• Free

Kestra Fundamentals

  • Course

This Fundamentals course is aimed at users who are new to Kestra, whether they come from a technical or non-technical background. This course will give you a basic understanding of Kestra and how to use it with YAML, No-code and AI Copilot (Gemini). Gain confidence in creating your first Flow all the way to running it at scale.

Course content

The following modules are available:

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Kestra Fundamentals course!

We are pleased that you have decided to take this course so that you can get a basic understanding of Kestra and use it with confidence.

You might be wondering - What is the practical application for Kestra? Well, imagine you are trying to automate a process: pulling sales data from a database, transforming it and sending a daily report to your team. You have scripts in Python, a tool for the database and a separate one for email. This can be a little confusing and difficult to maintain, right?

Kestra is built to solve that exact problem. Using orchestration it brings all those pieces together into one elegant, automated workflow.

Get ready to dive in!

1a. Introduction to Kestra
Preview
1b. What you will learn
Preview
1c. What you can expect to achieve
Preview
1d. Before you begin

2. Getting Started

Welcome to module 2! In the previous section, we covered the why - why Kestra exists and how it solves complex orchestration problems. Now, we're shifting gears to the how.

This is where we stop reading and start building.

This module will guide you through the initial, hands-on journey of a Kestra user. You will go from a course reader into a Flow architect by completing two crucial steps:

  1. Setup: We will quickly get Kestra installed and running locally using a simple, repeatable Docker setup.

  2. Creation: You will immediately build your very first Flow - and you will learn to do it in three different ways: using declarative YAML with the Flow Code Editor, the visual No-Code Editor and the AI Copilot. This experience will give you complete flexibility in how you approach every future Flow.

Let's jump in and set up our local instance so we can start!

2a. Install Kestra
Preview
2b. Create and Execute your first Flow with Flow Code or No-Code
2c. Create and Execute your first Flow with AI Copilot
2d. Architecture
2e. Getting Started Quiz

3. Understanding your Execution

By now, you have successfully installed Kestra and created your first Flows using Flow Code, No-Code, and the AI Copilot.

Module 3 is all about how Executions complete the process of your Flows by providing the details and information that matter via the Kestra UI.

We will focus on the Execution tab, which is your central command center for observability.

Ready to start analyzing how your automations are performing? Let's dive into your Executions!

3a. Introduction
3b. Execution States
3c. Execution Overview Tab
3d. Execution Gantt and Logs Tab
3e. Execution Topology Tab
3f. Execution Quiz

4. Beyond your first Flow

You have successfully installed Kestra, executed and reviewed your first Flow.

But let's be honest, logging "Hello World" isn't going to solve many business problems. Now, it's time to leave the sandbox behind and focus on creating robust, real-world Flows that actually deliver value.

This module is dedicated to teaching you Kestra's essential building blocks - the concepts that transform a simple list of tasks into a dynamic, enterprise-grade automation solution. You will learn how to make your Flow orchestration flexible, reliable, and deeply integrated:

  1. Dynamic Flows: We will show you how to use Inputs and Variables so your Flows can accept external data and adapt their behavior without you having to rewrite the code every time.

  2. Triggers and Scheduling: You will learn how to execute Flows precisely when needed, whether that's on a CRON schedule or in response to an external event.

  3. Core Flow Control: You will learn how to handle complexity using Flowable Tasks, such as If conditions, Parallelexecution, and Each loops - giving your flows true logic and intelligence.

  4. External Integration: We will dive into Plugins, revealing how Kestra connects seamlessly to databases, cloud providers (like AWS or GCP), messaging queues, and other services that power your organization.

By the end of this module, you will have all the tools necessary to design, build, and deploy any complex automation you can imagine. Let's get started on those real-world orchestration Flows!

4a. Introduction
4b. Create your next Flow
4c. Level up your Flow
4d. Level up your Tasks
4e. Make decisions with Flowable Tasks
4f. Automate your Flows with Triggers
4g. Integrating with external platforms using Plugins
4h. Beyond your first Flow Quiz

5. User Interface

Now you will have more data in your Kestra instance, especially if you kept the instance running for 1 or more days with the scheduled Task running every 15 minutes.

Let's take a walk through the Kestra platform and discover more features in the UI.

5a. Dashboard
5b. Manage your Flows
5c. Exploring a specific Flow
5d. Logs for all your Flows
5e. Namespaces
5f. KV Store
5g. Blueprints
5h. Plugins
5i. Right side navigation walkthrough
5j. User Interface Quiz

6. Conclusion

Now you have taken this course you will be confident to create a Flow using Kestra. You will also be able to navigate through the platform. But your Kestra journey is only just beginning!

In this last module we leave you with best practices and examples, so that you can start making the most out of Kestra.

As you will have read throughout, there are so many more Kestra features that you can explore to achieve more with your Flows. Please revisit the Kestra Academy homepage to see what other courses are available, so that you can deepen your knowledge and achieve the different levels of Kestra Certification.

To obtain your Fundamentals Certificate, take the final Quiz which will test your knowledge and understanding of Kestra.

6a. Kestra Best Practices
6c. Final Exam
6d. Feedback Questionnaire