# Prefect

Python workflow orchestration framework that runs flows on schedules, events or API calls, with a self-hostable server.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/prefect/
Last reviewed: 2026-11-03
Listed since: 2026-11-03

## Record

### Links

- home: https://www.prefect.io
- repository: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect
- docs: https://docs.prefect.io
- pricing: https://www.prefect.io/pricing
- x: https://x.com/PrefectIO
- bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/prefect.io
- discord: https://discord.com/invite/uu8dJCgttd

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Prefect Technologies, Inc.
- maintainerType: company
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2018
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: backend
- hosting: python
- language: python
- runtime: python
- runtimeMin: python 3.11
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: unknown
- databases: sqlite, postgres
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: rest
- templating: unknown
- i18n: unknown

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: always-on
- renderingModes: unknown
- installMethod: pip, from PyPI

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 3
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-30

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 24108
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 427
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://www.prefect.io (read 2026-11-03)
- urls: https://docs.prefect.io (read 2026-11-03)
- urls: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect (read 2026-11-03)
- license: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/blob/3.9.1/LICENSE (read 2026-11-03)
- category: https://www.prefect.io (read 2026-11-03)
- category: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/get-started/index (read 2026-11-03)
- language: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect (read 2026-11-03)
- runtime: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/get-started/install (read 2026-11-03)
- runtimeMin: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/blob/3.9.1/pyproject.toml (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/get-started/install (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/get-started/install (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-docker (read 2026-11-03)
- installMethod: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/docker-compose (read 2026-11-03)
- headlessApi: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/api-ref/rest-api/index (read 2026-11-03)
- runsAs: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-cli (read 2026-11-03)
- databases: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-cli (read 2026-11-03)
- databases: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-cli (read 2026-11-03)
- adminUi: https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-cli (read 2026-11-03)
- currentMajor: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.9.1 (read 2026-11-03)
- latestReleaseDate: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.9.1 (read 2026-11-03)
- firstRelease: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/tags (read 2026-11-03)
- githubStargazers: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect (read 2026-11-03)
- contributors: https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect (read 2026-11-03)
- maintainer: https://www.prefect.io/legal/terms (read 2026-11-03)
- urls: https://www.prefect.io/pricing (read 2026-11-03)

## Notes

Prefect is a Python framework for writing workflows as flows, which it runs on a schedule, on an external event or through its API. Projects install the Python package with pip or uv, as the [install guide](https://docs.prefect.io/v3/get-started/install) describes, and the Prefect server can also run from the official Docker image or from a Docker Compose setup.

The self-hosted server runs as its own process and serves a web UI. Its database is SQLite by default, and the [server guide](https://docs.prefect.io/v3/how-to-guides/self-hosted/server-cli) describes switching to PostgreSQL. A REST API on the server lets other programs create flow runs from a deployment.

## Worth knowing

The server is a long-running process, and the guide shows it started with several worker processes for concurrent requests. Prefect Cloud is the hosted service beside the open-source framework and server, and the docs describe features such as SSO, roles and webhooks only for Prefect Cloud.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0