlessly. You can receive real-time updates and logs, initiate new runs, and access vital information just when you need it. With Prefect's Hybrid Model, your data and code stay on-premises while Prefect Cloud's managed orchestration ensures seamless operation. The Cloud scheduler operates asynchronously, guaranteeing that your tasks commence punctually without fail. Additionally, it offers sophisticated scheduling capabilities that enable you to modify parameter values and define the execution environment for each execution. You can also set up personalized notifications and actions that trigger whenever there are changes in your workflows. Keep track of the status of all agents linked to your cloud account and receive tailored alerts if any agent becomes unresponsive. This level of monitoring empowers teams to proactively tackle issues before they escalate into significant problems.