Alation
Data catalog platform for data discovery, governance, and lineage
OpenMetadata
Unified platform for data discovery, governance, and observability
OpenMetadata delivers a unified metadata repository, column‑level lineage, 84+ connectors, and collaborative tools for data discovery, governance, quality, and observability—all in an open‑source platform.
Overview
Highlights
Unified data catalog with keyword search and advanced queries
Column‑level lineage visualization and editable no‑code editor
84+ pluggable connectors for diverse data services
No‑code data quality tests and profiling dashboards
Pros
- Single platform covering discovery, governance, and observability
- Extensive connector ecosystem for broad data source coverage
- Interactive lineage and collaboration features
- Open‑source license encourages customization and community contributions
Considerations
- Self‑hosting requires operational expertise and resources
- Advanced configurations can have a steep learning curve
- User interface may lack polish compared to commercial alternatives
- Community support response times can vary
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider OpenMetadata, 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 end‑to‑end metadata management
- Organizations adopting data mesh or decentralized data ownership
- Companies seeking an open‑source alternative to commercial data catalogs
- Teams that want no‑code data quality and profiling capabilities
Not ideal when
- Very small teams with minimal data assets and limited resources
- Enterprises requiring a fully managed SaaS solution with SLAs
- Environments that need guaranteed vendor support and rapid issue resolution
- Use cases demanding real‑time streaming metadata ingestion beyond current connectors
How teams use it
Centralized Data Catalog
Teams locate tables, dashboards, and pipelines from a single searchable UI, reducing time spent searching for assets.
Automated Data Lineage Tracking
Engineers visualize column‑level lineage across warehouses and pipelines, enabling impact analysis and compliance reporting.
No‑Code Data Quality Monitoring
Business users define tests and receive alerts without writing code, improving data trust and reducing manual checks.
Cross‑Tool Metadata Integration
Connectors ingest metadata from Snowflake, Looker, Kafka, Airflow, and more, feeding a unified repository for governance.
Tech snapshot
TypeScript44%
Java32%
Python21%
Less2%
CSS1%
Shell1%
Frequently asked questions
What languages or platforms does OpenMetadata support?
It offers 84+ connectors for databases, data warehouses, dashboard services, messaging systems, and pipeline tools, plus APIs for custom integration.
How is data lineage visualized?
Column‑level lineage is stored in the metadata graph and displayed via an interactive UI with a no‑code editor for editing and filtering.
Is there a hosted version?
A sandbox environment is available for trial; production deployments are self‑hosted using Docker or Kubernetes as described in the documentation.
What licensing governs OpenMetadata?
OpenMetadata is released under the Apache‑2.0 license.
How can I contribute?
Contributions are welcomed via the GitHub repository; see the CONTRIBUTING guide and join the Slack community for assistance.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 8,462
- Watchers
- 8,462
- Forks
- 1,600
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age4 years old
Last commityesterday
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced yesterday