--- title: "airflow vs docker-airflow" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/apache-airflow-vs-puckel-docker-airflow" tools: ["apache-airflow", "puckel-docker-airflow"] --- # airflow vs docker-airflow *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick airflow when airflow is primarily Python; docker-airflow is Shell; pick docker-airflow when docker-airflow is primarily Shell; airflow is Python. [airflow](https://airflow.apache.org/) reports 46k GitHub stars, 17k forks, and 1.7k open issues, last pushed Jul 15, 2026. [docker-airflow](https://github.com/puckel/docker-airflow) has 3.8k stars, 586 forks, and 261 open issues, last pushed Mar 1, 2023. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [airflow's repository](https://github.com/apache/airflow) and [docker-airflow's repository](https://github.com/puckel/docker-airflow). | | [airflow](/tools/apache-airflow.md) | [docker-airflow](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Apache Airflow - A platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows | Docker Apache Airflow | | Stars | 46,124 | 3,809 | | Forks | 17,387 | 586 | | Open issues | 1,728 | 261 | | Language | Python | Shell | | Adopt for | - | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Computer Vision, Data & Retrieval | Computer Vision | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [airflow](/tools/apache-airflow.md) | [docker-airflow](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 0d | 1232d | | Open issues (now) | 1.7k | 261 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/apache-airflow/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [airflow](/tools/apache-airflow.md) - Python runtime; [docker-airflow](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow.md) - Python runtime ## Choose when ### Choose airflow if… - airflow is primarily Python; docker-airflow is Shell. - Tags unique to airflow: apache, apache-airflow, automation, dag. - Also covers AI Agents, Data & Retrieval. ### Choose docker-airflow if… - docker-airflow is primarily Shell; airflow is Python. - Tags unique to docker-airflow: docker, docker-airflow, management, scheduler. - Leaner open-issue backlog (261). ## 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 docker-airflow - Last GitHub push was 1232 days ago (dormant maintenance, Mar 1, 2023). Validate activity before betting a new project on docker-airflow. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between airflow and docker-airflow? airflow: Apache Airflow - A platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. docker-airflow: Docker Apache Airflow. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose airflow over docker-airflow? Choose airflow over docker-airflow when airflow is primarily Python; docker-airflow is Shell; Tags unique to airflow: apache, apache-airflow, automation, dag; Also covers AI Agents, Data & Retrieval. ### When should I choose docker-airflow over airflow? Choose docker-airflow over airflow when docker-airflow is primarily Shell; airflow is Python; Tags unique to docker-airflow: docker, docker-airflow, management, scheduler; Leaner open-issue backlog (261). ### 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 docker-airflow? Last GitHub push was 1232 days ago (dormant maintenance, Mar 1, 2023). Validate activity before betting a new project on docker-airflow. ### Is airflow or docker-airflow more popular on GitHub? airflow has more GitHub stars (46,124 vs 3,809). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are airflow and docker-airflow open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (airflow: Apache-2.0, docker-airflow: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to airflow or docker-airflow? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [airflow alternatives](/tools/apache-airflow/alternatives) and [docker-airflow alternatives](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow/alternatives) ([airflow markdown twin](/tools/apache-airflow/alternatives.md), [docker-airflow markdown twin](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow/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-puckel-docker-airflow.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, airflow or docker-airflow? airflow: Very active. docker-airflow: Dormant. 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 docker-airflow? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [airflow trust report](/tools/apache-airflow/trust); [docker-airflow trust report](/tools/puckel-docker-airflow/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/_