# Dagu
Dagu turns scripts and commands into reliable YAML workflows. It adds schedules, dependencies, retries, approvals, logs, and a Web UI in one open-source binary. You do not need an external database or message broker.
## Quick start
### 1. Install
On macOS or Linux:
```sh
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dagucloud/dagu/main/scripts/installer.sh | bash
```
On Windows, run this in PowerShell:
```powershell
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dagucloud/dagu/main/scripts/installer.ps1 | iex
```
The installers can add Dagu to `PATH`, set up a background service, and create the first admin account. See the [Windows installation guide](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/installation/windows) for service and manual installation options.
Prefer Docker? Start the Web UI with the [official image](https://github.com/dagucloud/dagu/pkgs/container/dagu):
```sh
docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 -v dagu-data:/var/lib/dagu ghcr.io/dagucloud/dagu:latest dagu start-all
```
Open . The named volume keeps workflows, logs, history, and settings between runs. See the [Docker guide](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/installation/docker) for Docker Compose, image tags, and host workflow mounts.
The native-install quickstart continues below. For Homebrew, npm, Kubernetes, and manual options, see [all installation methods](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/installation/).
### 2. Run your first workflow
Save this as `hello.yaml`:
```yaml
steps:
- id: hello
run: echo "Hello from Dagu!"
- id: done
run: echo "Workflow finished"
depends: hello
```
Run it:
```sh
dagu start hello.yaml
```
### 3. Open the Web UI
Start the Web UI in the same directory:
```sh
dagu start-all --dags .
```
Open to see the run, step logs, and history. The [full quickstart](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/quickstart) also covers validation, expected output, and next steps.
Running Dagu as a persistent or shared service? Review [server configuration](https://docs.dagu.sh/server-admin/configuration) and [authentication](https://docs.dagu.sh/server-admin/authentication/) before exposing it beyond localhost.
If Dagu is useful, click **Star** at the top of this page. It helps other developers find the project.
## What Dagu gives you
- Keep your current scripts, commands, containers, and tools.
- Store readable workflow definitions in Git.
- Add dependencies, schedules, retries, timeouts, and approvals in YAML.
- Inspect live status, logs, and previous runs in the built-in Web UI.
- Start on one machine, then add queues or distributed workers if the workload grows.
## See it in action
Click the image to watch the short product walkthrough.
| Run details | Step logs |
|---|---|
|  |  |
You can also open the [live demo](https://dagu-demo-f5e33d0e.dagu.sh) and sign in with username `demouser` and password `demouser`.
## Why Dagu
Cron is easy to start but gives you little visibility once jobs depend on each other. Larger orchestrators solve that problem by adding services and a framework. Dagu keeps the operating model small:
```text
Traditional orchestrator Dagu
Web server dagu start-all
Scheduler ├── Web UI
Workers ├── Scheduler
Database ├── Executor
Message broker └── Local file-backed state
Language runtime
```
The workflow calls the software you already use. It does not require you to move that code into a Dagu-specific framework.
## A practical workflow
This example runs a nightly report, retries the data step, and keeps the order explicit:
```yaml
schedule: "0 2 * * *"
steps:
- id: extract
run: python extract.py
retry_policy:
limit: 3
interval_sec: 30
- id: report
run: ./build-report.sh
depends: extract
- id: archive
run: tar -czf report.tgz report/
depends: report
```
Dagu can also run containers, Kubernetes Jobs, SSH commands, SQL, HTTP requests, sub-workflows, human tasks, and reusable actions. Browse the [workflow examples](https://docs.dagu.sh/writing-workflows/examples) or the [YAML reference](https://docs.dagu.sh/writing-workflows/yaml-specification) when you need them.
