OSS vs Cloud: Comparison Guide

This guide compares DataHub Open Source (OSS) and DataHub Cloud features and platform differences. DataHub Cloud builds on the OSS foundation with enterprise-grade capabilities including AI automation, advanced governance, operational reliability, and production support for mid-to-large organizations. Cloud also offers a fully managed service with 99.5%+ SLA-backed availability, dedicated support, enhanced security, training services, and flexible deployment options.

Discovery & Search

Feature Name	OSS	Cloud	Business Value	Link
70+ Source Connectors with Unified Search	✔	✔	Connect entire data ecosystem	Docs
Ask DataHub AI Agent	❌	✔	Find trustworthy data metrics Generate Accurate SQL Debug data quality issues Understand impact of data changes	Docs
DataHub Hosted MCP Server	❌	✔	Connect AI tools directly to your data catalog	Docs
Enhanced Usage-Aware Search Ranking	❌	✔	Surface most relevant data first	Docs
Column-Level Lineage & Impact Analysis	✔	✔	Understand data dependencies	Docs
Lineage-Based Propagation	❌	✔	Auto-enrich downstream datasets	Docs
Context Documents	✔	✔	Create & semantically search across unstructured docs	Docs
AI Documentation Generation	❌	✔	Auto-document tables & columns	Docs
Personalized Home and Asset Views	❌	✔	Customize home page and asset summaries for a personalized data experience	Docs
Multi-Channel Notifications	❌	✔	Stay informed where you work (Email, Slack, & Teams)	Docs

Data Observability

Feature Name	OSS	Cloud	Business Value	Link
Quality & Health Status on Asset Profiles	✔	✔	See quality at a glance
AI Anomaly Detection (Smart Assertions)	❌	✔	Catch issues automatically	Docs
Freshness, Volume, Schema & Column Monitoring, Custom SQL Checks	❌	✔	Ensure timely data	Docs
Data Contracts	✔	✔	Define quality expectations	Docs
Data Health Dashboard	❌	✔	Quality overview at scale	Docs
Notifications for Data Assertions	❌	✔	Real-time quality alerts	Docs
Secure In-VPC Quality Validation	❌	✔	Metadata never leaves your network
Pipeline Circuit Breakers (API)	❌	✔	Validate data quality programmatically before reads or writes	Docs

Data Governance

Feature Name	OSS	Cloud	Business Value	Link
Data Ownership Management	✔	✔	Clear accountability	Docs
Business Glossary	✔	✔	Common data language	Docs
AI Data Classification	❌	✔	Auto-tag sensitive data	Docs
Bi-Directional Metadata Sync	❌	✔	Keep metadata current	Docs
Compliance Forms and Workflow Engine	❌	✔	Track regulatory compliance	Docs
Metadata Tests	❌	✔	Validate governance rules	Docs
Approval Workflows: Documentation, Glossary, Tags, Terms, and Data Ownership	❌	✔	Controlled vocabulary changes	Docs
Access Request Workflows	❌	✔	Self-service data access	Docs

Enterprise & Security

Feature Name	OSS Available	Cloud Available	Business Value
99.5% Uptime SLA	❌	✔	Guaranteed availability
Fine-grained Access Control	❌	✔	Secure by default
AWS PrivateLink Support	❌	✔	Network isolation
IP Address Restrictions	❌	✔	Access control
In-VPC Remote Ingestion Agent	❌	✔	Data security control

Implementation & Support

Feature Name	OSS Available	Cloud Available	Business Value
Fully Managed Cloud Deployment	❌	✔	Zero maintenance cloud-hosted instance
Dedicated Customer Success	❌	✔	Expert guidance
Guided Implementation & Onboarding	❌	✔	Smooth rollout
Private Slack Support Channel	❌	✔	Direct access to experts
Community Support	✔	✔	Peer assistance
OSS Contribution Fast-Track	❌	✔	Community Contribution Support to DataHub Apache 2.0 Project

See DataHub Cloud In Action