Simplified architecture for easy installation and getting started

Camunda 8.8 introduces a streamlined architecture that unifies core components—Zeebe, Operate, Tasklist, and Identity—into a single, production-ready distribution. By consolidating these components into a single deployable package, Camunda 8.8 reduces deployment complexity, simplifies resource configuration, and streamlines resource management. This approach makes installation and setup more straightforward, whether you’re preparing a production environment or just getting started with Camunda.

You can download the alpha release of the unified package as an executable Java application (Camunda Orchestration Core), available in our GitHub repository. For more information, we encourage you to watch this presentation from CamundaCon New York.

In earlier versions, each component of the Camunda Orchestration cluster—such as Zeebe, Tasklist, Operate, and Optimize—was deployed independently, either as separate deployments or within a StatefulSet (see Diagram 1). While Zeebe could support a fully distributed deployment model, components like Operate and Tasklist were often run as single instances. This previous approach added complexity, requiring individual scaling, configuration, and monitoring.

With Camunda 8.8, most components are merged into a single deployable package, available as a JAR file or Docker container. Optimize will continue to be deployed separately due to its architecture and importer requirements.

Camunda 8.8’s unified approach reduces the complexity of managing multiple independent services and minimizes the overhead involved. Additionally, the new exporter architecture (see Diagram 2) removes the need to deploy Operate, Tasklist, and Identity as separate services, further streamlining deployment.

This single deployable package simplifies resource configuration, management, and monitoring. For Kubernetes Helm deployments, starting from Camunda 8.8 alpha 1, Camunda Orchestration Core uses a single StatefulSet to run all components of the orchestration cluster. It consolidates computing resources into a single deployment, allowing for horizontal/vertical scaling while maintaining high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) for all Camunda components. This approach reduces operational complexity, making it easier to manage and scale as needed.

The Identity component in Camunda 8.8 will also change how it is installed and configured:

• First, it will be integrated into a unified deployment package along with Zeebe, Tasklist, and Operate, streamlining deployment and reducing configuration complexity by bundling all major components together.
• Second, Identity will use Zeebe’s persistence storage instead of a PostgreSQL server, which enhances system consistency and reduces the need to manage additional databases.
• Third, Identity will be decoupled from Keycloak; while Keycloak is still supported, you can now use OpenID Connect (OIDC) to integrate directly with any compatible identity provider (IDP) of your choice. To learn more about the changes to the Identity component, please see the Identity blog post.

Upgrade Camunda 8.7 deployment to version 8.8

The upgrade path from version 8.7 to 8.8 is straightforward if you are using the recommended Camunda 8 deployment options—specifically, Helm Charts. Our charts will support the upgrade directly, simplifying the transition.

Additional upgrade considerations are necessary for deployments that use custom scripts, such as Docker containers, manual installations, or custom-developed Kubernetes deployments. In these cases, you can either continue to deploy with your original 8.7 topology and upgrade each component independently or adopt our Helm Chart approach for the upgrade, which allows for unifying the deployment into a single JAR or container executable.

With the 8.8 release, we’ll publish further guidance to help you upgrade from 8.7 to 8.8, providing detailed steps and best practices to ensure a smooth transition.

During the upgrade from Camunda 8.7 to 8.8 with Helm Charts, Zeebe will remain operational. However, minimal downtime may be required to migrate the Identity database. Operate and Tasklist may also require a brief downtime while these components are moved to a unified stateful set.

These interruptions are expected to be minimal. We recommend planning for this short downtime window to ensure that service disruptions are minimized and any impact is well managed.

Enhanced deployment options

Camunda 8.8 supports several deployment platforms, including Kubernetes (e.g., AWS EKS, Azure AKS, GKS, or OpenShift), manual installation (e.g., AWS EC2, VMWare VMs, etc.), container services (e.g., Docker Compose, AWS ECS, etc.), and local development using Camunda 8 Run or Kind.

Camunda 8.8 introduces a set of deployment reference architectures aimed at providing practical solutions for different deployment needs. These reference architectures are designed to help you understand and implement Camunda effectively based on your specific infrastructure requirements:

Kubernetes deployment with AWS EKS

This reference architecture outlines best practices for deploying Camunda on Amazon EKS. It covers infrastructure setup, resource scaling, and cluster management to ensure your Camunda environment is scalable and resilient. The architecture also provides guidance on integrating with other AWS services, such as AWS OpenSearch, AWS IAM, and HashiCorp Terraform.