## LLM-directed workflows
With `type: controller`, steps become a catalog and `tasks` state the goals; an LLM decides which step runs next until the goals are met:
```yaml
type: controller
env:
- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
llm:
provider: anthropic
model: claude-opus-5
steps:
- name: extract
description: Pull the raw data.
run: python extract.py
- name: build-report
description: Build the nightly report from the extracted data.
run: ./build-report.sh
- name: archive
description: Archive the finished report.
run: tar -czf report.tgz report/
tasks:
- name: report-archived
description: Finished when the nightly report is built and archived.
```
Also built in: `chat` steps run LLM calls with tool use inside any workflow.
See [Controller Workflows](https://docs.dagu.sh/writing-workflows/controller).
## Operate Dagu from your AI tools
The direction also reverses: AI tools can run Dagu. The MCP endpoint (`http://localhost:8080/mcp`) lets MCP clients inspect workflows, start and control runs, and read results.
For workflow-authoring help in Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and other coding tools, install the Dagu skill:
```sh
gh skill install dagucloud/dagu dagu
```
See the [MCP guide](https://docs.dagu.sh/mcp/quickstart).
## Common uses
- Replace fragile cron chains while keeping the underlying scripts.
- Run ETL, reporting, backup, media, and infrastructure jobs.
- Coordinate Docker, Kubernetes, SSH, SQL, and HTTP work in one graph.
- Give operators a controlled way to run approved internal tasks.
- Keep automation close to data on servers, edge devices, or private networks.
- Distribute heavier workloads to workers selected by labels.
## Ways to run Dagu
| Model | Where Dagu runs | Good fit |
|---|---|---|
| Single server | One `dagu start-all` process | Development, scheduled jobs, and internal automation |
| Self-hosted workers | Server and workers on your infrastructure | Private networks, heavier workloads, and multiple execution hosts |
| Licensed self-hosted | Server and workers on your infrastructure, with a paid server license | Teams that need SSO, RBAC, audit logs, incident routing, additional API keys, and support; see [plans and pricing](https://dagu.sh/pricing#self-host) |
| Managed | A dedicated managed Dagu instance, with optional private workers | Teams that want Dagu operated for them |
The same YAML works across these models. See [deployment models](https://docs.dagu.sh/overview/deployment-models) for the architecture, security boundaries, and setup details.
## Learn more
| Topic | Documentation |
|---|---|
| Install and first run | [Quickstart](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/quickstart) |
| Install on Windows | [PowerShell, Windows service, and manual install](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/installation/windows) |
| Run with Docker | [Docker, Compose, volumes, and image tags](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/installation/docker) |
| Configure a server | [Configuration files, environment variables, and precedence](https://docs.dagu.sh/server-admin/configuration) |
| Workflow syntax | [Writing workflows](https://docs.dagu.sh/writing-workflows/) |
| Ready-to-run YAML | [Examples](https://docs.dagu.sh/writing-workflows/examples) |
| Built-in and packaged actions | [Dagu Actions](https://docs.dagu.sh/dagu-actions/) |
| Web UI and API | [Web UI](https://docs.dagu.sh/overview/web-ui) |
| Authentication and secrets | [Server administration](https://docs.dagu.sh/server-admin/) |
| Queues and workers | [Distributed execution](https://docs.dagu.sh/server-admin/distributed/) |
| CLI commands | [CLI reference](https://docs.dagu.sh/getting-started/cli) |
## Development
Prerequisites: [Go 1.26+](https://go.dev/doc/install), [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download/), and [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/installation).
```sh
git clone https://github.com/dagucloud/dagu.git
cd dagu
make build
make test
make lint
```
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for the development workflow and code standards.
## Community
- [Discord](https://discord.gg/gpahPUjGRk) for questions and discussion
- [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/dagucloud/dagu/issues) for bugs and feature requests
- [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/dagu-sh.bsky.social) for project updates
- [GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/dagucloud) to support maintenance
Thanks to [/bin labs](https://slashbinlabs.com/) and everyone who has contributed code, documentation, testing, or feedback.
## License
Dagu is licensed under [GNU GPLv3](./LICENSE). See [LICENSING.md](./LICENSING.md) for embedded API and commercial embedding terms.
