Open source ecosystem

Open source ecosystem#

The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0 standard has fostered a rich and diverse ecosystem of open-source tools. These projects range from powerful execution engines to web-based modelers and entire low-code platforms, enabling developers and organizations to implement process automation freely.

Operaton BPM#

For many years, Camunda 7 Community Edition (CE) was a cornerstone of the open-source BPMN world. As a robust, embeddable Java-based engine, it gained widespread adoption. However, with Camunda shifting focus to its cloud-native Camunda 8 platform, the community edition of Camunda 7 is now at (or approaching) end-of-life.

To fill this gap and ensure the continuation of the classic Camunda 7 architecture, the Operaton project was born. Operaton is a community-driven fork of Camunda 7, dedicated to maintaining and extending the legacy codebase. It provides a future for projects that rely on the embeddable, Java-centric approach to workflow automation. Yet, with its comprehensive REST API, it works as well as an external process orchestration service.

bpmn.io#

At the heart of modern web-based BPMN tooling is bpmn.io. It is a suite of JavaScript libraries for rendering and modeling BPMN, DMN (Decision Model and Notation) and forms directly in the browser. Core libraries include a BPMN modeler, DMN editor and form builder. These libraries are used also in Camunda Desktop Modeler, which still supports Camunda 7 (and also Operaton) compatible modeling.

Warning

The core bpmn.io libraries are not distributed under an OSI‑approved open source license. They use a custom license (see https://bpmn.io/license/) that is largely based on the MIT license but requires the bpmn.io watermark and a link to bpmn.io to remain visible.

Selected plugins#

WKS Platform#

The WKS Platform is an example of a comprehensive, open-source Adaptive Case Management (ACM) solution built upon this ecosystem. It leverages the power of the Camunda engine on the backend and often utilizes bpmn.io for the front-end modeling experience. It demonstrates how foundational open-source components can be assembled into a feature-rich, low-code platform for managing complex and unpredictable workflows.

BPM Crafters#

BPM Crafters is a small open-source GitHub organization focused on building implementation-agnostic tooling for workflow and business process management (BPM), mainly using Kotlin. Its core project is a portable Process Engine API that lets developers write workflow-driven applications independent of a specific engine, supported by adapters for platforms such as Camunda 7 and Camunda 8. The organization also provides Spring Boot–based worker tooling, shared build configuration, documentation, and a website, aiming to make process automation more flexible, reusable, and engine-neutral across different BPM technologies.

SpiffWorkflow and SpiffArena#

For those preferring Python native approach, SpiffWorkflow could provise a promising alternative in the future.

SpiffWorkflow#

SpiffWorkflow is a mature, pure-Python library that can parse and execute the most elements in BPMN 2.0 diagrams. It is highly flexible and designed to be integrated into any Python application, offering developers a robust base for a BPMN capable workflow engine without requiring a Java virtual machine.

SpiffArena#

Built on top of SpiffWorkflow, SpiffArena aims to be a full-featured, low-code web application. It provides a complete user interface for designing, launching, and managing workflows. Users can interact with task lists, fill out forms, and monitor process execution.