About Apache Superset
Apache Superset is an open source platform for exploring data and building dashboards. It is a project of the Apache Software Foundation and works with many SQL databases.
What it does
Superset offers a no-code chart builder and a SQL editor, so both analysts and business users can work with data. Dashboards can mix many chart types, and a plug-in system lets developers add custom visualisations. It is designed to sit on top of an existing data warehouse rather than replace it with another ingestion layer.
Key features
- Chart builder with more than 40 chart types
- SQL Lab for ad hoc queries
- Reusable datasets with shared metric definitions
- Interactive dashboards with filters
- REST API and plug-in system
Who it's for
Data teams, analysts and engineers who want a self-hosted alternative to commercial BI tools. Organisations with an existing SQL data warehouse will find it a good fit, especially if they have people who can run and maintain the software.
Pricing and good to know
Superset is released under the Apache-2.0 licence, so it is free to use and modify. It has to be installed and run on your own infrastructure, which takes technical work. Some companies offer managed hosted versions if you prefer not to run it yourself. Check the project documentation for installation and database driver details.
Highlights
- Build charts with a no-code builder
- Query data with a SQL editor
- Create dashboards with many chart types
- Define reusable datasets and metrics
- Extend with plug-ins and an API
