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Version: 8.7

Configuration

You can configure the connector runtime environment in the following ways:

  • The Zeebe and Operate instances to connect to.
  • The connector functions to run.
  • The secrets that should be available to the connectors.

To connect to Zeebe, the connector runtime uses the Spring Zeebe SDK.

To interact with the Operate API, the connector runtime uses the community-maintained Operate Java client.

Any configuration that can be set in the Spring Zeebe SDK or Operate Java client can also be set in the connector runtime environment.

Below are some of the most common configuration options for the connector runtime. Refer to the Spring Zeebe SDK and Operate Java client documentation for a full list of configuration options.

note

This guide provides configuration properties the form of environment variables, while the Spring Zeebe SDK documentation uses Java configuration properties. The two formats are interchangeable, and you can use the Java configuration properties in the connector runtime environment as well.

For example, the Java configuration propertycamunda.client.zeebe.grpc-address can be set in the connector runtime environment as an environment variable called CAMUNDA_CLIENT_ZEEBE_GRPCADDRESS.

Connecting to Zeebe and Operate​

To use Camunda 8 SaaS, specify the connection properties:

Environment variables​
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_MODE=saas
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_CLOUD_CLUSTERID=xxx
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_AUTH_CLIENTID=xxx
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_AUTH_CLIENTSECRET=xxx
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_CLOUD_REGION=bru-2
YAML configuration​
camunda:
  client:
    mode: saas
    cloud:
      cluster-id: xxx
      region: bru-2
    auth:
      client-id: xxx
      client-secret: xxx

To use inbound connectors, specify the Operate connection properties:

Environment variables​
OPERATE_CLIENT_PROFILE=saas
OPERATE_CLIENT_REGION=bru-2
OPERATE_CLIENT_CLUSTERID=xxx
OPERATE_CLIENT_CLIENTID=xxx
OPERATE_CLIENT_CLIENTSECRET=xxx
YAML configuration​
operate:
  client:
    profile: saas
    region: bru-2
    clusterId: xxx
    client-id: xxx
    client-secret: xxx

If you don't need to use inbound connectors, you can disable them and remove the need for an Operate connection. This will lead to inability to use inbound capabilities like webhooks.

Environment variables​
CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_POLLING_ENABLED=false
CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_WEBHOOK_ENABLED=false
OPERATE_CLIENT_ENABLED=false
YAML configuration​
camunda:
  connector:
    polling:
      enabled: false
    webhook:
      enabled: false
operate:
  client:
    enabled: false

If you are connecting a local connector runtime to a SaaS cluster, you may want to review our guide to using connectors in hybrid mode.

Manual discovery of connectors​

By default, the connector runtime picks up outbound connectors available on the classpath automatically. To disable this behavior, use the following environment variables to configure connectors explicitly:

Environment variablePurpose
CONNECTOR_{NAME}_FUNCTION (required)Function to be registered as job worker with the given NAME
CONNECTOR_{NAME}_TYPE (optional)Job type to register for worker with NAME
CONNECTOR_{NAME}_INPUT_VARIABLES (optional)Variables to fetch for worker with NAME
CONNECTOR_{NAME}_TIMEOUT (optional)Timeout in milliseconds for worker with NAME

Through this configuration, you define all job workers to run.

Specifying optional values allows you to override @OutboundConnector-provided connector configuration.

CONNECTOR_HTTPJSON_FUNCTION=io.camunda.connector.http.rest.HttpJsonFunction
CONNECTOR_HTTPJSON_TYPE=non-default-httpjson-task-type

Secrets​

Providing secrets to the runtime environment can be achieved in different ways, depending on your setup.

caution

By default, all environment variables can be used as connector secrets.

To limit the environment that can be accessed by the default secret provider, configure a prefix. For example:

export CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_PREFIX='SUPER_SECRETS_'
export SUPER_SECRETS_MY_SECRET='foo' # This will be resolved by using {{ secrets.MY_SECRET }}

The following environment variables can be used to configure the default secret provider:

NameDescriptionDefault value
CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_ENABLEDWhether the default secret provider is enabled.true
CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_PREFIXThe prefix applied to the secret name before looking up the environment.""
CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_TENANTAWAREWhether the secret provider should be tenant-aware.false

If the secret provider is set to be tenant-aware, the secret format will change to ${prefix}${tenantId}_${secretName}:

Example with empty prefix:

export CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_TENANTAWARE=true
export tenant1_MY_SECRET='foo' # This will be resolved by using {{ secrets.MY_SECRET }} from tenant1

Example with prefix set:

export CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_TENANTAWARE=true
export CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETPROVIDER_ENVIRONMENT_PREFIX='SUPER_SECRETS_'
export SUPER_SECRETS_tenant1_MY_SECRET='foo' # This will be resolved by using {{ secrets.MY_SECRET }} from tenant1

Secret filter​

The secret filter restricts connectors to resolving only the secrets they declare in their own configuration. This prevents a connector from resolving secrets that are available in the runtime environment but not referenced by that connector.

Requires Operate on this version

On 8.7, the secret filter looks up process definitions through Operate (CamundaOperateClient), not the Orchestration Cluster REST API used from 8.8 onward. It reuses the same camunda.connector.polling.enabled property that already gates Operate connectivity for inbound connectors (default: true).

If you've set camunda.connector.polling.enabled=false — for example, in an outbound-only deployment that doesn't run Operate — every outbound connector job that resolves a secret now fails to look up its allow-list. Under STRICT, the Zeebe job fails and retries; under LAX, the filter falls back to allowing all secrets. Before upgrading, either re-enable polling (and confirm Operate is reachable) or set camunda.connector.secret-resolver.secret-filter.mode to DISABLED.

How the allow-list is built​

Every field you configure in a connector's properties panel is implemented as a Zeebe input mapping under the hood, whether it's an authentication field or a functional field like an email body, an HTTP header, or a query parameter. If a field contains a literal {{secrets.NAME}} reference, the filter allow-lists NAME for that specific field, identified by its field path — not for the connector element as a whole.

The allow-list is built once per element, from the deployed BPMN model, by scanning the literal text of that element's own fields for {{secrets.NAME}} references and recording which field each reference belongs to:

  • It's static, not dynamic. The filter looks at what's literally written in the model, not at what a process variable resolves to at runtime. If a secret value already resolved by one connector task later flows into a different task's field as a plain process variable (for example, = myVariable), that's just data at that point. There's no {{secrets.*}} placeholder left for the filter to check, so the filter has no say over it either way.
  • It's scoped to the field, not just the element. A secret declared on one field (for example, authentication.password = {{secrets.AUTH}}) doesn't become resolvable on a different field of the same task, such as an email body. If that other field's runtime value happens to contain the literal text {{secrets.AUTH}} — for example, because it evaluates a process variable crafted to contain that string — the filter checks it against that field's own allow-list entry, not authentication.password's, and leaves it unresolved.
  • One exception: fields the model itself chains together. If one field's FEEL expression assigns from a name that another field's expression also references (for example, url = baseUrl + "/path", where baseUrl is itself another input on the same element), the secret declared on the first field is also allowed on the second — the model author's own expressions connect them. This is still resolved statically, from the deployed model's FEEL expressions, not from arbitrary runtime process-variable content.
  • It's still per element, not per process. A secret referenced only on task A never becomes available to task B: task B's allow-list is built only from task B's own fields.

This closes the gap an element-wide allow-list would leave open: declaring a secret anywhere on a task no longer makes it resolvable from every field on that task — only from the field it was declared on (and fields the model explicitly chains to it).

note

For inbound connectors, the allow-list comes from data already held in memory on the deployed element, so there's no remote lookup that can fail. As a result, LAX and STRICT behave identically for inbound connectors: both enforce the allow-list unconditionally. The distinction between LAX and STRICT described below only affects outbound connectors, where building the allow-list requires a lookup against the process definition.

Modes​

Configure the secret filter with the camunda.connector.secret-resolver.secret-filter.mode property:

ModeBehavior
STRICTEnforces the allow-list unconditionally. If the process definition cannot be retrieved, the Zeebe job fails and retries are triggered. This is the default. Choose this mode when strict secret isolation is required.
LAXEnforces the allow-list when the process definition is available. Falls back to allowing all secrets if the process definition cannot be retrieved (for example, due to an API outage or an eventual-consistency delay). Choose this mode when uninterrupted job processing matters more than strict secret isolation.
DISABLEDAll secrets resolve freely, matching the behavior before this feature was introduced. Choose this mode only for troubleshooting, or if a custom secret provider needs unrestricted access.

The allow-list is derived automatically from the fields of the deployed connector element. No manual configuration of individual secrets is required.

CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETRESOLVER_SECRETFILTER_MODE=LAX

Configure the mode in the Helm chart​

The Helm chart has no dedicated value for the secret filter. Set the mode through the generic connectors.env value:

connectors:
  env:
    - name: CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETRESOLVER_SECRETFILTER_MODE
      value: LAX

Cache configuration​

The secret filter caches process definition lookups to avoid repeated API calls. You can configure the cache with the following properties:

PropertyEnvironment variableDescriptionDefault
camunda.connector.secret-resolver.secret-filter.cache.enabledCAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETRESOLVER_SECRETFILTER_CACHE_ENABLEDWhether caching is enabled.true
camunda.connector.secret-resolver.secret-filter.cache.max-sizeCAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_SECRETRESOLVER_SECRETFILTER_CACHE_MAXSIZEMaximum number of process definitions to cache.1000

Secure secret usage best practices​

  • Keep the mode at STRICT (the default) in production environments. Reserve LAX for cases where a temporary process definition API outage must not block connector jobs, and reserve DISABLED for troubleshooting only.
  • Reference only the secrets a connector task actually needs, in the fields that need them. A task that references fewer secrets has a smaller allow-list, which limits what that task can resolve even when its other field values come from untrusted process variables.
  • Scope secrets narrowly, for example one API key per integration or tenant, instead of reusing a single broad-access secret across multiple connector tasks.
  • Under STRICT, you don't need to design BPMN diagrams defensively to keep a secret out of a task's other fields. The runtime enforces the allow-list per field: a secret declared on one field of a task isn't resolvable from a different field on that same task, or from a different task, unless the model itself chains them together with a FEEL expression.

Troubleshooting a secret that stops resolving under STRICT​

If a secret that previously resolved now comes back unresolved, or the connector job fails, under STRICT mode, check the following:

  • For outbound connectors, the element is a supported BPMN type (ServiceTask, SendTask, ScriptTask, BusinessRuleTask, SubProcess, IntermediateThrowEvent, or EndEvent) with a zeebe:input mapping that contains the secret reference. Unsupported element types and supported elements without such an input mapping are treated as declaring no secrets and deny all resolution under STRICT.
  • The secret is referenced using the {{secrets.NAME}} syntax in the same field where you expect it to resolve. A reference declared on one field doesn't resolve on a different field, unless the model chains the two fields together with a FEEL expression.
  • The {{secrets.NAME}} reference sits inside a JSON string, like any other field value. An unquoted placeholder on a non-string field (for example, "count": {{secrets.MAX}}) is never substituted.
  • The process definition is available to the connector runtime. Under STRICT, a Zeebe job fails and retries if the process definition can't be retrieved.

If you need to keep jobs processing while you investigate, switch to LAX temporarily. It falls back to allowing all secrets when the process definition lookup fails.

Truststore​

If your connector runtime needs to connect to external systems over HTTPS, you might need to provide a custom truststore.

To configure the truststore, use the following environment variables:

  • JAVAX_NET_SSL_TRUSTSTORE: Path to the truststore file (e.g., /path/to/truststore.jks)
  • JAVAX_NET_SSL_TRUSTSTOREPASSWORD: Password for the truststore

Multi-tenancy​

The Connector Runtime supports multiple tenants for inbound and outbound connectors. These are configurable in Identity.

A single Connector Runtime can serve a single tenant or can be configured to serve multiple tenants. By default, the runtime uses the tenant ID <default> for all Zeebe-related operations like handling jobs and publishing messages.

info

Support for outbound connectors with multiple tenants requires a dedicated tenant job worker config (described below). Inbound connectors automatically work for all tenants the configured Connector Runtime client has access to. This can be configured in Identity via the application assignment.

Environment variables​

The Connector Runtime uses the following environment variables to configure multi-tenancy:

NameDescriptionDefault value
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_TENANTIDThe default tenant ID used to communicate with Zeebe. Changing this value will set a new default tenant ID used for fetching jobs and publishing messages.<default>
CAMUNDA_CLIENT_ZEEBE_DEFAULTS_TENANTIDSThe default tenant IDs (comma separated) used to activate jobs. To run the Connector Runtime in a setup where a single runtime serves multiple tenants, add each tenant ID to this list.<default>

If you are using an embedded version of the Connector Runtime, you can specify the tenant information in your Spring configuration like in this example application.properties file:

camunda.client.tenant-id=myTenant
camunda.client.zeebe.defaults.tenant-ids=myTenant

Outbound connector config​

The Connector Runtime uses the default tenant for outbound connector-related features. If support for a different tenant or multiple tenants should be enabled, the tenants need to be configured individually using the following environment variables.

If you want to use outbound connectors for a single tenant that is different from the default tenant, you can specify a different default tenant ID using:

CAMUNDA_CLIENT_TENANTID=myTenant

This will change the default tenant ID used for fetching jobs and publishing messages to the tenant ID myTenant.

It is possible to adjust the polling interval of connectors polling process definitions to Operate by setting the environment variable CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_POLLING_INTERVAL. This variable allows you to control how often connectors fetch the process definitions, with the interval specified in milliseconds. For example, setting CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_POLLING_INTERVAL=20000 will configure the connectors to poll every 20 seconds.

Example:

CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR_POLLING_INTERVAL=10000
note

Inbound connectors will still be enabled for all tenants the Connector Runtime client has access to.

To run the Connector Runtime in a setup where a single runtime serves multiple tenants, add each tenant ID to the list of the default job workers:

CAMUNDA_CLIENT_ZEEBE_DEFAULTS_TENANTIDS=`myTenant, otherTenant`

In this case, the CAMUNDA_CLIENT_TENANTID will not be used for the configuration of job workers.

Inbound connector configuration​

The Connector Runtime fetches and executes all inbound connectors it receives from Operate independently of the outbound connector configuration without any additional configuration required from the user.

To restrict the Connector Runtime inbound connector feature to a single tenant or multiple tenants, use Identity and assign the tenants the Connector application should have access to.

Troubleshooting​

To ensure seamless integration and functionality, the multi-tenancy feature must also be enabled across all associated components if not configured in Helm so users can view any data from tenants for which they have authorizations configured in Identity.

Find more information (including links to individual component configuration) on the multi-tenancy concepts page.

Logging​

Changing the log level​

The log level can be changed globally by setting the environment variable LOGGING_LEVEL_IO_CAMUNDA_CONNECTOR=DEBUG. This changes the default log level for the io.camunda.connector package to DEBUG.

You can use this package based log level approach also with custom connectors by providing your package (my.package) via this variable: LOGGING_LEVEL_MY_PACKAGE=DEBUG.

To change the log level for all packages, change it for the root logger: LOGGING_LEVEL_ROOT=DEBUG.

Google Stackdriver (JSON) logging​

To enable Google Stackdriver compatible JSON logging, set the environment variable CONNECTORS_LOG_APPENDER=stackdriver on the Connector Runtime.