Apache Airflow vs Hatchet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Apache Airflow
Programmatically author, schedule and monitor workflows
VS
Hatchet
Distributed background task queue with a modern UI
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Hatchet |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,409 | ★ 7,685 |
| First released | 2015 | 2024 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | Celery, Temporal |
Why pick each one
Choose Hatchet if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 7.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Airflow or Hatchet better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Airflow has the larger community, while Hatchet is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Airflow and Hatchet free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Airflow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hatchet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Airflow and Hatchet with Docker?
Apache Airflow: yes. Hatchet: yes.