# Flowable — Open-Source Business Process and Workflow Engine

> Lightweight Java engine for BPMN 2.0, CMMN, and DMN workflows with a modeler UI, REST API, and native Spring Boot integration for building process-driven applications.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Flowable — Open-Source Business Process and Workflow Engine

## Quick Use
```bash
git clone https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine.git
cd flowable-engine
mvn clean install -DskipTests
# Or use the Spring Boot starter:
# Add org.flowable:flowable-spring-boot-starter to pom.xml
```

## Introduction
Flowable is a compact, high-performance process engine written in Java that supports BPMN 2.0, CMMN, and DMN standards. It provides everything needed to model, deploy, and execute business processes and decision tables, from a graphical modeler to a REST API and task management UI.

## What Flowable Does
- Executes BPMN 2.0 process definitions with support for user tasks, service tasks, gateways, and events
- Handles case management workflows using the CMMN standard
- Evaluates business rules and decision tables via the DMN engine
- Provides a web-based modeler for designing processes visually
- Exposes a REST API for deploying definitions and managing process instances programmatically

## Architecture Overview
Flowable consists of separate engines for BPMN, CMMN, and DMN that share a common persistence layer backed by a relational database. Each engine manages its own lifecycle and state machine. The Spring Boot starter auto-configures all engines with sensible defaults, and the REST application wraps them in a single deployable service.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Embed the engine as a Maven dependency in any Java or Kotlin application
- Use the Spring Boot starter for zero-configuration setup with auto-database-migration
- Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and H2 as backing stores
- Configure async job executors and history levels in flowable.cfg.xml or application.properties
- Deploy the Flowable UI apps (modeler, admin, task) as separate Spring Boot services

## Key Features
- Standards-compliant BPMN 2.0, CMMN 1.1, and DMN 1.1 execution in a single engine
- Hot-deploy process definitions at runtime without restarting the application
- Built-in async job executor for timer events and asynchronous service tasks
- Comprehensive history and audit logging for compliance and debugging
- Lightweight footprint suitable for embedding in microservices

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Camunda** — similar BPMN engine with a larger enterprise ecosystem; Flowable is more lightweight and permissively licensed
- **Activiti** — Flowable forked from Activiti and has since added CMMN, DMN, and significant performance improvements
- **Temporal** — code-first workflow orchestration; Flowable uses visual BPMN diagrams as the primary authoring format
- **Zeebe** — cloud-native workflow engine by Camunda; Flowable offers a more traditional embedded engine model

## FAQ
**Q: How does Flowable relate to Activiti?**
A: Flowable was created by the original Activiti founders and has evolved independently with new engines and features since 2016.

**Q: Can I use it without Spring Boot?**
A: Yes. The core engine is standalone Java and can be configured programmatically without any Spring dependency.

**Q: Is it production-ready?**
A: Yes. Flowable is used in production by banks, insurance companies, and government organizations for mission-critical process automation.

**Q: What license does it use?**
A: The open-source edition is Apache 2.0. A commercial edition with additional features and support is also available.

## Sources
- https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine
- https://www.flowable.com/open-source

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-bbd8f24b
Author: AI Open Source