SHSelfHostIndex

Apache DolphinScheduler vs Temporal

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 TE Temporal Durable execution platform for reliable distributed workflows
FeatureApache DolphinSchedulerTemporal
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score94 · Excellent97 · Excellent
CategoryAutomation & WorkflowsAutomation & Workflows
LicenseApache-2.0MIT
LanguageJavaGo
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 14,497★ 23,248
First released20192019
ReplacesAWS Step Functions, Azure Data FactoryAWS Step Functions, Azure Logic Apps

What are Apache DolphinScheduler and Temporal?

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 →

Temporal

Temporal is an open-source platform for building durable, reliable workflows in code. It guarantees that long-running business processes survive failures, restarts and infrastructure changes.

  • Durable execution guarantees
  • Workflows written in general-purpose code
  • Automatic retries and state persistence
  • SDKs for many languages

Read the full Temporal guide →

Apache DolphinScheduler vs Temporal: key differences

Apache DolphinScheduler is written in Java, while Temporal is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Apache DolphinScheduler versus MIT for Temporal.

Why pick each one

Choose Apache DolphinScheduler if…

  • Friendly visual interface
  • Scales horizontally

Watch out for

  • Heavy Java-based stack
Apache DolphinScheduler details

Choose Temporal if…

  • Extremely reliable for long workflows
  • Strong multi-language support

Watch out for

  • Operationally complex to self-host
Temporal details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache DolphinScheduler or Temporal better?

Neither is universally better. Temporal has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Apache DolphinScheduler and Temporal free and open-source?

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

Can I run Apache DolphinScheduler and Temporal with Docker?

Apache DolphinScheduler: yes. Temporal: yes.

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