Implementation:Astronomer Astronomer cosmos RenderConfig Init

Metadata

Field	Value
Page Type	Implementation
Repository	astronomer-cosmos
Source File	`cosmos/config.py`, Lines L50-157
Implements	Principle:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_Render_Configuration
Import	`from cosmos.config import RenderConfig`

Overview

RenderConfig is the concrete tool provided by the astronomer-cosmos library for controlling how a dbt project graph is parsed, filtered, and rendered into Airflow tasks. It is a dataclass that encapsulates all rendering preferences, including node selection/exclusion, test behavior, load method, invocation mode, dataset emission, and source rendering behavior.

This configuration object is consumed by cosmos's graph rendering engine to transform a dbt project's dependency graph into an Airflow-compatible task structure.

Source Location

Property	Value
Repository	astronomer-cosmos
File	`cosmos/config.py`
Lines	L50-157
Class	`RenderConfig` (decorated with `@dataclass`)

Code Reference

Signature

@dataclass
class RenderConfig:
    emit_datasets: bool = True
    test_behavior: TestBehavior = TestBehavior.AFTER_EACH
    load_method: LoadMode = LoadMode.AUTOMATIC
    invocation_mode: InvocationMode = InvocationMode.DBT_RUNNER
    select: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
    exclude: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
    selector: str | None = None
    dbt_deps: bool | None = None
    node_converters: dict[DbtResourceType, Callable[..., Any]] | None = None
    node_conversion_by_task_group: bool | None = True
    dbt_executable_path: str | Path = get_system_dbt()
    env_vars: dict[str, str] | None = None
    dbt_project_path: InitVar[str | Path | None] = None
    dbt_ls_path: Path | None = None
    enable_mock_profile: bool = True
    source_rendering_behavior: SourceRenderingBehavior = SourceRenderingBehavior.NONE
    source_pruning: bool = False
    should_detach_multiple_parents_tests: bool = False
    enable_owner_inheritance: bool | None = True

Import Statements

from cosmos.config import RenderConfig
from cosmos.constants import TestBehavior, LoadMode, InvocationMode
from cosmos.constants import SourceRenderingBehavior
from cosmos.dbt.graph import DbtResourceType

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`emit_datasets`	`bool`	`True`	Whether to emit Airflow datasets for cross-DAG dependency management.
`test_behavior`	`TestBehavior`	`AFTER_EACH`	How dbt tests are organized relative to models (`AFTER_EACH`, `AFTER_ALL`, `NONE`, `BUILD`).
`load_method`	`LoadMode`	`AUTOMATIC`	Method for discovering the dbt project graph (`AUTOMATIC`, `DBT_LS`, `MANIFEST`, `CUSTOM`, `DBT_LS_FILE`).
`invocation_mode`	`InvocationMode`	`DBT_RUNNER`	How dbt is invoked during rendering (`DBT_RUNNER`, `SUBPROCESS`).
`select`	`list[str]`	`[]`	List of dbt node selection strings to include.
`exclude`	`list[str]`	`[]`	List of dbt node selection strings to exclude.
`selector`	None	`None`	Named selector from `selectors.yml`.
`dbt_deps`	None	`None`	Whether to run `dbt deps` before rendering. `None` defers to `ProjectConfig.install_dbt_deps`.
`node_converters`	None	`None`	Custom callables for converting specific dbt resource types into Airflow operators.
`node_conversion_by_task_group`	None	`True`	Whether to group converted nodes into Airflow TaskGroups.
`dbt_executable_path`	Path	`get_system_dbt()`	Path to the dbt executable used during rendering.
`env_vars`	None	`None`	Environment variables for the dbt rendering process.
`dbt_project_path`	`InitVar`	`None`	Init-only variable for the dbt project path (used during initialization, not stored).
`dbt_ls_path`	None	`None`	Path to a pre-computed `dbt ls` output file.
`enable_mock_profile`	`bool`	`True`	Whether to use a mock profile during rendering to avoid needing real credentials.
`source_rendering_behavior`	`SourceRenderingBehavior`	`NONE`	How source nodes are rendered in the DAG.
`source_pruning`	`bool`	`False`	Whether to prune unnecessary source nodes from the rendered graph.
`should_detach_multiple_parents_tests`	`bool`	`False`	Whether to detach tests with multiple parent models into standalone tasks.
`enable_owner_inheritance`	None	`True`	Whether child nodes inherit owner metadata from parent nodes.

