--- title: "airflow vs surf" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/apache-airflow-vs-e2b-dev-surf" tools: ["apache-airflow", "e2b-dev-surf"] --- # airflow vs surf *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick airflow when airflow is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; pick surf when surf is primarily TypeScript; airflow is Python. [airflow](https://airflow.apache.org/) reports 46k GitHub stars, 17k forks, and 1.7k open issues, last pushed Jul 15, 2026. [surf](https://surf.e2b.dev) has 824 stars, 142 forks, and 11 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [airflow's repository](https://github.com/apache/airflow) and [surf's repository](https://github.com/e2b-dev/surf). | | [airflow](/tools/apache-airflow.md) | [surf](/tools/e2b-dev-surf.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Apache Airflow - A platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows | Surf is a computer use AI agent powered by OpenAI that interacts with a E2B's virtual desktop environment through natural language instructions | | Stars | 46,124 | 824 | | Forks | 17,387 | 142 | | Open issues | 1,728 | 11 | | Language | Python | TypeScript | | Adopt for | - | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Computer Vision, Data & Retrieval | AI Agents | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [airflow](/tools/apache-airflow.md) | [surf](/tools/e2b-dev-surf.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 4d | | Open issues (now) | 1.7k | 11 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/apache-airflow/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/e2b-dev-surf/trust.md) | ## Choose when ### Choose airflow if… - airflow is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript. - Tags unique to airflow: airflow, apache, apache-airflow, dag. - Also covers Computer Vision, Data & Retrieval. - airflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### Choose surf if… - surf is primarily TypeScript; airflow is Python. - Tags unique to surf: ai, cua, desktop, e2b. - Leaner open-issue backlog (11). ## When NOT to use airflow - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. ## When NOT to use surf - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between airflow and surf? airflow: Apache Airflow - A platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. surf: Surf is a computer use AI agent powered by OpenAI that interacts with a E2B's virtual desktop environment through natural language instructions. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose airflow over surf? Choose airflow over surf when airflow is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; Tags unique to airflow: airflow, apache, apache-airflow, dag; Also covers Computer Vision, Data & Retrieval; airflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### When should I choose surf over airflow? Choose surf over airflow when surf is primarily TypeScript; airflow is Python; Tags unique to surf: ai, cua, desktop, e2b; Leaner open-issue backlog (11). ### When should I avoid airflow? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. ### When should I avoid surf? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. ### Is airflow or surf more popular on GitHub? airflow has more GitHub stars (46,124 vs 824). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are airflow and surf open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (airflow: Apache-2.0, surf: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to airflow or surf? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [airflow alternatives](/tools/apache-airflow/alternatives) and [surf alternatives](/tools/e2b-dev-surf/alternatives) ([airflow markdown twin](/tools/apache-airflow/alternatives.md), [surf markdown twin](/tools/e2b-dev-surf/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/apache-airflow-vs-e2b-dev-surf.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, airflow or surf? airflow: Very active. surf: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for airflow and surf? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [airflow trust report](/tools/apache-airflow/trust); [surf trust report](/tools/e2b-dev-surf/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=apache-airflow`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=apache-airflow) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_