Camunda is a powerful BPM system that started as a fork of another open-source solution – Activiti. Currently, there are actually three distinct Camunda products:
For the purpose of this article, whenever we compare Camunda 7 to Camunda 8, we mean the Community Edition of the former. This is because, in our opinion, there’s no point in comparing the paid variants. If you’re determined to pay for the Enterprise version anyway, Camunda 8 is probably the better and more future-proof option. Moreover, from what we heard at NY Camundacon 2024, Camunda 7 Enterprise will stop being actively sold in 2025. Full support will only be provided until April 2027, after which it’ll enter the extended support stage (bug fixes and security updates only).
Camunda introduced significant changes to the latest version of its solution. Let’s examine their most important differences.
Let’s be blunt – the biggest problem with a Camunda 7 to Camunda 8 migration is that… it’s actually not a migration, at least in the technical sense. This is because:
The conclusion is that trying to do a technical migration in this case is a recipe for disaster – we advise against it. The only feasible approach is to simply set Camunda 8 up and move all of your workflows from 7 to 8 manually. Unfortunately, this also means it can be quite time-consuming and expensive.
It’s worth pointing out that Camunda published some articles on the subject of Camunda 7 to 8 migration, but, as you can see, they’re very general in nature. The company can also provide migration consultants to help companies move from 7 to 8, but, the way we see it, in reality, their main job is to tell you just what we wrote above, but in a nicer and more supportive manner.
So, in light of that, what to do when you’re still on Camunda 7? The way we see it, you have four main options going forward. Let’s examine each of them in more detail.
The first obvious option is to simply move from Camunda 7 to Camunda 8. The process will take some time and may give you a headache or two, and you’ll need to pay for the license, but if you’re interested in cutting-edge features and want the best scalability Camunda can offer right now, this is probably the way to go.
It’s a feasible approach for big, international companies (think global corporations, Silicon Valley tech leaders, banks, etc.) that truly need a scalable solution, can soak up the costs and will probably make the best use of all the advanced bells and whistles.
The other option is to stay with Camunda 7 Community Edition. The truth is that many companies simply don’t need all the advanced features Camunda 8 offers – all they really require from a BPM solution is already provided by the open-source variant. You can maintain it and even develop new features yourself or with the help of a software partner you trust. It’s also a very mature technology, so there’s a fair chance that you won’t need to do that much maintenance anyway.
Based on our Camundacon observations, Camunda doesn’t seem very interested in small-scale customers who simply want a functional BPM engine. Their focus is squarely on enterprises, and that’s fine – that’s their business choice. However, that doesn’t mean your only option is to pay for their latest and shiniest.
The main drawback to this approach is that Camunda 7 Community Edition’s EOL has already been announced. What does that mean in practice? The way we see it, the biggest problem is that whenever some technology – like Spring or Java – gets a significant new version, updating Camunda to eliminate vulnerabilities and bugs will be on you. Sure, there will still be a community around Camunda, and that should help – but the official repository will be closed (only forks will remain, and each might follow a different path) and relying on the community for critical updates may, in itself, be somewhat problematic, depending on your circumstances (industry, business scale, etc.).
🛟 Need help with updating or maintaining a Camunda-based solution? Check out our BPM system services – there’s a good chance we’ll be able to help you out!
Another choice you can make is to migrate to a completely different BPM tool that provides the functionalities you need without the stuff you don’t. There are plenty of solid Camunda alternatives on the market, such as Activiti (check out our Camunda vs Activiti comparison piece to learn more about the technology), Webcon, etc.
The drawback is, of course, that you and your team will need to learn an entirely new solution – but it just might be worth the effort.
Finally, there’s also a fourth option. It may not be the first idea that comes to mind, but in some cases, it might be the best choice – instead of a dedicated BPM system, you can invest in a low-code platform with workflow management capabilities and create a BPM application just the way you want it, but without the hassle of long and costly custom software development.
There are many solid low-code platforms to choose from for this purpose, including two trusted solutions we know very well:
The best thing about this approach is that low-code platforms can do so much more than just deliver BPM solutions – they can become fundamental parts of a company’s tech stack. Whatever system you’ll need in the future, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to create it using your chosen low-code tool. And we don’t just mean small internal apps either, but also large-scale, publicly available solutions or products – just check out Przemek Staniszewski’s article on Oracle APEX public apps if you don’t believe us.
🛠️ Need help with low-code development based on Mendix or Oracle APEX? Write to us at hello@pretius.com – we have extensive experience and would be happy to help.
When it comes to choosing between Camunda 7 and Camunda 8, understanding the key differences can significantly impact your decision-making process. Camunda 7 Community Edition has long been a staple for businesses seeking to marry great process automation capabilities with cost-effectiveness, and that hasn’t really changed.
Of course, it doesn’t mean Camunda 8 has no advantages. Its Cockpit provides additional capabilities (better real-time analytics and so on) and improved user experience, and the web modeler and plugins are also great. Most of all, its scalability is a crucial advantage for enterprises; built on microservices architecture, it allows huge businesses to adapt quickly to changing demands without compromising performance.
Moving from Camunda 7 to 8 is problematic, though, and (depending on your circumstances) not always worth it, considering the licensing costs and compelling alternatives – especially well-established low-code platforms that can help you build apps to cover your workflow management needs, but offer so much more on top of that.
If you’re still not sure which way to go, just drop us a line at hello@pretius.com (or use the simple contact form below). We’ll analyze your current tech stack, your business goals and help you with choosing the most future-proof solution.
And, if you want to read more about Camunda and some of its competitors, check out the other BPM-related articles on our blog:
