Dagster
Dagster is an open-source data orchestration platform for building, testing, and running data pipelines. It focuses on development productivity, data quality, and operational robustness by treating data assets as first-class citizens and providing a unified framework for defining dependencies, configurations, and computations. Unlike traditional workflow engines, Dagster emphasizes the entire lifecycle of data pipelines, from local development to production deployment.
Developers should learn Dagster when building complex, maintainable data pipelines that require strong typing, testing, and observability, such as in data engineering, machine learning operations (MLOps), or ETL/ELT processes. It is particularly useful in scenarios where data quality and lineage tracking are critical, as it integrates seamlessly with tools like dbt, Apache Airflow, and cloud data warehouses, enabling teams to manage dependencies and configurations declaratively.