dbt Fusion engine

Fusion is the next-generation engine built on Rust, that powers development across the dbt platform (formerly dbt Cloud), the VS Code extension, and local environments.

• It’s faster, smarter, and more consistent — bringing static analysis, instant feedback, and more — to every dbt workflow, and an integrated VS Code experience through the Language Server Protocol (LSP), which enables features like autocomplete, hover info, and inline error highlights.
• Fusion elevates dbt Core, our open source software (OSS) engine, to a new level of performance and developer experience. It can be installed locally to accelerate dbt projects.
• dbt Fusion Engine includes a mix of source-available (ELv2), open-source (Apache 2.0), and proprietary components. Refer to Fusion licensing details for more information.

Getting started

dbt Fusion Engine powers dbt development everywhere — in the dbt platform, VS Code/Cursor, and locally. Features vary by environment; see the following table and choose the best Fusion-friendly setup for you:

Developing in	Fusion-friendly tool you can use	Supports projects in	Fusion features
dbt platform	- Studio IDE - Canvas - dbt VS Code extension	dbt platform dbt Core	- Fast, reliable compilation, static analysis, validation, and job execution. - Visual and interactive features like autocomplete, inline errors, live CTE previews, lineage, and more. - To upgrade, see Upgrade to Fusion.
VS Code or Cursor	dbt VS Code extension	dbt platform dbt Core	- Fast, reliable compilation, static analysis, validation, and job execution. - Visual and interactive features like autocomplete, inline errors, live CTE previews, lineage, and more.
dbt Core local	- Fusion CLI - dbt VS Code extension	dbt platform dbt Core	- Fusion CLI: Provides Fusion performance benefits, such as faster performance, parsing, and execution (like parse, compile, build, and run) but doesn't include the visual features available in the dbt platform or VS Code extension (such as autocomplete, hover insights, lineage, and more). - VS Code extension: Comes with Fusion performance benefits, as well as those visual features when developing locally.

Not sure where to start?

Try out the Fusion quickstart and check out the Fusion migration guide to see how to migrate your project.

Features and capabilities

dbt Fusion Engine (built on Rust) gives your team 30x faster performance and comes with different features depending on where you use it. If you're not sure what is available where, check out the following table.

To stay up-to-date on the latest features and capabilities, check out the Fusion diaries.

Legend: ✅ = Available 🟡 = Partial / compile-time only ❌ = Not available 🔜 = Coming soon

Category / Capability	dbt Core (self-hosted)	Fusion CLI (self-hosted)	VS Code + Fusion	dbt platform* (Studio IDE/Canvas)
Engine performance
SQL parsing & compilation	✅	✅	✅	✅
Uses the dbt Fusion Engine	❌ (Built on Python)	✅	✅	✅
Faster parse / compile	❌	✅	✅	✅
Incremental compilation	❌	✅	✅	✅
Editor & development experience
IntelliSense / autocomplete / hover info	❌	❌	✅	✅
Inline errors (on save / in editor)	❌	🟡	✅	✅
Live CTE previews / compiled SQL view	❌	❌	✅	✅
Refactoring tools (rename model / column)	❌	❌	✅	🔜
Go-to definition / references	❌	❌	✅	🔜
Column-level lineage (in editor)	❌	❌	✅	🔜
Platform & governance
State-aware orchestration (SAO)	❌	❌	❌	✅
Governance (PII / PHI tracking)	❌	❌	❌	🔜
CI/CD cost optimization (Slimmer CI)	❌	❌	❌	🔜

*Insights (our explore and query tool) also runs on the dbt Fusion Engine and has the following LSP features. Fusion support for other dbt platform tools, like Semantic Layer and Catalog, is coming soon.

Additional considerations

Here are some additional considerations if using the Fusion CLI or VS Code extension:

• Fusion CLI (binary)
  • Runs on the dbt Fusion Engine (distinct from dbt Core) and free to use.
  • Benefits from Fusion engine’s performance for parse, compile, build, and run, but doesn't include visual and interactive features like autocomplete, hover insights, lineage, and more.
  • Requires profiles.yml only (no dbt_cloud.yml).
• dbt VS Code extension
  • Free to use and runs with the dbt Fusion Engine; after 14 days you register an email.
  • Benefits from Fusion engine’s performance for parse, compile, build, and run, and also includes visual and interactive features like autocomplete, hover insights, lineage, and more.
  • Capped at 15 users per organization.
  • If you already have a dbt platform user account (even if a trial expired), sign in with the same email. Unlock or reset it if locked.
  • Requires both profiles.yml and dbt_cloud.yml files.

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