dagger
Dagger is an open-source automation engine that unifies build, test, and deployment workflows across local machines, CI systems, and cloud infrastructure. It eliminates shell scripts and YAML by providing a programmable, container-based platform with SDKs in 8 languages and built-in observability via OpenTelemetry.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | dagger/dagger |
| Owner | dagger |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 16k |
| Forks | 898 |
| Open issues | 136 |
| Latest release | v0.21.7 (2026-06-17) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-07 |
| Source | https://github.com/dagger/dagger |
What dagger is
Dagger is a Go-based execution engine orchestrating containerized workloads through a typed, DAG-based API with multi-language SDKs (Go, Python, TypeScript, PHP, Java, .NET, Elixir, Rust). It features content-addressed caching, incremental execution, filesystem/secret/git abstractions, and mandatory container runtime dependency (Linux/Docker).
Get the dagger source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/dagger/dagger.gitcd dagger# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Requires container runtime (Docker/Podman) on all execution environments; ensure it is available and performant in your CI/CD infrastructure.
- Teams must adopt a typed language SDK (Go, Python, TypeScript, etc.) rather than YAML; training and language selection are prerequisites.
- Incremental caching depends on content-addressed inputs; poorly structured pipelines may not benefit from cache hits; design for idempotency.
- OpenTelemetry setup enables observability but requires integration with a compatible backend (Jaeger, Honeycomb, or custom OTel collector) for production use.
- Modules and types are passed across language boundaries without serialization; verify compatibility expectations when mixing SDKs in the same pipeline.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- No Linux Container Runtime Available — Dagger requires Docker or equivalent container runtime. Environments without container support (serverless lambdas, embedded systems) cannot use it.
- Simple Shell-Script Workflows — For trivial, one-off bash tasks, Dagger's API and SDK overhead may introduce unnecessary complexity. Traditional Makefile or shell-based automation may be more pragmatic.
- Closed-Source or Vendor-Locked Platforms — If your organization requires proprietary build tools or cannot deploy open-source infrastructure, Dagger's architecture and licensing may not align with constraints.
- Windows-First Development — Native Linux focus; Windows support requires Docker Desktop or WSL2. Heavy Windows build workflows may face friction compared to native CI/CD solutions.
License & commercial use
Dagger is licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), a permissive OSI-approved open-source license.
Apache-2.0 permits commercial use, including modification and distribution, under the terms of the license. Consult your legal team to confirm compliance with patent grants, indemnification, and trademark clauses relevant to your use case. No proprietary extensions or commercial support from the vendor are stated in the data provided.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Security posture cannot be assessed from the provided data. Containers isolate workloads by design, but review sandboxing boundaries, secret handling (plaintext in logs?), network tunnel implementation, and any known CVEs. Dagger's role orchestrating build/test/deploy pipelines means it may handle credentials, private artifacts, and deployment keys; audit access controls, audit logging, and isolation policies. Request security documentation or conduct a threat model before production use.
Alternatives to consider
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI
Native CI/CD tightly integrated with Git hosting; YAML-based and simpler for standard workflows. Less portable across CI platforms and lacks typed, multi-language SDKs.
Jenkins with Declarative Pipeline
Self-hosted, long-established, broad plugin ecosystem. Groovy scripting less type-safe than Dagger SDKs; heavier infrastructure lift than Dagger's local-first model.
Earthly
Container-native build tool with Earthfile DSL; simpler syntax than Dagger SDKs but less flexible for complex orchestration. Focused on containerized builds rather than full CI/CD.
Build on dagger with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate Dagger for your CI/CD strategy. Consider your team's language preferences, container infrastructure readiness, and need for local-first workflows. Start with the quickstart and a proof-of-concept module before committing to large-scale migration.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
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dagger FAQ
Do I have to rewrite my CI/CD from scratch to use Dagger?
Can Dagger run on my CI platform (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)?
Which language SDK should I use?
Is OpenTelemetry tracing mandatory?
Work with a software development agency
Need help beyond evaluating dagger? DEV.co is a software development agency offering software development services and web development for teams of every size. Our software developers and web developers build custom software, web applications, APIs, and open-source devops integrations — and maintain them long-term.
Ready to Modernize Your CI/CD?
Evaluate Dagger for your CI/CD strategy. Consider your team's language preferences, container infrastructure readiness, and need for local-first workflows. Start with the quickstart and a proof-of-concept module before committing to large-scale migration.