# Airbyte

> Open-source data integration with a large connector catalog

Airbyte is a data integration platform that syncs data from APIs, databases, and files into warehouses and lakes, available self-hosted or as a managed cloud service.

Website: https://airbyte.com

## Use it when

- You need a connector catalog broad enough to cover SaaS APIs, databases, and files without writing extraction code.
- A source is missing: the no-code Connector Builder or the Python CDK makes custom connectors routine.
- You want the same pipelines self-hosted for control, or managed on Airbyte Cloud, without changing tools.
- Database sources should sync incrementally via log-based CDC rather than full refreshes.

## Think twice when

- Nobody can babysit a self-hosted deployment; operational complexity is high, and Fivetran or Hevo trade that effort for a bill.
- Cost predictability matters on Cloud: volume-based pricing scales with data moved.
- You need transformations in the pipeline itself; Airbyte types and dedupes only, delegating modelling to dbt.
- The Elastic license matters to your legal team; it is source-available, not open source.

## How it runs

Self-hosted Airbyte runs as containers, typically on Kubernetes, with syncs scheduled in the platform or by cron and triggerable over the API, Terraform, and PyAirbyte. Airbyte Cloud is the managed option, billed by volume on Standard and by capacity on Pro. Loaded data lands raw, ready for a downstream transformation framework.

## Details

### General

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| License | Source-available |
| SPDX identifier | Elastic-2.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Managed, Hybrid |
| Workload | Batch |
| Operational complexity | High |
| Pricing | Free, Subscription |
| Language | Kotlin, Java, Python |
| Repository | https://github.com/airbytehq/airbyte |
| Documentation | https://docs.airbyte.com |
| Stars | 22.1k |

### Batch ELT

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Authoring model | Web UI; also REST API, Terraform provider and PyAirbyte |
| Source coverage | SaaS APIs, databases and files, from a large connector catalogue |
| Destinations | Warehouses, lakes, databases and object storage |
| Custom connectors | No-code Connector Builder, or the Python CDK |
| Incremental sync | Incremental append or append+dedupe; log-based CDC on databases |
| Sync frequency | Manual, scheduled or cron; hourly floor on Cloud, 15 min on Pro |
| Schema drift | Detect and approve, or auto-propagate fields or whole streams |
| Transformations | Typing and deduping only; custom dbt removed, dbt Cloud on Cloud |
| Scheduling | Built in: scheduled or cron syncs, triggerable by API |
| Billing unit | Volume on Standard; capacity via Data Workers on Pro |

## Capabilities

- [Batch ELT](https://matca.io/capabilities/batch-elt)

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Source: https://matca.io/airbyte
Last updated: 2026-08-31T11:40:48.138Z