Manual installation on AWS EC2

For organizations that do not use cloud-native platforms like Kubernetes or container services, this reference architecture provides guidance on implementing Camunda production clusters on AWS EC2 instances. It includes details on optimal instance sizing, network configurations, and security best practices to ensure robust performance and reliability.

While these provided reference architectures focus on specific platforms, we encourage you to use them as a foundation for deploying Camunda in their own unique environments or configurations. We plan to include detailed guides for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), OpenShift, and AWS container services in upcoming releases, providing more comprehensive deployment options for diverse infrastructures.

Kubernetes Helm Chart production deployment guide

With the 8.8 release, we plan to publish a new guide that explores the deployment of Camunda in Kubernetes. The guide will provide a detailed overview of the deployment process, including configuration options that enhance reliability, security, and scalability. It will also cover a variety of topics customers need to know to successfully deploy the Camunda Orchestration cluster in production.

Introducing Camunda 8 Run for pro developers

Camunda 8 Run, first released in version 8.6, is designed specifically for local development and testing, providing a lightweight setup without the need for a full-scale cluster. Camunda 8.8 will enhance C8Run to better meet the needs of professional developers:

• Local development and testing: Camunda 8 Run offers an easy way to run Camunda on a local machine, making it perfect for development and experimentation. It eliminates the need for a complex setup or a full Kubernetes cluster, allowing developers to get started quickly and focus on building and testing workflows.
• Integrated components: Camunda 8 Core Orchestration Cluster includes essential components like Zeebe, Operate, Tasklist and now Identity in one package. This integration ensures a seamless developer experience by providing all core functionalities needed for process automation in a single environment.
• Enhanced developer experience: By streamlining setup and bundling all necessary tools, C8Run helps developers iterate quickly, test new features, and validate workflows without the overhead of managing a distributed deployment.

Ideal use cases for Camunda 8 Run

Camunda 8 Run is perfect for local development and testing scenarios. It provides a lightweight setup that is easy to configure, making it an excellent choice for developers who need a fast and simple environment to build and experiment with process automation. Camunda 8 Run allows for efficient workflow testing without the complexity of managing high availability, failover, or scaling concerns, which are typically needed in production environments.

More sophisticated platforms—like Kubernetes or infrastructure as service (IaC) systems such as ArgoCD, Ansible, or Terraform—are recommended for production-grade deployments requiring advanced capabilities (e.g., high availability, enterprise-level security, and resilience). This makes Camunda 8 Run an optimal solution for rapid prototyping and local experimentation and for smoothly transitioning to full-scale production deployments using Camunda Orchestration Core.

Frequently asked questions about deployment in Camunda 8.8

What are the main differences between Camunda 8.7 and 8.8? 

Among other changes, Camunda 8.8 introduces a streamlined architecture, consolidating core components like Zeebe, Operate, and Tasklist into a single deployable unit, simplifying deployment and management.

It also provides enhanced deployment options such as new Kubernetes Helm guides, deployment reference architectures, and improved support for professional developers through Camunda 8 Run.

Can I use Camunda 8 Run for production environments?

Camunda 8 Run is primarily designed for local development and testing, providing a lightweight and easy-to-set-up environment. However, for those interested in running Camunda as a single deployable unit in production, we will soon publish a detailed guide on how to deploy the unified Jar file in a production setting.

This guide will provide the right way to leverage the benefits of a new architecture (such as simplicity of installation, as in the case of Camunda 8 Run) while ensuring scalability, high availability, and enterprise-grade security for production environments.

What deployment options are available for Camunda 8.8?

Camunda 8.8 can be deployed using Kubernetes with Helm Charts (e.g., AWS EKS, Azure AKS, or OpenShift), manually using a JAR on a VM or any other infrastructure platform, Docker Image (e.g., Docker-Compose or AWS ECS), or using C8Run, Docker-compose, or Kind for local development.

Will there be any downtime when upgrading from Camunda 8.7 to 8.8?

Zeebe might experience minimal downtime as it migrates Identity data into a new schema. Operate and Tasklist may experience small downtime while their pods are restarted with the new version. We recommend planning for this small window of potential downtime. More details will be outlined in the update guide published on the release date of Camunda 8.8.

