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Version: 8.10 (unreleased)

Get started with API orchestration

Beginner Camunda 8 SaaS only Time estimate: 15 minutes

This guide is designed for users who prefer a low-code approach to process automation. You can follow this tutorial using either a local, Self-Managed lightweight setup, or Camunda 8 SaaS.

This guide will walk you through working with a REST connector task as a first time Camunda 8 SaaS user.

The REST connector is a protocol connector, where you can make a request to a REST API and use the response in the next steps of your process.

note

New to connectors? Review our introduction to connectors to get familiar with their capabilities, and have a closer look at all of the available out-of-the-box connectors.

Have you signed up for Camunda yet?

Sign Up​

Visit signup.camunda.com/accounts to sign up.

Create an account​

Fill out the form and click Create account.

When you fill out the form, you'll receive a confirmation email. Click on the link to verify your email address.

Log in to your Camunda 8 account​

Log in with the email address and password you used in the previous form, or use the social login buttons. To access the login site directly, navigate to camunda.io.

login

After login, you're brought directly to Camunda Hub. From here, you can manage your clusters, workspaces, projects, and other organizational resources.

The concept of a connector consists of two parts: the business logic is implemented as a job worker, and the user interface during modeling is provided using an element template. In this guide, you will create a REST connector task in your process, handle the HTTP response, and deploy your process. New to creating a process? Get started by modeling your first diagram.

Create a REST connector task​

To use a REST connector in your process, follow the steps below:

  1. In Camunda Hub, open a workspace.
  2. Create a new project.
  3. In the project, click Create new > BPMN diagram.
  4. With your new diagram open, make sure you're in Implement mode.
  5. With no diagram elements selected, open the Details panel on the right side of the modeling interface.
  6. Under Properties > General, configure the following properties:
    • Name: API Orchestration Tutorial
    • ID: api-orchestration-tutorial
  7. Click the existing start event, then select the Append task icon.
  8. Click the new task, then select the Change element icon.
  9. Search for and select the REST Outbound Connector.
  10. With the REST Outbound Connector selected, under Properties > General, name the task Make a request.

Make your REST connector executable​

Set up your REST connector to get a random cat fact from the Cat Fact API:

  1. Select the REST Outbound Connector.
  2. Under Properties > HTTP endpoint, set the URL to https://catfact.ninja/fact.

Handle your response​

The HTTP response will be available in a temporary local response variable. This variable can be mapped to the process by specifying Result Variable. In the Output mapping section use ={"body" : body} as the Result Expression so you can see the entire JSON object returned if it's successful.

Deploy your process​

To deploy your process, take the following steps:

  1. Drag the bolded circular end event element from the palette and onto the canvas, or by clicking on the final service task, and then the end event element alongside it. Ensure there is an arrow connecting the service task to the end event.
  2. In the top right corner click the blue Deploy & Run button. Your diagram is deployed to your cluster and a new process instance is started.
    note

    If you have not yet created a cluster, clicking Deploy & Run will take you to the console to create a cluster. Once you make your cluster creation request, you will automatically be redirected back to Modeler. The creation of a cluster can take 1 to 5 minutes. To read more about creating clusters, visit our documentation on creating a cluster.

  3. In the top left corner of the screen, click the square-shaped Camunda components button. Navigate to Operate to see your process instance with a token waiting at the service task by clicking View process instances.

Wrap up​

Congratulations! You successfully built your first API orchestration solution with Camunda 8.

Camunda 8 empowers users to automate processes faster. With connectors, you can access APIs without writing code.

Connector tasks are also how you give an AI agent something to do. An agent can call the same connectors you used here as its tools, and the process still defines which tools the agent is allowed to use.

Don't want to build the process yourself? Click this button to create it from a template in Camunda 8 SaaS, or sign up first.


Additional resources and next steps​