Alation
Data catalog platform for data discovery, governance, and lineage
DataHub
Unified metadata platform for modern data discovery and governance
DataHub provides a centralized catalog and real‑time metadata graph, enabling teams to discover, understand, and govern data across the modern data stack with extensible connectors and Kubernetes‑ready deployment.
Overview
Overview
DataHub is a centralized metadata platform that powers data discovery, lineage, and governance across the modern data stack. It ingests metadata from a wide range of sources via extensible connectors and stores it in a real‑time graph, enabling instant search and impact analysis.
Who It Serves & How to Deploy
Designed for data engineers, analysts, and governance teams, DataHub can be run locally with a single‑command Docker quickstart or scaled in production using the provided Helm charts on Kubernetes. The platform includes a web UI, GraphQL API, and a suite of actions that react to metadata changes in real time.
Community & Adoption
Backed by LinkedIn and a growing open‑source community, DataHub is used by enterprises such as LinkedIn, Expedia, and Udemy. Documentation, Slack support, monthly town halls, and a hosted demo environment help teams get up to speed quickly.
Highlights
Real‑time metadata graph for instant search and impact analysis
Extensible connectors covering databases, pipelines, and BI tools
Docker quickstart and Helm charts for flexible deployment
Community‑driven actions framework for automated metadata reactions
Pros
- Strong enterprise backing and active open‑source community
- Scalable architecture with both local and Kubernetes options
- Rich metadata model supports lineage, governance, and discovery
- Extensive documentation, Slack channel, and monthly town halls
Considerations
- Initial setup can require infrastructure expertise
- User interface may be complex for newcomers
- Large graph deployments may need performance tuning
- Documentation is spread across multiple sites
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider DataHub, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Data engineering teams needing unified data discovery
- Organizations implementing data mesh or data governance
- Enterprises with Kubernetes expertise looking for scalable catalog
- Teams that want real‑time metadata-driven automation
Not ideal when
- Small teams without ops resources for Docker/Kubernetes
- Ad‑hoc data discovery without a need for governance
- Environments lacking Java/Scala runtime support
- Organizations preferring fully managed SaaS catalog solutions
How teams use it
Cross‑source Data Discovery
Analysts can search across databases, dashboards, and pipelines from a single UI, reducing time to find relevant assets.
Data Governance and Lineage
Compliance teams visualize end‑to‑end data flow, enabling impact analysis and policy enforcement.
Data Mesh Catalog
Domain teams publish and consume metadata in a shared graph, fostering federated ownership and discoverability.
CI/CD Impact Analysis for dbt
GitHub Action comments on pull requests with downstream impact, helping developers avoid breaking changes.
Tech snapshot
Java41%
Python30%
TypeScript27%
JavaScript1%
Shell1%
Mustache1%
Frequently asked questions
What programming languages are used in DataHub?
The core platform is written in Java, with supporting services in Python, TypeScript, and Scala.
Can I try DataHub without installing it?
Yes, a hosted demo environment is available at demo.datahub.com.
What deployment options does DataHub support?
You can run a local Docker quickstart or deploy to production using Helm charts on Kubernetes.
Is there a community Slack for support?
Yes, a Slack workspace is provided for discussions, announcements, and help.
Does DataHub support real‑time metadata updates?
Yes, the platform includes a real‑time metadata graph and actions framework that react to changes as they occur.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 11,457
- Watchers
- 11,457
- Forks
- 3,341
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age10 years old
Last commit12 hours ago
Primary languageJava
Last synced 12 hours ago