Implementation:Apache Airflow DAG Distribution Config

Knowledge Sources	Apache Airflow
Domains	Deployment, Kubernetes
Last Updated	2026-02-08 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for configuring DAG file distribution in Kubernetes provided by the Helm chart dags configuration section.

Description

The Helm chart dags section configures how DAG files reach Airflow pods. It supports dags.persistence (PVC-based), dags.gitSync (git-sync sidecar), or baked into the Docker image (no dags section needed).

Usage

Configure the dags section in values.yaml based on your chosen distribution strategy.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: Apache Airflow
• File: chart/values.yaml (dags section at ~L3404-3460)
• File: chart/files/pod-template-file.kubernetes-helm-yaml

Signature

dags:
  mountPath: /opt/airflow/dags

  # Strategy 1: PVC
  persistence:
    enabled: false
    size: 1Gi
    accessMode: ReadWriteOnce
    storageClassName: ~
    existingClaim: ~

  # Strategy 2: Git-sync
  gitSync:
    enabled: false
    repo: ~
    branch: main
    subPath: ""
    rev: HEAD
    wait: 60             # seconds between syncs
    containerName: git-sync
    uid: 65533

Import

# Deploy with git-sync
helm install airflow apache-airflow/airflow \
  --set dags.gitSync.enabled=true \
  --set dags.gitSync.repo=https://github.com/my-org/dags.git

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
dags.persistence.enabled	bool	No	Enable PVC-based DAG distribution
dags.gitSync.enabled	bool	No	Enable git-sync sidecar
dags.gitSync.repo	str	Conditional	Git repository URL (required if gitSync enabled)
dags.gitSync.branch	str	No	Git branch to sync (default main)

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
DAG volume mount	Volume	DAGs available at /opt/airflow/dags in all pods
Git-sync sidecar	Container	Continuous sync from Git repository
PVC	PersistentVolumeClaim	Shared storage for DAG files

Usage Examples

Git-sync Configuration

# my-values.yaml
dags:
  gitSync:
    enabled: true
    repo: https://github.com/my-org/airflow-dags.git
    branch: main
    subPath: dags/
    wait: 30

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Apache_Airflow_DAG_Distribution_Strategy

Requires Environment

• Environment:Apache_Airflow_Kubernetes_Helm_Environment