Where Does Dagster Store Runs and Config?
Dagster persists runs and logs under DAGSTER_HOME, with config in dagster.yaml. Home semantics plus the empty variable gotcha.
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Dagster keeps instance state in one directory chosen by the DAGSTER_HOME variable. That folder holds dagster.yaml plus history (run databases) and storage (per run compute logs). Point every Dagster process at the same home or they each see a different world.
The sharp edge: with DAGSTER_HOME unset, tools silently use a temporary directory that vanishes on exit. Ephemeral sessions are fine for throwaway tests and terrible for anything you want tomorrow. Sensors and schedules persist here too, so a wiped home forgets every automation you configured.
Where Dagster stores this, by platform
$DAGSTER_HOME (conventionally ~/.dagster_home)
dagster.yaml plus history/ and storage/ underneath. Convention is ~/.dagster_home or /opt/dagster/dagster_home. Unset variable means a temp dir that is wiped on exit.
$DAGSTER_HOME (conventionally ~/.dagster_home)
Same variable semantics on Mac. Export it in your shell profile so the webserver, daemon and CLI share one home instead of three temp dirs.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I set DAGSTER_HOME?
Set DAGSTER_HOME to a permanent folder before running anything. Docs suggest ~/.dagster_home or /opt/dagster/dagster_home. Without it every session starts blank, which looks exactly like data loss.
How do I back up a local Dagster instance?
Copy the whole DAGSTER_HOME directory with the daemon stopped. history holds run databases and storage holds compute logs. The dagster.yaml beside them is small but required for the same behavior.
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