What to Do After Camunda 7 CE End-of-Life?

In autumn 2025, the Camunda 7 CE train departs and reaches its end-of-life. For many companies, a critical question is arising right now: What to do? The proven BPM system running reliably in countless organisations will soon no longer be officially supported. This puts IT decision-makers in the challenging position of finding a future-proof alternative that also enables a smooth transition.

Operaton and OpenBPM: A Powerful Combination

The good news: the combination of OpenBPM Platform and Operaton already provides a powerful, open alternative that is tailored precisely to the needs of existing Camunda 7 users.

What Does Operaton Offer?

Operaton is more than just another fork of Camunda 7. Rather than simply renaming the product and making minimal adjustments, Operaton undertakes a fundamental modernisation of the codebase:

1. Complete update of all dependencies
2. Optimisation for modern runtime environments
3. Removal of outdated components (legacy application servers, old Java versions)
4. Cloud-native alignment without API breaks
5. Focus on a robust, secure, and free BPM engine

The Operaton team concentrates on its core competency: the continued development of the workflow engine itself.

Not All Forks Are Equal

Alongside Operaton, there are other similar projects. What do the Operaton developers do differently? For them, it is not enough to rename the product and make the minimum necessary adjustments. That would be comparable to simply painting over rust.

Operaton takes a different path with a thorough overhaul. This comprehensive modernisation will be completed with the release of version 1.0 (planned for October), providing a solid foundation for the future.

Modernisation as Core Competency

itemis supports modernisation efforts with extensive expertise in legacy application modernisation. We combine tailor-made automation tools with careful manual work to bring proven software products to the next level.

Conclusion: A Future-Proof Solution for Camunda 7 Users

If you are running Camunda 7 and looking for a future-proof alternative, the combination of Operaton and OpenBPM offers a number of advantages:

• Immediately available: You do not have to wait for capable alternatives
• Fully compatible: Minimal migration effort for existing processes
• Open source: Free to evaluate and use at no cost
• Enterprise-ready: Professional support available when needed

Evaluating Operaton as a potential successor is worthwhile right now, to ensure a smooth transition after Camunda 7 end-of-life. The solution can be tested for free and provides a future-proof alternative for your BPM requirements.

Further information: Operaton Project

Custom software at itemis — From Camunda 7 migration to production-grade BPMN platforms built on Operaton: Custom Software →