GitHub - dagu-org/dagu: A self-contained, lightweight workflow engine with a built-in Web UI. Define workflows in a simple, declarative YAML format. Execute them anywhere, compose complex pipelines, and distribute tasks. Zero dependencies: runs entirely on the file system and OS without an external database.

What is Dagu Workflow Engine?

Dagu is a self-contained, lightweight workflow engine for small teams. Define workflows in simple YAML, execute them anywhere with a single binary, compose complex pipelines from reusable sub-workflows, and distribute tasks across workers. All without requiring databases, message brokers, or code changes to your existing scripts.

Built for developers who want powerful workflow orchestration without the operational overhead. For a quick feel of how it works, take a look at the examples.

Zero-Ops: Single binary, file-based storage, under 128MB, air-gapped ready
Full-Power: Docker steps, SSH execution, DAG composition, distributed mode, Git-based version management for DAGs & docs, 19+ executors
AI-Native: Built-in LLM agent creates, edits, and debugs workflows from natural language
Legacy Script Friendly: Orchestrate existing shell commands, Python scripts, Docker containers, or HTTP calls without modification.
Air-gapped Ready: Runs in isolated environments without external dependencies or network access

Try it live: Live Demo (credentials: demouser / demouser)

Why Dagu?

  Traditional Orchestrator           Dagu
  ┌────────────────────────┐        ┌──────────────────┐
  │  Web Server            │        │                  │
  │  Scheduler             │        │   dagu server    │
  │  Worker(s)             │        │                  │
  │  PostgreSQL            │        └──────────────────┘
  │  Redis / RabbitMQ      │         Single binary.
  │  Python runtime        │         Zero dependencies.
  └────────────────────────┘         Just run it.
    6+ services to manage

One binary. No Postgres. No Redis. No Python. Just dagu server.

Quick Start

1. Install

macOS/Linux:

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dagu-org/dagu/main/scripts/installer.sh | bash

Homebrew:

brew install dagu

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dagu-org/dagu/main/scripts/installer.ps1 | iex

Docker:

docker run --rm -v ~/.dagu:/var/lib/dagu -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/dagu-org/dagu:latest dagu start-all

More options (npm, custom paths, specific versions): Installation docs

2. Create your first workflow

When you first start Dagu with an empty DAGs directory, it automatically creates example workflows. Set DAGU_SKIP_EXAMPLES=true to skip this.

cat > ./hello.yaml << 'EOF'
steps:
  - echo "Hello from Dagu!"
  - echo "Running step 2"
EOF

3. Run the workflow

dagu start hello.yaml

4. Check the status

dagu status hello

5. Explore the Web UI

dagu start-all

Visit http://localhost:8080

Docker Compose: Clone the repo and run docker compose -f deploy/docker/compose.minimal.yaml up -d. See deployment docs for production setups.

Workflow Examples

Sequential Steps

Steps execute one after another:

type: chain
steps:
  - command: echo "Hello, dagu!"
  - command: echo "This is a second step"

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {'background': '#18181B', 'primaryTextColor': '#fff', 'lineColor': '#888'}}}%%
graph LR
    A["Step 1"] --> B["Step 2"]
    style A fill:#18181B,stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff
    style B fill:#18181B,stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff

Parallel Steps

Steps with dependencies run in parallel:

type: graph
steps:
  - id: step_1
    command: echo "Step 1"
  - id: step_2a
    command: echo "Step 2a - runs in parallel"
    depends: [step_1]
  - id: step_2b
    command: echo "Step 2b - runs in parallel"
    depends: [step_1]
  - id: step_3
    command: echo "Step 3 - waits for parallel steps"
    depends: [step_2a, step_2b]

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {'background': '#18181B', 'primaryTextColor': '#fff', 'lineColor': '#888'}}}%%
graph LR
    A[step_1] --> B[step_2a]
    A --> C[step_2b]
    B --> D[step_3]
    C --> D
    style A fill:#18181B,stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff
    style B fill:#18181B,stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff
    style C fill:#18181B,stroke:#22C55E,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff
    style D fill:#18181B,stroke:#3B82F6,stroke-width:1.6px,color:#fff

