kestra-io/kestra

What is it?

Key features

• 01Define workflows in YAML, or build them visually with a No-Code editor or AI Copilot.
• 02Schedule flows or trigger them from events such as Kafka, SQS, and file arrivals.
• 03Run scripts in multiple languages, SQL queries, HTTP calls, Docker containers, and Kubernetes jobs.
• 04Built-in AI agent and RAG task types, plus an MCP server for AI tools.
• 05Git integration, a Terraform provider, and a CLI for managing flows as code.
• 06Retries, error handling, subflows, and execution quotas for resilient pipelines.

Use cases

• Orchestrating ETL and data pipelines that pull from databases, cloud storage, and APIs.
• Coordinating LLM calls, vector store ingestion, and RAG pipelines inside scheduled jobs.
• Automating infrastructure and operations tasks triggered by events or on a schedule.
• Giving non-engineers a guided form-based interface to run standard workflows.

Quick start

1. 1

   Make sure Docker is running, then start Kestra in a single command

   docker run --pull=always --rm -it -p 8080:8080 --user=root --name kestra -v kestra_data:/app/storage -v kestra_db:/app/data -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v /tmp:/tmp -e KESTRA_PLUGINS_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED=true kestra/kestra:latest-slim server local
2. 2

   Open the Kestra UI at http://localhost:8080 and create your first flow

Things to know

• !Running locally in the quick start requires Docker with access to the Docker socket.

Topics

FAQ

What is kestra?

Open-source, event-driven orchestration platform for scheduling and running data, AI, and infrastructure workflows defined as YAML. Kestra is an orchestration platform that runs scheduled and event-driven workflows. Flows are defined declaratively in YAML, and the UI, a No-Code editor, and an AI Copilot all edit the same flow definition, with changes kept in sync with the YAML.

Is kestra free to use? What license does it have?

kestra is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is kestra still maintained?

Actively maintained. The last commit to kestra was on Oct 20, 2026.

What can I use kestra for?

Orchestrating ETL and data pipelines that pull from databases, cloud storage, and APIs. Coordinating LLM calls, vector store ingestion, and RAG pipelines inside scheduled jobs. Automating infrastructure and operations tasks triggered by events or on a schedule. Giving non-engineers a guided form-based interface to run standard workflows.

How do I install kestra?

Make sure Docker is running, then start Kestra in a single command: docker run --pull=always --rm -it -p 8080:8080 --user=root --name kestra -v kestra_data:/app/storage -v kestra_db:/app/data -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v /tmp:/tmp -e KESTRA_PLUGINS_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED=true kestra/kestra:latest-slim server local Open the Kestra UI at http://localhost:8080 and create your first flow

Where can I get kestra?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/kestra-io/kestra