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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Apache Airflow vs Dashy

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Apache Airflow and Dashy — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Apache Airflow vs Dashy: at a glance

FeatureApache AirflowDashy
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesworkflow-orchestration, data-engineering, providers, release-candidateself-hosted, dashboard, open-source, homelab
Last editorial update1d ago1mo ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Apache Airflow?

Airflow 3.4 reaches its first release candidate, a week after the 10-20 provider wave.

Airflow published constraints for 3.4.0rc1 on Oct 28, which means core 3.4 has moved from beta to release candidate. The surrounding activity is the 2026-10-20 provider batch (Snowflake 6.20, SMTP 3.2, OpenSearch 1.15, OpenAI 2.2, Standard 1.21 and others), all published without release notes, plus a TypeScript SDK 1.0.0-beta1.

Read the full Apache Airflow trajectory →

What is Dashy?

Dashy ships multiple releases daily—mostly dependency housekeeping punctuated by new widget additions.

Dashy is an open-source self-hosted dashboard that ships in a high-velocity, community-driven cadence—often several patch releases per day. The current run is dominated by automated dependency bumps via Dependabot, with one substantive widget addition: a calendar widget (v4.6.10) resolving two long-standing feature requests. Individual releases are small and scoped to a single PR.

Read the full Dashy trajectory →

Apache Airflow vs Dashy: editorial side-by-side

A
Apache Airflow
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Airflow 3.4 reaches its first release candidate, a week after the 10-20 provider wave.

◆ Current state

Airflow published constraints for 3.4.0rc1 on Oct 28, which means core 3.4 has moved from beta to release candidate. The surrounding activity is the 2026-10-20 provider batch (Snowflake 6.20, SMTP 3.2, OpenSearch 1.15, OpenAI 2.2, Standard 1.21 and others), all published without release notes, plus a TypeScript SDK 1.0.0-beta1.

◆ Where it's heading

Core 3.4 is following the usual beta-to-RC path while providers ship on their own batch schedule. The TypeScript SDK beta and the common-ai provider suggest Airflow is widening who can author tasks, though the feed shows tags rather than feature notes.

◆ Prediction

Expect further 3.4.0 release candidates and then a 3.4.0 final within a few weeks; the entries don't show which features anchor it.

D
Dashy
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Dashy ships multiple releases daily—mostly dependency housekeeping punctuated by new widget additions.

◆ Current state

Dashy is an open-source self-hosted dashboard that ships in a high-velocity, community-driven cadence—often several patch releases per day. The current run is dominated by automated dependency bumps via Dependabot, with one substantive widget addition: a calendar widget (v4.6.10) resolving two long-standing feature requests. Individual releases are small and scoped to a single PR.

◆ Where it's heading

Dashy's release pattern is more housekeeping than expansion: dependency updates keep the package graph current while occasional community-submitted widgets broaden the integration library. Beyond the top 6 entries, v4.6.7 added an `allowInsecure` prop for skipping certificate verification on internal services, v4.6.6 added status text overrides for uptime widgets, and v4.6.4 improved the Uptime Kuma widget—a cluster of quality-of-life improvements for self-hosters running home lab stacks. There's no visible architectural shift or major new capability surface.

◆ Prediction

The project will continue its community PR cadence: one or two widget additions per week interspersed with automated dependency updates. No major redesign or new integration pattern is visible in the entries.

Alternatives to Apache Airflow and Dashy

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Apache Airflow or Dashy.

See all Apache Airflow alternatives → · See all Dashy alternatives →

Recent activity from Apache Airflow and Dashy

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoApache AirflowConstraints for Airflow 3.4.0rc1 (first 3.4 release candidate)
  2. 4d agoApache AirflowKeycloak provider 0.11.2 patch
  3. 4d agoApache AirflowOpenSearch provider 1.15.0
  4. 4d agoApache AirflowSMTP provider 3.2.0
  5. 4d agoApache AirflowHashiCorp provider 4.8.4 patch
  6. 4d agoApache AirflowSnowflake provider 6.20.0
  7. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.13 🚀
  8. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.12 🚀
  9. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.11 🚀
  10. 1mo agoDashyv4.6.10: Calendar widget added
  11. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.9 🚀
  12. 1mo agoDashyDashy v4.6.8 🚀

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Apache Airflow and Dashy?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Apache Airflow and Dashy are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Apache Airflow better than Dashy?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Apache Airflow and Dashy are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Apache Airflow?

Top Apache Airflow alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apache Airflow alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/apache-airflow for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Dashy?

Top Dashy alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dashy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dashy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.