Docker Step

Run containers as workflow steps:

steps:
  - name: build-app
    container:
      image: node:20-alpine
    command: npm run build

SSH Execution

Run commands on remote machines:

steps:
  - name: deploy
    type: ssh
    config:
      host: prod-server.example.com
      user: deploy
      key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa
    command: cd /var/www && git pull && npm run build

Sub-DAG Composition

Invoke other DAGs as steps for hierarchical workflows:

steps:
  - name: extract
    call: etl/extract
    params: "SOURCE=s3://bucket/data.csv"
  - name: transform
    call: etl/transform
    params: "INPUT=${extract.outputs.result}"
    depends: [extract]
  - name: load
    call: etl/load
    params: "DATA=${transform.outputs.result}"
    depends: [transform]

For more examples, see the Examples documentation.

Features

Zero-Ops

Single binary installation, under 128MB memory
File-based storage — no PostgreSQL, no Redis, no message brokers
Air-gapped / offline capable
Cron scheduling with timezone support and zombie detection
High availability with scheduler failover

Full-Power

Docker executor — run containers as workflow steps
SSH executor — execute commands on remote machines
Git sync — version management for DAG definitions and documents
Hierarchical DAG composition — nest workflows inside workflows
Distributed execution — coordinator/worker mode across machines
19+ built-in executors — HTTP, SQL, Redis, S3, jq, mail, archive, and more
RBAC with 5 roles, OIDC, API keys, and audit logging
Human-in-the-loop approval gates

AI-Native

Built-in AI agent — creates, edits, runs, and debugs workflows from natural language
Agent and chat step types in DAGs with tool calling
Multi-provider LLM support (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter)
Persistent memory, sub-agent delegation, and domain-specific skills
Built-in document management with AI agent integration

See the full feature list for all capabilities.

Environment Variables

Note: Configuration precedence: Command-line flags > Environment variables > Configuration file

Frontend Server Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Web UI server host
`DAGU_PORT`	`8080`	Web UI server port
`DAGU_BASE_PATH`	-	Base path for reverse proxy setup
`DAGU_API_BASE_URL`	`/api/v1`	API endpoint base path
`DAGU_TZ`	-	Server timezone (e.g., `Asia/Tokyo`)
`DAGU_DEBUG`	`false`	Enable debug mode
`DAGU_LOG_FORMAT`	`text`	Log format (`text` or `json`)
`DAGU_HEADLESS`	`false`	Run without Web UI
`DAGU_LATEST_STATUS_TODAY`	`false`	Show only today's latest status
`DAGU_DEFAULT_SHELL`	-	Default shell for command execution
`DAGU_CERT_FILE`	-	TLS certificate file path
`DAGU_KEY_FILE`	-	TLS key file path

Path Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_HOME`	-	Base directory that overrides all path configurations
`DAGU_DAGS_DIR`	`~/.config/dagu/dags`	Directory for DAG definitions
`DAGU_ALT_DAGS_DIR`	-	Additional directory to search for DAG definitions
`DAGU_LOG_DIR`	`~/.local/share/dagu/logs`	Directory for log files
`DAGU_DATA_DIR`	`~/.local/share/dagu/data`	Directory for application data
`DAGU_SUSPEND_FLAGS_DIR`	`~/.local/share/dagu/suspend`	Directory for suspend flags
`DAGU_ADMIN_LOG_DIR`	`~/.local/share/dagu/logs/admin`	Directory for admin logs
`DAGU_BASE_CONFIG`	`~/.config/dagu/base.yaml`	Path to base configuration file
`DAGU_EXECUTABLE`	-	Path to dagu executable
`DAGU_DAG_RUNS_DIR`	`{dataDir}/dag-runs`	Directory for DAG run data
`DAGU_PROC_DIR`	`{dataDir}/proc`	Directory for process data
`DAGU_QUEUE_DIR`	`{dataDir}/queue`	Directory for queue data
`DAGU_SERVICE_REGISTRY_DIR`	`{dataDir}/service-registry`	Directory for service registry

Authentication

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_AUTH_MODE`	`builtin`	Authentication mode: `none`, `basic`, or `builtin`
`DAGU_AUTH_BASIC_USERNAME`	-	Basic auth username
`DAGU_AUTH_BASIC_PASSWORD`	-	Basic auth password
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_ID`	-	OIDC client ID
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET`	-	OIDC client secret
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_URL`	-	OIDC client URL
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_ISSUER`	-	OIDC issuer URL
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_SCOPES`	-	OIDC scopes (comma-separated)
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_WHITELIST`	-	OIDC email whitelist (comma-separated)
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_AUTO_SIGNUP`	`false`	Auto-create users on first OIDC login
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_DEFAULT_ROLE`	`viewer`	Role for auto-created users
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_ALLOWED_DOMAINS`	-	Allowed email domains (comma-separated)
`DAGU_AUTH_OIDC_BUTTON_LABEL`	`Login with SSO`	SSO login button text

Builtin Authentication (RBAC)

When DAGU_AUTH_MODE=builtin, a file-based user management system with role-based access control is enabled. Roles: admin, manager, developer, operator, viewer. On first startup, visit the web UI to create your admin account via the setup page.

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET`	(auto-generated)	JWT token secret for signing (auto-generated if not set)
`DAGU_AUTH_TOKEN_TTL`	`24h`	JWT token time-to-live
`DAGU_USERS_DIR`	`{dataDir}/users`	Directory for user data files

UI Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_UI_NAVBAR_COLOR`	`#1976d2`	UI header color (hex or name)
`DAGU_UI_NAVBAR_TITLE`	`Dagu`	UI header title
`DAGU_UI_LOG_ENCODING_CHARSET`	`utf-8`	Log file encoding
`DAGU_UI_MAX_DASHBOARD_PAGE_LIMIT`	`100`	Maximum items on dashboard
`DAGU_UI_DAGS_SORT_FIELD`	`name`	Default DAGs sort field
`DAGU_UI_DAGS_SORT_ORDER`	`asc`	Default DAGs sort order

Features Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_TERMINAL_ENABLED`	`false`	Enable web-based terminal
`DAGU_AUDIT_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable audit logging for security events

Git Sync Configuration

Synchronize DAG definitions with a Git repository. See Git Sync for details.

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_GITSYNC_ENABLED`	`false`	Enable Git sync
`DAGU_GITSYNC_REPOSITORY`	-	Repository URL (e.g., `github.com/org/repo`)
`DAGU_GITSYNC_BRANCH`	`main`	Branch to sync
`DAGU_GITSYNC_PATH`	`""`	Subdirectory in repo for DAGs
`DAGU_GITSYNC_PUSH_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable push/publish operations
`DAGU_GITSYNC_AUTH_TYPE`	`token`	Auth type: `token` or `ssh`
`DAGU_GITSYNC_AUTH_TOKEN`	-	GitHub PAT for HTTPS auth
`DAGU_GITSYNC_AUTH_SSH_KEY_PATH`	-	SSH private key path
`DAGU_GITSYNC_AUTOSYNC_ENABLED`	`false`	Enable automatic periodic pull
`DAGU_GITSYNC_AUTOSYNC_INTERVAL`	`300`	Auto-sync interval in seconds

Scheduler Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_PORT`	`8090`	Health check server port
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_LOCK_STALE_THRESHOLD`	`30s`	Scheduler lock stale threshold
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_LOCK_RETRY_INTERVAL`	`5s`	Lock retry interval
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_ZOMBIE_DETECTION_INTERVAL`	`45s`	Zombie DAG detection interval (0 to disable)
`DAGU_QUEUE_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable queue system

Worker Configuration

This configuration is used for worker instances that execute DAGs. See the Distributed Execution documentation for more details.

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_COORDINATOR_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable coordinator service
`DAGU_COORDINATOR_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Coordinator gRPC server bind address
`DAGU_COORDINATOR_ADVERTISE`	(auto)	Address to advertise in service registry (default: hostname)
`DAGU_COORDINATOR_PORT`	`50055`	Coordinator gRPC server port
`DAGU_WORKER_ID`	-	Worker instance ID
`DAGU_WORKER_MAX_ACTIVE_RUNS`	`100`	Maximum concurrent runs per worker
`DAGU_WORKER_LABELS`	-	Worker labels (format: `key1=value1,key2=value2`, e.g., `gpu=true,memory=64G`)
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_PORT`	`8090`	Scheduler health check server port
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_LOCK_STALE_THRESHOLD`	`30s`	Time after which scheduler lock is considered stale
`DAGU_SCHEDULER_LOCK_RETRY_INTERVAL`	`5s`	Interval between lock acquisition attempts

Peer Configuration

This configuration is used for communication between coordinator services and other services (e.g., scheduler, worker, web UI). See the Distributed Execution documentation for more details.

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`DAGU_PEER_CERT_FILE`	-	Peer TLS certificate file
`DAGU_PEER_KEY_FILE`	-	Peer TLS key file
`DAGU_PEER_CLIENT_CA_FILE`	-	Peer CA certificate file for client verification
`DAGU_PEER_SKIP_TLS_VERIFY`	`false`	Skip TLS certificate verification for peer connections
`DAGU_PEER_INSECURE`	`true`	Use insecure connection (h2c) instead of TLS

Documentation

Full documentation at docs.dagu.sh.

Getting Started — Installation and first workflow
Examples — Feature walkthroughs with YAML samples
AI Agent — Built-in AI assistant for workflow management
Distributed Execution — Coordinator/worker setup
Configuration — Environment variables and settings
Changelog — Recent updates and releases

Community

Chat with us on Discord
File bugs and feature requests on GitHub Issues
Follow us on Bluesky

Development

Prerequisites: Go 1.26+, Node.js, pnpm

git clone https://github.com/dagu-org/dagu.git && cd dagu
make build

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development workflow, testing, and code standards.

Acknowledgements

Premium Sponsors

Supporters

Contributing

We welcome contributions of all kinds. See our Contribution Guide for details.

License

GNU GPLv3 - See LICENSE

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 2,075 Commits
.devcontainer		.devcontainer
.github		.github
.vscode		.vscode
api/v1		api/v1
assets/images		assets/images
charts/dagu		charts/dagu
cmd		cmd
config		config
deploy		deploy
internal		internal
npm		npm
proto/coordinator/v1		proto/coordinator/v1
rfcs		rfcs
schemas		schemas
scripts		scripts
snap		snap
ui		ui
.codespellrc		.codespellrc
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
.golangci.yml		.golangci.yml
.goreleaser.yaml		.goreleaser.yaml
.protolint.yaml		.protolint.yaml
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
Dockerfile.alpine		Dockerfile.alpine
Dockerfile.dev		Dockerfile.dev
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
build-windows.sh		build-windows.sh
codecov.yml		codecov.yml
entrypoint.sh		entrypoint.sh
go.mod		go.mod
go.sum		go.sum
tools.go		tools.go

Uh oh!

License

dagu-org/dagu

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

What is Dagu Workflow Engine?

Why Dagu?

Quick Start

1. Install

2. Create your first workflow

3. Run the workflow

4. Check the status

5. Explore the Web UI

Workflow Examples

Sequential Steps

Parallel Steps

Docker Step

SSH Execution

Sub-DAG Composition

Features

Zero-Ops

Full-Power

AI-Native

Environment Variables

Frontend Server Configuration

Path Configuration

Authentication

Builtin Authentication (RBAC)

UI Configuration

Features Configuration

Git Sync Configuration

Scheduler Configuration

Worker Configuration

Peer Configuration

Documentation

Community

Development

Acknowledgements

Premium Sponsors

Supporters

Contributing

License

About

Topics

Resources

License

Code of conduct

Contributing

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases 209

Sponsor this project

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Contributors 63

Languages