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Mage OSS

Build modern data pipelines locally with visual, modular code

Self-hosted development environment for creating production-grade ETL/ELT pipelines using Python, SQL, or R in a fast, notebook-style interface with scheduling and debugging.

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Overview

Build Data Pipelines with Confidence

Mage OSS is a self-hosted development environment that empowers data engineers and analysts to build production-ready data pipelines on their local machines. Designed for teams who need full control over their ETL/ELT workflows, Mage combines the flexibility of modular code with the clarity of a visual, notebook-style interface.

Capabilities & Workflow

Write pipeline logic in Python, SQL, or R using an interactive editor that supports block-by-block development. Connect to databases, APIs, and cloud storage through prebuilt integrations, then schedule jobs with cron or trigger them manually. Visual debugging tools provide step-by-step logs, live data previews, and transparent error handling. Native dbt support lets you develop and run transformation models directly within the platform.

Deployment & Audience

Install via Docker, pip, or conda—no cloud account required. Ideal for data engineers building local ETL workflows, analytics teams prototyping transformations, and organizations requiring on-premises pipeline orchestration. When teams need enterprise features like AI-assisted development, multi-environment orchestration, or role-based access control, Mage Pro extends the core platform with production-scale capabilities.

Highlights

Modular notebook UI for Python, SQL, and R pipeline development
Prebuilt connectors to databases, APIs, and cloud storage
Visual debugging with live data previews and step-by-step logs
Native dbt integration and cron-based scheduling

Pros

  • Self-hosted with full local control—no mandatory cloud dependencies
  • Fast setup via Docker, pip, or conda in minutes
  • Interactive notebook interface simplifies debugging and documentation
  • Apache-2.0 license with active community (8,400+ GitHub stars)

Considerations

  • Advanced orchestration and AI features require Mage Pro upgrade
  • Local-first design may require additional configuration for distributed workloads
  • Enterprise collaboration tools (RBAC, monitoring) not included in OSS
  • Smaller ecosystem compared to established orchestration platforms

Managed products teams compare with

When teams consider Mage OSS, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.

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Astronomer

Managed Apache Airflow service for orchestrating and monitoring data pipelines in the cloud

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Dagster

Data orchestration framework for building reliable pipelines

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ServiceNow

Enterprise workflow and IT service management

Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.

Fit guide

Great for

  • Data engineers building and testing ETL/ELT pipelines locally
  • Teams requiring self-hosted, on-premises data orchestration
  • Analysts prototyping SQL transformations and dbt models visually
  • Organizations prioritizing open-source tooling with upgrade paths

Not ideal when

  • Teams needing enterprise RBAC and multi-user collaboration out-of-the-box
  • Projects requiring AI-assisted development without commercial licensing
  • Organizations seeking fully managed cloud orchestration services
  • Use cases demanding real-time streaming or complex event processing

How teams use it

Google Sheets to Snowflake ETL

Automate data extraction from Google Sheets, apply Python transformations, and load results into Snowflake on a daily schedule.

SQL-Based Data Aggregation

Build scheduled pipelines that clean and aggregate product data using SQL blocks with visual debugging and error tracking.

Local dbt Model Development

Develop, test, and run dbt transformation models in a notebook-style interface before deploying to production environments.

API-to-Database Integration

Connect to REST APIs, transform JSON responses with Python, and persist results to PostgreSQL or cloud storage with full transparency.

Tech snapshot

Python54%
TypeScript36%
HTML8%
CSS1%
SCSS1%
JavaScript1%

Tags

data-pipelinesreverse-etlpipelinedbtsparkmachine-learningpipelinesartificial-intelligenceetlpythonsqleltorchestrationdata-engineeringdatadata-sciencedata-integrationtransformation

Frequently asked questions

What languages does Mage OSS support?

Mage OSS supports Python, SQL, and R for building pipeline logic in a modular, block-based interface.

Can I run Mage OSS without a cloud account?

Yes. Mage OSS is self-hosted and runs locally via Docker, pip, or conda with no mandatory cloud dependencies.

Does Mage OSS support dbt?

Yes. You can build and run dbt models directly inside Mage OSS using the integrated notebook interface.

What's the difference between Mage OSS and Mage Pro?

Mage OSS is a local development environment for building pipelines. Mage Pro adds AI-assisted development, multi-environment orchestration, RBAC, monitoring, and enterprise features.

How do I schedule pipelines in Mage OSS?

Mage OSS supports cron-based scheduling and manual triggers for running pipelines on demand or at specified intervals.

Project at a glance

Active
Stars
8,621
Watchers
8,621
Forks
906
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age3 years old
Last commit20 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languagePython

Last synced 3 hours ago