Workflow Orchestration with Airflow
Orchestrators like Airflow turn ad-hoc scripts into scheduled, monitored, dependency-aware pipelines.
Learn it
Learn Airflow's core model: DAGs define tasks and their dependencies as Python code, and the scheduler runs them on a schedule with retries and backfills. Build your first DAG with operators, add Jinja templating, and test tasks locally before deploying. Understand why declarative dependencies beat cron chains.
By the end you’ll be able to
- Author a DAG with tasks and dependencies
- Schedule and backfill pipeline runs
Free resources
Practice
Follow the Airflow 101 tutorial to build and run a DAG with at least three dependent tasks, then trigger a manual and a scheduled run.
Build it — your output
A working Airflow DAG that orchestrates a multi-step pipeline with dependencies and a schedule.
Prove it — check yourself
You’re ready to move on when you can honestly say yes to each:
- Can you express task dependencies in a DAG and explain the run order?
- Can you configure a schedule and perform a backfill?
- Can you test a single task from the command line?
Do it with AI
Use a free AI tool as your tutor and pair-programmer. Copy a prompt below into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini (for building, try Cursor or Copilot).
The habit: Try it yourself first — a little struggle is where the learning actually happens. Then ask for a hint before the answer — never copy blindly.
- Understand itClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
I'm a beginner learning "Workflow Orchestration with Airflow". Explain it in simple terms with a real-world analogy, then ask me ONE question to check my understanding — don't reveal the answer.
- PracticeClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
Give me 3 short practice problems on "Workflow Orchestration with Airflow" (my goal: author a dag with tasks and dependencies), from easy to hard. Don't include the solutions yet — I'll try them first, then ask you to check.
- Get unstuckClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
I'm stuck on this exercise about "Workflow Orchestration with Airflow": [paste your attempt here]. Give me ONE small hint to move forward — do NOT give me the full solution.
- Build & reviewCursor / Copilot
Here is my work for a "Workflow Orchestration with Airflow" task: [paste your code or answer]. Review it: point out what's wrong and WHY, and suggest improvements — but let me make the fixes myself.
- Prove itClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
Quiz me on "Workflow Orchestration with Airflow". Ask me 5 questions one at a time, wait for my answer each time, then tell me if I'm right and briefly why.