Comparison
dagster vs starwhale
Verdict
Pick dagster if dagster is an open-source orchestration platform developed in Python for managing and observing data pipelines and workflows; pick starwhale if starwhale is an MLOps/LLMOps platform that focuses on model management for AI and large language models through various runtime setups.
Markdown twin · dagster alternatives · starwhale alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
18views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | dagster | starwhale |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of Sep 14, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Dormant (622d since push) As of Sep 3, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 14, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 3, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 11, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- dagster
- An orchestration platform for data assets
- starwhale
- an MLOps/LLMOps platform
Stars
- dagster
- 16k
- starwhale
- 235
Forks
- dagster
- 2.3k
- starwhale
- 37
Open issues
- dagster
- 2.6k
- starwhale
- 120
Language
- dagster
- Python
- starwhale
- Java
Adopt for
- dagster
- Dagster is an open-source orchestration platform developed in Python for managing and observing data pipelines and workflows.
- starwhale
- Starwhale is an MLOps/LLMOps platform that focuses on model management for AI and large language models through various runtime setups.
Persona
- dagster
- -
- starwhale
- -
Runtime
- dagster
- -
- starwhale
- -
License
- dagster
- Apache-2.0
- starwhale
- Starwhale uses the Apache License 2.0, which is permissive and allows for usage in both open source and commercial applications with attribution.
Last pushed
- dagster
- Sep 11, 2026
- starwhale
- Dec 20, 2024
Categories
- dagster
- Data & Retrieval, Evaluation & Observability
- starwhale
- Data & Retrieval, Evaluation & Observability, Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training
Trust and health
Maintenance
- dagster
- Very active (96%)
- starwhale
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- dagster
- 2d
- starwhale
- 622d
Open issues (now)
- dagster
- 2.6k
- starwhale
- 120
Stars delta
- dagster
- +195 (30d)
- starwhale
- -2 (30d)
Open issues delta
- dagster
- -9 (30d)
- starwhale
- 0 (30d)
Full report
- dagster
- Trust report
- starwhale
- Trust report
Choose dagster if…
- dagster is primarily Python; starwhale is Java.
- Tags unique to dagster: data-engineering, data-orchestrator, etl, mlops.
- When your project requires an Apache-2.0 licensed tool allowing broader reuse and modification of code.
When NOT to use dagster
- If you are restricted to proprietary or non-open-source licenses, as Dagster's Apache-2.0 might not align with compliance requirements.
- In environments where Python is not a preferred language, considering Dagster requires good knowledge of the Python ecosystem.
- For teams that do not require or benefit from extensive documentation and hands-on tutorials for onboarding.
- If specific features or integrations crucial to your workflow are found lacking in comparison to competitors.
Choose starwhale if…
- starwhale is primarily Java; dagster is Python.
- Requirements: Requires Docker; Supports runtime builds through Docker images for compatibility across various system environments..
- Tags unique to starwhale: ai, cloud-native, dataset, datastore.
- Also covers Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training.
- When the need arises to manage models across different runtimes, including local environment configurations via runtime.yaml or conda environments, Docker images, or shell commands.
When NOT to use starwhale
- In scenarios where an exclusive user preference leans towards Python-based operations over Java and the tool's CLI interactions do not meet operational demands.
- For teams that require real-time model serving and have strict latency requirements, as Starwhale may not optimize for such use cases beyond its MLOps capabilities.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (dagster-io/dagster) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (dagster-io/dagster) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (dagster-io/dagster) · observed Sep 11, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (star-whale/starwhale) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (star-whale/starwhale) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (star-whale/starwhale) · observed Dec 20, 2024
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: dagster 16k · starwhale 235 (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between dagster and starwhale?
- dagster: An orchestration platform for data assets. starwhale: an MLOps/LLMOps platform. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose dagster over starwhale?
- Choose dagster over starwhale when dagster is primarily Python; starwhale is Java; Tags unique to dagster: data-engineering, data-orchestrator, etl, mlops; When your project requires an Apache-2.0 licensed tool allowing broader reuse and modification of code.
- When should I choose starwhale over dagster?
- Choose starwhale over dagster when starwhale is primarily Java; dagster is Python; Requirements: Requires Docker; Supports runtime builds through Docker images for compatibility across various system environments.; Tags unique to starwhale: ai, cloud-native, dataset, datastore; Also covers Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training; When the need arises to manage models across different runtimes, including local environment configurations via runtime.yaml or conda environments, Docker images, or shell commands.
- When should I avoid dagster?
- If you are restricted to proprietary or non-open-source licenses, as Dagster's Apache-2.0 might not align with compliance requirements. In environments where Python is not a preferred language, considering Dagster requires good knowledge of the Python ecosystem. For teams that do not require or benefit from extensive documentation and hands-on tutorials for onboarding. If specific features or integrations crucial to your workflow are found lacking in comparison to competitors.
- When should I avoid starwhale?
- In scenarios where an exclusive user preference leans towards Python-based operations over Java and the tool's CLI interactions do not meet operational demands. For teams that require real-time model serving and have strict latency requirements, as Starwhale may not optimize for such use cases beyond its MLOps capabilities.
- Is dagster or starwhale more popular on GitHub?
- dagster has more GitHub stars (16,144 vs 235). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are dagster and starwhale open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (dagster: Apache-2.0, starwhale: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to dagster or starwhale?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at dagster alternatives and starwhale alternatives (dagster markdown twin, starwhale markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, dagster or starwhale?
- dagster: Very active. starwhale: 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 dagster and starwhale?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: dagster trust report; starwhale trust report.