Spline
Spline is a free, open-source tool for tracking data lineage and pipeline structure automatically.
What Spline is
Spline is a free, open-source tool for tracking data lineage and pipeline structure automatically. Agents are available for Apache Spark and functions written in Python 3.9 or newer, with a proof-of-concept adapter for OpenLineage metadata. Agents send pipeline information to the server through HTTP REST or Kafka; the Consumer API then makes lineage data available to the web interface and third-party applications. Spline processes that information into graphs for viewing. Its server stores lineage in ArangoDB and requires version 3.11 or newer. Deployment components come as Docker containers and JAR or WAR artifacts, and the server can run in a standard Java environment. The project identifies regulatory requirements, documenting business logic and finding performance bottlenecks as relevant problems. By default, the Spark agent tracks persistent writes, such as output to files, Hive tables or databases. Kafka is an optional transport gateway. The repository lists an Apache-2.0 license, and the project is hosted by AbsaOSS.
Good
- Free and open source under Apache-2.0.
- Provides a web UI with graph-based lineage views.
- Agents support Spark and Python 3.9 or newer.
- Metadata can travel through HTTP REST or Kafka.
- Offers Docker, JAR and WAR deployment components.
Watch out
- Server requires ArangoDB 3.11 or newer.
- Spark tracking defaults to persistent writes only.
- OpenLineage adapter is proof of concept.
Who it suits
Spline suits teams that need to visualize data lineage from Spark or Python pipelines, including for documenting business logic or examining bottlenecks. It is a self-hosted option for users able to meet its ArangoDB requirement.
Verdict
Spline provides a self-hosted route to collecting and viewing pipeline lineage from supported agents. Check the ArangoDB requirement and Spark agent’s default tracking scope against your pipelines.
Plans and prices
From Spline's own pricing page, checked 10 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Spline | Free | Free and open-source tool; self-hosted components |
The facts
Each one read from Spline's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Deployment
- Components are available as Docker containers and JAR or WAR artifacts, and the server can run in a standard Java environment.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Framework support
- The project provides agents for Apache Spark and arbitrary functions written in Python 3.9 or newer, plus a proof-of-concept adapter for OpenLineage metadata.checked 10 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository lists the project under the Apache-2.0 license.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Lineage flow
- Agents send pipeline metadata to the server through its Producer API using HTTP REST or Kafka, and the Consumer API makes lineage data available to the UI and third-party applications.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Spline is a free, open-source tool for automatically tracking data lineage and data pipeline structure.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Security configuration
- SSL certificate validation is enabled by default, and the documentation says not to disable it in production.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Spark tracking limit
- By default, the Spark agent tracks only persistent writes, such as writes to files, Hive tables, or databases.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Spline Server stores lineage data in ArangoDB, with ArangoDB version 3.11 or newer required.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Transport integration
- Agents can send lineage metadata over HTTP REST or Kafka; the Kafka gateway is optional.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The project identifies regulatory requirements, documenting business logic, and finding performance bottlenecks as target problems.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Visualization
- Spline processes lineage data into graph form and provides a web UI for viewing it.checked 10 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The project is hosted in the AbsaOSS GitHub organization, described as ABSA Open Source and located in Johannesburg, South Africa.checked 10 Oct 2026
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