Dagger vs Tekton
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dagger | Tekton |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,298 | ★ 9,066 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions, CircleCI | Jenkins, GitHub Actions |
What are Dagger and Tekton?
Dagger
Dagger is an open-source CI/CD engine that lets developers define pipelines as code in their preferred language and run them anywhere with a containerized engine. It can be self-hosted to power portable build pipelines.
- Pipelines as code
- Runs anywhere with containers
- Multi-language SDKs
- Built-in caching
Tekton
Tekton is a Kubernetes-native open-source framework for creating CI/CD systems. It provides pipelines, tasks, and triggers as Kubernetes custom resources for portable automation.
- Kubernetes-native pipelines
- Reusable tasks and steps
- Event-driven triggers
- Cloud-portable
Dagger vs Tekton: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Tekton is the more established project (first released 2018), while Dagger arrived in 2022. Dagger lists first-class Docker deployment; Tekton does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dagger if…
- Pipelines as real code
- Runs identically anywhere
- Container-level caching
Watch out for
- New concepts to learn
- Container runtime required
Choose Tekton if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Dagger or Tekton better?
Dagger is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Tekton if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dagger and Tekton free and open-source?
Yes. Dagger is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tekton under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dagger and Tekton with Docker?
Dagger: yes. Tekton: check the project docs for container support.