The post Streamlined Deployment with Camunda 8.8 appeared first on Camunda.

This blog post discusses the key ideas from my recent CamundaCon New York talk, The Agile Enterprise: Rapid Deployment with Camunda 8. This talk demonstrates how Camunda helps accelerate deployment within agile enterprises, focusing on practical takeaways and the principles that enable agility at scale.

Cloud-native and modular deployment

Camunda is built on a cloud-native architecture that leverages Kubernetes to support modular, scalable deployments. While traditional options such as deploying on VMs or bare metal are still available, Kubernetes provides the flexibility needed to scale seamlessly, collaborate across cross-functional teams, and leverage modern DevOps practices.

With Kubernetes, our deployments become more modular and can evolve in sync with changing business needs.

Integrating CI/CD and infrastructure as code

Effective continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) is a cornerstone of rapid deployment. At Camunda, we deeply integrate with popular infrastructure as code (IaC) tools, such as Terraform, Ansible, and Argo CD, enabling consistent and repeatable deployments across environments. This approach supports rapid development, easy rollback, and predictable scaling.

The power of IaC is particularly evident when deploying environments across cloud providers—whether AWS, Azure, or other services like OpenShift. By specifying the desired state of the infrastructure using tools like Terraform, you ensure that Kubernetes clusters and all related components are automatically and reliably created, updated, or even recovered.

This allows developers and operators to focus on value delivery without worrying about complex manual configuration.

Reference architectures: a blueprint for success

Starting with Camunda 8.7, we are planning to offer detailed reference architectures that guide enterprises through effective deployments. These architectures provide deployment guides, operational best practices, and specific reference implementations that help teams deploy Camunda on Kubernetes, VMs, or bare metal.

The goal is to help you accelerate time to market by offering a standardized starting point from which you can build custom solutions that meet your unique needs.

Our reference architectures will include everything from secure, high-availability (HA) configurations to monitoring and operational procedures. These guides are designed to make moving from development to production seamless while ensuring consistency and compliance.

Agile and rapid iteration

Agility in business processes is achieved not just by deployment but by iterative, rapid changes that adapt to evolving business requirements. The key is cross-functional collaboration: developers, business stakeholders, and operators work together using Camunda’s modeling tools, which allow them to build, iterate, and deploy processes quickly.

By supporting rapid iterations and tight CI/CD integration, Camunda makes it possible to develop and deploy new workflows at the speed of business.

For instance, during the talk, I showcased a simple credit card charge process built using this Getting Started guide. It started from a local environment using Camunda Desktop Modeler and later moved to CI deployment on AWS EKS using GitHub Actions and Terraform. You can find the project I used during my talk on GitHub.

The demonstration illustrated how easily a locally designed diagram could be transitioned into a Kubernetes-based production environment, highlighting the power of rapid prototyping and iteration. Be sure to check out the presentation to see it in action.

Enabling pro developers with advanced tooling

Our tooling expands beyond Desktop Modeler for professional developers. We support remote clusters for development, enabling easy collaboration within and across teams. With integrated CI/CD pipelines, changes made to workflows can be tested, validated, and pushed to production with minimal manual intervention.

The ability to automate these steps ensures agility without compromising stability.

Our Getting Started guides provide a simple yet effective introduction to these processes. They support developers in setting up their environments, building projects, writing Java code, and quickly deploying to test environments. Additionally, our Camunda process test library offers an extensive framework for testing your BPMN processes to ensure they meet the expected quality before being deployed.

Moving from experimentation to production is a natural and well-supported journey with Camunda.

Looking ahead

As we continue to evolve our platform, expect more reference architectures, streamlined deployments on additional cloud providers, and stronger integration with monitoring tools like Prometheus and Datadog. These enhancements will support centralized monitoring and advanced DevOps workflows, helping you maximize Camunda for your agile enterprise needs.

With Camunda, the journey from a simple deployment to a fully integrated production setup is smoother than ever. Our approach to rapid deployment empowers your teams to adapt quickly to business changes and lead innovation in your industry.

Learn more

Watch the entire talk for free to dive deeper into the topic, and you can get started today with a free trial of Camunda.

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