Dagger vs Spinnaker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dagger
Programmable CI/CD engine that runs pipelines as code
VS
Spinnaker
Multi-cloud continuous delivery platform
| Feature | Dagger | Spinnaker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,141 | ★ 9,762 |
| First released | 2022 | 2015 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions, CircleCI | Harness |
Why pick each one
Choose Dagger if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 16.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Spinnaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Dagger or Spinnaker better?
Dagger is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Spinnaker if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dagger and Spinnaker free and open-source?
Yes. Dagger is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Spinnaker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dagger and Spinnaker with Docker?
Dagger: yes. Spinnaker: check the project docs for container support.