Eximee Team
The end of development and support for Camunda 7 CE will take place in October 2025. For organisations using this solution, this means no more updates, bug fixes or technical support from the Camunda team. How can you prepare for the upcoming changes and which alternatives to Camunda 7 CE should you consider?
The final release of Camunda 7 CE will not only affect the security and stability of systems, but will also lead to increased maintenance costs. What exactly should organisations using this tool expect?
After the end of support for Camunda 7 CE, its users will no longer receive bug fixes or any security patches and updates. In addition, the GitHub repository will be archived. Pull requests will also be closed. This means not only increased vulnerability to cyber attacks, but also a potential breach of security and compliance standards such as DORA. Other factors that will complicate system and security management include the lack of technical support and Issue Tracking.
As alternative technologies develop, compatibility issues may arise. Currently, customers build their solutions based on the Camunda engine. Once development and updates for the Camunda technology cease, the use of this engine will have several limitations:
The nescessity to maintain an internal team responsible for monitoring and securing the system, together with the difficulty in recruiting specialists familiar with Camunda 7 (due to the tool’s declining popularity), will lead to increased maintenance costs. Companies will also be forced to implement full versions of their security patches and own fixes in the operational mode, resulting in additional costs and risks.
Delaying the decision to migrate can lead to even higher maintenance costs in the future. To avoid the difficulties associated with continuing to use an unsupported tool, companies should start developing a migration plan now.
Camunda 7 users should take an early decision on whether to migrate or choose an alternative solution to avoid problems with lack of support and increased system maintenance costs. The only exception is if the solution is being phased out within the organisation, making migration to another tool impractical or uneconomical.
Although Camunda recommends migrating and developing new projects on the Camunda 8 platform, users of Camunda 7 Enterprise Edition can benefit from extended support through the Camunda Extended Support Offering. This is the support plan for the Camunda 7 enterprise, under this model:
The main advantage of this model is the lack of immediate migration requirements and the ability to continue using Camunda 7 without having to evaluate alternative BPMS systems. The LTS version ensures stability and allows companies to gain time for planning future actions.
On the other hand, Camunda 7 LTS requires the purchase of a license and does not eliminate the need to migrate to another solution in the long term. Another challenge is the uncertainty about the future development of the tool and its compatibility with new frameworks or technologies.
More details about this support model can be found in the official Camunda 7 LTS documentation.
Camunda 8 is a BPM platform designed as a cloud-native system with a modern microservices-based architecture. It uses BPMN and DMN standards, and its core is the Zeebe process engine, which enables horizontal scaling and dynamic adaptation to changing workloads.
Unlike Camunda 7, the just released new version does not support embedded mode and offers limited functionality in its open source version, which requires the purchase of a license and can be a challenge for companies planning to migrate.
It is also important to note that choosing this tool requires technology migration and process refactoring, and using Camunda 8 in the SaaS model creates vendor dependency on Camunda. In addition, Camunda 8 does not offer full compatibility with BPMN models from Camunda 7.
Below is a subjective selection of alternatives to Camunda 7 that are worth considering.
Activiti is an open source BPM platform from which Camunda 7 is derived. Its core is a powerful BPMN 2.0 process engine that enables process execution in applications, on servers, in clusters and in the cloud. The solution is flexible and available under the Apache license.
The main drawbacks of this solution are the need for technology migration and process refactoring, as well as limited popularity and development compared
to Camunda 7.
Flowable is a low-code business process automation platform that supports BPMN, CMMN, and DMN standards. It is characterized by the use of the dynamic visual editor Flowable Design.
Flowable’s strengths undoubtedly include its active community and the fact that it is an open source solution, similar to Camunda 7, as it is a fork of Activiti.
However, it is important to note that choosing Flowable also involves technology migration and process refactoring. A disadvantage of Flowable is that it is not fully compatible with Camunda 7 – the main differences include a different API and different ways of handling certain BPMN elements.
Kogito is a cloud-native business process automation platform. It supports integration with technologies like Quarkus and Kubernetes. This platform is characterized by its flexible architecture, fast startup, and automatic scaling.
Drawbacks of this tool include the lack of official vendor support and its strong ties to the Red Hat ecosystem.
With the end of support for Camunda 7 CE, forks of this system appear on the market, tailored to the needs of organizations that have been using it. What are their characteristics and which one is worth choosing?
EximeeBPMS is a stable open source fork of Camunda 7, designed for companies that want to continue using this BPM engine without migrating to Camunda 8. It offers compliance with the latest security standards, regular updates and technical support. The platform can be deployed both in the cloud and on-premises, making it a flexible and scalable solution, for organizations looking for a reliable alternative to Camunda 7.
The strengths of EximeeBPMS include:
However, switching to another fork like EximeeBPMS means choosing to work with a different community than the one supporting Camunda. This may require adapting to very different environments and new conditions, but for many organizations it is a trade-off worth making in this situation.
Other forks, such as Operaton and CIB Seven, have also appeared on the market to date. Although these solutions are still in development, they are interesting initiatives that could serve as viable options for organizations looking for an alternative to Camunda 7.
However, it is important to remember that, as with EximeeBPMS, choosing an alternative to Camunda 7 means joining a different, emerging community. This may bring additional challenges related to adapting to a new environment.
The end of support for Camunda 7 is a challenge for companies that need to migrate to a newer version of the platform or find an alternative solution. If you want a smooth transition and want to avoid migration costs to the more recent version of Camunda 8, or if you’re looking for another BPMS engine, considering a fork of Camunda 7 CE may be the best option.
The first step towards a smooth transition to an alternative solution is to update the current version of Camunda 7 to the latest version 7.23. This version will be available in the release scheduled for April 8, 2025 and will ensure the necessary stability during the migration.
EximeeBPMS is a solution that guarantees continued support and development for companies that want to stay with the proven BPM engine without having to migrate to Camunda 8. With this tool, companies can maintain their existing process architecture and continue operations without disruption.
It’s also important not to delay the development of an action plan and proper preparation for the changes that will come after the Camunda 7 End of Life. Making the right decision in this regard will allow organizations to smoothly adapt to the new conditions, minimizing the risks and costs associated with migration.
Want to learn more about how EximeeBPMS can be implemented in your organization? Schedule a meeting with one of our specialists!
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