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What is leoflow?

neochaotic/leoflow — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

31GoAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5Setup · moderate

In one sentence

Leoflow is a Go-based workflow scheduler built to replace Apache Airflow, aiming for faster scheduling and lower resource use.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Leoflow))
    What it does
      Workflow orchestrator
      Airflow replacement
      Task scheduling
    Tech stack
      Go
      YAML config
      Docker containers
    Key features
      Fast scheduler
      Short lived containers
      Fixed workflow artifacts
    Status
      Pre-alpha
      Core engine working
      UI integration pending

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Schedule and run automated multi-step jobs faster than Airflow's default scheduler.

USE CASE 2

Run each workflow task in its own short-lived container to avoid memory leaks.

USE CASE 3

Reuse the familiar Airflow web dashboard while running a faster Go-based engine underneath.

USE CASE 4

Package a workflow definition into a fixed artifact instead of re-parsing it every cycle.

What is it built with?

GoYAMLPythonDocker

How does it compare?

neochaotic/leoflow732124645/promptopsharshil-anuwadia/archwiki-tui
Stars313131
LanguageGoGoGo
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity4/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 1h+

Pre-alpha project, requires Go, a container registry, and Airflow UI integration is still incomplete.

So what is it?

Leoflow is a workflow orchestrator: a tool that schedules and runs automated jobs in a defined sequence. Think of it as a planner that says "run task A, then run task B with A's output, then run task C every night at 5 AM." It is written in Go and positioned as a faster, less painful replacement for Apache Airflow, which is one of the most widely deployed tools of this type but is known for being slow and resource-intensive. The README spells out five specific problems with Airflow that Leoflow aims to fix: the scheduler is slow (3 to 10 seconds between task decisions versus under 200 milliseconds in Leoflow), the sensor system chokes above 500 concurrent monitors (Leoflow claims 100,000 or more), DAG definition files are re-parsed on every scheduler loop wasting CPU, long-running worker processes accumulate memory leaks, and different workflows cannot use conflicting library versions in the same environment. Leoflow's design choices address these by building the control layer in Go instead of Python, running every task in its own short-lived container that is created and then discarded, compiling each workflow definition into a fixed artifact (a JSON file plus a container image) that does not need to be re-read on every cycle, and giving each workflow its own isolated container image with its own dependencies. Developers define a workflow using a short YAML config file and a Python script. Running a single CLI command builds the container, pushes it to an image registry, and registers the workflow with the control plane. Crucially, the project uses the unmodified Apache Airflow web interface, so teams familiar with Airflow's dashboard do not need to learn a new tool. The project is pre-alpha and not yet production-ready. The core scheduling engine, task execution, data passing between tasks, and log streaming are working. The Airflow UI integration and a Helm chart for easy Kubernetes installation are described as the next steps on the roadmap.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Explain the five Airflow problems Leoflow is designed to fix.
Prompt 2
Help me write a Leoflow workflow using a YAML config and a Python script.
Prompt 3
Show me the CLI command to build and register a Leoflow workflow with the control plane.
Prompt 4
What is currently working in Leoflow versus what's still on the roadmap?

Frequently asked questions

What is leoflow?

Leoflow is a Go-based workflow scheduler built to replace Apache Airflow, aiming for faster scheduling and lower resource use.

What language is leoflow written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go, YAML, Python.

How hard is leoflow to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is leoflow for?

Mainly developer.

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