Dev Toolsdocker-ready1-click-deploy
Windmill: the best Open Source alternative to Retool in 2026
Windmill combines script automation, workflows and internal dashboards generated from Python, TypeScript or Go code, as a self-hostable alternative to Retool.
Technical profile
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Category
- Dev Tools
- Replaces
- Retool
- Tech stack
- RustTypeScriptPostgreSQL
Key features
- Scripts in Python, TypeScript and Go
- Auto-generated internal dashboards
- Scheduled flows and triggers
Windmill vs. Retool
Pros
- Runs real code, not just visual low-code
Things to consider
- Steeper learning curve if the team doesn't code
Quick Docker installation guide
Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
windmill:
image: ghcr.io/windmill-labs/windmill:latest
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "8000:8000"
environment:
- DATABASE_URL=postgres://windmill:windmill@windmill-db:5432/windmill
depends_on:
- windmill-db
windmill-db:
image: postgres:15-alpine
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- POSTGRES_USER=windmill
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=windmill
- POSTGRES_DB=windmill
volumes:
- windmill_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
windmill_pg_data: