Activiti

A lightweight and easy-to-use framework that enables organisations to model, automate and monitor business processes.

Lightweight and flexible BPMN workflow engine

In modern organisations, there is an increasing emphasis on automating business processes. One tool that enables effective modelling, execution and management of workflows (workflows) is Activiti, an open source BPMN engine that is popular with developers and system architects. Thanks to its lightness, extensibility and compatibility with the BPMN 2.0 standard, Activiti provides a solid basis for creating modern workflow solutions.

What is Activiti?

Activiti is an open source business process automation software based on the BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Model and Notation) language. The project was started by Alfresco and has gained a large open source community. Activiti can be easily integrated into Java applications, but also runs independently as a service, making it a flexible and versatile BPM solution.

The project is evolving towards a microservices architecture (Activiti Cloud), offering a modern approach to process automation in cloud and container environments (e.g. Kubernetes).

Key functions

BPMN 2.0 execution engine – Supports the full range of modelling elements according to BPMN 2.0, enabling the creation of complex processes with conditions, sub-processes, events and decision gates.

Process modelling (Activiti Modeler) – A graphical online browser-based process design tool, available as part of the Activiti UI.

Process tracking and monitoring – APIs and tools for observing the status of running processes, user tasks and execution history.

User task management – Enables users or roles to assign, delegate and execute tasks within a process.

REST API and application integration – Full REST API support enables easy integration with external systems, web and mobile applications.

Extensibility and customisation – Ability to write your own Java delegates, event listeners and integration with other technologies.

Activiti Cloud (BPM microservices) – A modern version of Activiti running in a Kubernetes environment, supporting scalability, CI/CD and event-driven architecture.

Advantages of using Activiti

Open source and no licence fees – Ability to use the solution at no cost, with access to the source code.
Lightweight and easy to deploy – Activiti can be easily integrated into a Java application or run as an independent service.
Compatibility with standards – BPMN 2.0 support ensures portability and compatibility with other BPM tools.
Community and documentation – An active open source community and good documentation facilitate learning and development.
Modernity (Activiti Cloud) – Readiness for container-based, microservices and public/private cloud environments.
Flexibility of integration – Thanks to APIs and modularity, it is easy to connect Activiti to other systems in your company’s IT ecosystem.