Installation

Install Dagster and set up your development environment

Dagster is available on PyPI and officially supports Python 3.10 through Python 3.14.

Prerequisites

Dagster requires Python 3.10 or higher. Before installing, verify your Python version:

python --version

Installation Methods

uv (Recommended)

uv is the fastest Python package manager and is recommended for new projects.

1. Install uv

   If you don’t have uv installed:

   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
   
2. Install Dagster

   Install Dagster and the web server:

   uv add dagster dagster-webserver dagster-dg-cli
   

   This installs:

   • dagster - Core library for defining assets and pipelines
   • dagster-webserver - Web UI for monitoring and orchestration
   • dagster-dg-cli - Command-line tools for project management
3. Verify installation

   Check that Dagster is installed correctly:

   dagster --version
   

pip

Install Dagster using pip in your Python environment.

1. Create virtual environment (recommended)

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   
2. Install Dagster

   pip install dagster dagster-webserver
   
3. Verify installation

   dagster --version
   

From editable source

For contributors or advanced users who want to modify Dagster itself.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/dagster-io/dagster.git
   cd dagster
   
2. Install in editable mode

   pip install -e "python_modules/dagster[dev]"
   pip install -e python_modules/dagster-webserver
   

   The -e flag installs in “editable mode” so local code changes apply automatically.

Optional Dependencies

Dagster has a rich ecosystem of integrations. Install additional libraries as needed:

Docker

pip install dagster-docker

See the full list of integrations in the official documentation.

Development Dependencies

For testing and development, install additional tools:

pip install dagster[test]  # Testing dependencies
pip install dagster[pyright]  # Type checking
pip install dagster[ruff]  # Code formatting and linting

Verify Your Installation

Create a simple test to verify everything works:

test_dagster.py

import dagster as dg

@dg.asset
def hello():
    return "Hello, Dagster!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    result = dg.materialize([hello])
    print("Dagster is working!")

Run it:

python test_dagster.py

You should see output indicating successful materialization.

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

Dagster automatically installs Windows-specific dependencies:

• psutil>=1.0 for process management
• pywin32!=226 for Windows API access

Some integrations may have limited Windows support. Check individual library documentation.

macOS with Apple Silicon

Most packages work natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3). If you encounter issues:

# Use Rosetta if needed
arch -x86_64 pip install dagster

Linux

Dagster works on all major Linux distributions. Ensure you have:

• Python development headers: sudo apt-get install python3-dev (Ubuntu/Debian)
• Build tools: sudo apt-get install build-essential

Next Steps

Quickstart Tutorial

Build your first Dagster asset in 5 minutes

Official Documentation

Explore comprehensive guides and API reference

Troubleshooting

ImportError or ModuleNotFoundError

Ensure your virtual environment is activated and Dagster is installed in the correct environment:

which python  # Should point to your venv
pip list | grep dagster

Version conflicts

Dagster requires specific version ranges for dependencies. If you encounter conflicts:

pip install --upgrade dagster dagster-webserver

Permission errors on Linux/macOS

Don’t use sudo with pip. Instead, use a virtual environment or user installation:

pip install --user dagster dagster-webserver