I/O Contract

Inputs

All parameters are optional with sensible defaults. The primary inputs that shape rendering behavior are:

Filtering: select, exclude, and selector control which nodes appear in the rendered DAG.
Topology: test_behavior controls the structure of test tasks relative to model tasks.
Parsing: load_method determines how the dbt project graph is discovered.
Dataset Integration: emit_datasets and source_rendering_behavior control Airflow dataset integration.

Outputs

A RenderConfig instance that is consumed by cosmos's graph rendering engine. The instance provides:

All rendering preferences as typed attributes.
Validation logic ensuring consistent configuration (e.g., selector cannot be used simultaneously with select/exclude).

Usage Examples

Basic Selection and Exclusion

from cosmos.config import RenderConfig

# Render only staging models, excluding a specific model
render_config = RenderConfig(
    select=["path:models/staging"],
    exclude=["path:models/staging/stg_legacy_orders"],
)

Test Behavior Configuration

from cosmos.config import RenderConfig
from cosmos.constants import TestBehavior

# Run all tests after all models complete (reduces task count)
render_config = RenderConfig(
    test_behavior=TestBehavior.AFTER_ALL,
)

# Skip tests entirely in the orchestration DAG
render_config_no_tests = RenderConfig(
    test_behavior=TestBehavior.NONE,
)

Load Method Configuration

from cosmos.config import RenderConfig
from cosmos.constants import LoadMode

# Use manifest for fast DAG parsing (requires manifest_path in ProjectConfig)
render_config = RenderConfig(
    load_method=LoadMode.MANIFEST,
)

# Use dbt ls for accurate, real-time graph discovery
render_config_ls = RenderConfig(
    load_method=LoadMode.DBT_LS,
)

Tag-Based Selection with Graph Operators

from cosmos.config import RenderConfig
from cosmos.constants import TestBehavior

# Select all nodes tagged 'daily' plus their upstream dependencies
render_config = RenderConfig(
    select=["+tag:daily"],
    test_behavior=TestBehavior.AFTER_EACH,
    emit_datasets=True,
)

Complete DAG Integration

from cosmos import DbtTaskGroup, ProjectConfig, ProfileConfig, RenderConfig
from cosmos.constants import TestBehavior, LoadMode

render_config = RenderConfig(
    select=["path:models/marts"],
    exclude=["tag:wip"],
    test_behavior=TestBehavior.AFTER_EACH,
    load_method=LoadMode.MANIFEST,
    emit_datasets=True,
    source_rendering_behavior=SourceRenderingBehavior.NONE,
)

dbt_tasks = DbtTaskGroup(
    project_config=ProjectConfig(
        dbt_project_path="/usr/local/airflow/dags/dbt/my_project",
        manifest_path="/usr/local/airflow/dags/dbt/target/manifest.json",
    ),
    profile_config=profile_config,
    render_config=render_config,
)

Related Pages

Implements Principle

Principle:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_Render_Configuration — The principle this implementation realizes.

Complementary Implementations

Implementation:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_ProjectConfig_Init — Complementary implementation for project path configuration.
Implementation:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_ProfileConfig_Init — Complementary implementation for profile configuration.
Implementation:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_ExecutionConfig_Init — Complementary implementation for runtime execution configuration.

Requires Environment

Environment:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_Python_Airflow_Runtime

Uses Heuristic

Heuristic:Astronomer_Astronomer_cosmos_Deprecation_Migration_Paths

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Implementation

Heuristic

Environment