Installing Airflow on Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

Learn how to install Airflow on Linux with ease. This guide covers different installation methods and provides helpful tips.

Introduction

Apache Airflow is a popular open-source platform for orchestrating workflows. It is written in Python and offers a user-friendly web interface for managing and monitoring your workflows. This guide will walk you through the process of installing Airflow on Linux.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Linux distribution: This guide assumes you are using a Debian-based distribution like Ubuntu. However, the installation process may vary slightly for other distros.
• Python 3: Airflow requires Python 3 to run. Make sure you have Python 3.6 or later installed on your system.
• Pip: Pip is a package installer for Python. Use your system's package manager to install Pip if it is not already installed.

Installation Method

There are three main methods for installing Airflow on Linux:

1. Using pip:

This is the simplest and most recommended method. You can use the following command to install Airflow and its dependencies:

pip install apache-airflow

2. Using PyPI:

You can also download the Airflow package from PyPI and install it manually. This can be useful if you need to install a specific version of Airflow or if you want to avoid using pip.

3. From source:

If you need to build Airflow from source, you can download the source code from the Airflow GitHub repository. This method is more complex and requires additional dependencies.

Configuration

After Airflow is installed, you need to configure it. The configuration file is located at /etc/airflow/airflow.cfg. You can use your preferred text editor to open and edit the file.

The configuration file includes various settings, such as the database connection string and the web server port. Make sure to update these settings according to your needs.

Starting Airflow

Once you have completed the configuration, you can start Airflow using the following command:

airflow scheduler &
airflow webserver

The first command will start the Airflow scheduler, which is responsible for running your workflows. The second command will start the Airflow web server, which allows you to manage and monitor your workflows through a web interface.

Conclusion

This guide has provided you with the basic steps for installing Airflow on Linux. By following these steps, you should be able to get up and running with Airflow in no time.

Additional Resources

• Airflow Documentation: https://airflow.apache.org/docs/
• Airflow GitHub Repository: https://github.com/apache/airflow

Coming soon: How to install Airflow on.