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Apache DolphinScheduler vs Inngest

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?
AP Apache DolphinScheduler Distributed visual workflow scheduling platform VS IN Inngest Event-driven workflow and background job platform
FeatureApache DolphinSchedulerInngest
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score94 · Excellent90 · Excellent
CategoryAutomation & WorkflowsAutomation & Workflows
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaGo
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 14,499★ 5,879
First released20192021
ReplacesAWS Step Functions, Azure Data FactoryZapier, AWS Step Functions

What are Apache DolphinScheduler and Inngest?

Apache DolphinScheduler

Apache DolphinScheduler is a distributed, extensible workflow scheduler with a visual drag-and-drop interface. It is designed for big data and ETL job orchestration with high reliability.

  • Visual DAG workflow designer
  • Distributed and decentralized scheduling
  • Multi-tenant support
  • Rich task type plugins

Read the full Apache DolphinScheduler guide →

Inngest

Inngest is an open-source platform for building event-driven workflows and reliable background jobs. It provides durable step functions, automatic retries and a local development server, and the execution engine can be self-hosted.

  • Event-driven background jobs
  • Durable step functions
  • Local development server
  • Self-hostable execution engine

Read the full Inngest guide →

Apache DolphinScheduler vs Inngest: key differences

Apache DolphinScheduler is written in Java, while Inngest is built with Go. Inngest is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Apache DolphinScheduler. Apache DolphinScheduler is the more established project (first released 2019), while Inngest arrived in 2021. Apache DolphinScheduler has the considerably larger community, at 14,499 GitHub stars versus 5,879.

Why pick each one

Choose Apache DolphinScheduler if…

  • Friendly visual interface
  • Scales horizontally

Watch out for

  • Heavy Java-based stack
Apache DolphinScheduler details

Choose Inngest if…

  • Good developer experience
  • Reliable step execution

Watch out for

  • Some features tied to Inngest Cloud
Inngest details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache DolphinScheduler or Inngest better?

Neither is universally better. Apache DolphinScheduler has the larger community, while Inngest is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Apache DolphinScheduler and Inngest free and open-source?

Yes. Apache DolphinScheduler is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Inngest under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache DolphinScheduler and Inngest with Docker?

Apache DolphinScheduler: yes. Inngest: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Apache DolphinScheduler or Inngest?

Inngest has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Apache DolphinScheduler. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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