How to Install apache-airflow in Python
Programmatically author, schedule and monitor data pipelines
pip install apache-airflow
What is apache-airflow?
Programmatically author, schedule and monitor data pipelines
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Apache Airflow (or simply Airflow) is a platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows.
Quick Start
Minimal example to get started with apache-airflow:
import airflow
print(airflow.__version__)
Installation
pip (standard)
pip install apache-airflow
Virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install apache-airflow
pip3
pip3 install apache-airflow
conda
conda install -c conda-forge apache-airflow
Poetry
poetry add apache-airflow
Dependencies
Installing apache-airflow will also install these packages:
Verify the Installation
After installing, confirm the package is available:
python -c "import airflow; print(airflow.__version__)"
If this prints a version number, installation succeeded. If you see a ModuleNotFoundError, see the errors section below.
Installation Errors
Common errors when installing apache-airflow with pip.
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'airflow'
Cause: The package is not installed in the current Python environment.
Fix: Run pip install apache-airflow. If using a virtual environment, ensure it is activated first.
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'airflow' (installed but still failing)
Cause: pip installed the package into a different Python than the one running your script.
Fix: Use python -m pip install apache-airflow to install into the interpreter you are running.
ImportError: cannot import name 'X' from 'airflow'
Cause: The function or class does not exist in the installed version.
Fix: Check the version with pip show apache-airflow and upgrade with pip install --upgrade apache-airflow.
pip: command not found
Cause: pip is not in PATH or Python was not added to PATH during installation.
Fix: Try python -m pip install apache-airflow. On macOS/Linux try pip3.
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied
Cause: No write access to the system Python package directory.
Fix: Use a virtual environment, or add --user: pip install --user apache-airflow
SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED
Cause: pip cannot verify PyPI's SSL certificate — common behind corporate proxies.
Fix: Try: pip install --trusted-host pypi.org --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org apache-airflow
Recent Releases
| Version | Released |
|---|---|
3.2.0 latest |
2026-04-07 |
3.2.0rc2 |
2026-04-03 |
3.2.0rc1 |
2026-03-30 |
3.2.0b2 |
2026-03-23 |
2.11.2 |
2026-03-14 |
Manage apache-airflow
Upgrade to latest version
pip install --upgrade apache-airflow
Install a specific version
pip install apache-airflow==3.2.0
Uninstall
pip uninstall apache-airflow
Check what is installed
pip show apache-airflow