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Version: 8.9

Use connectors and deploy processes with Docker Compose

Use this page to work with connectors and local modeling tools in the Docker Compose quickstart.

Use connectors​

Both the lightweight and full Docker Compose configurations include built-in connectors for integrating with external systems. The connector runtime executes outbound connectors called from BPMN processes, and inbound connectors that trigger process instances from external events.

For connector overviews and installation details, see:

Connector secrets​

When you run Camunda locally with Docker Compose, some connectors require credentials or API keys to connect with external services such as Slack, SendGrid, or AWS. Store those values as secrets instead of hardcoding them in your process models.

You can add secrets to the connector runtime with the included connector-secrets.txt file:

  1. Open connector-secrets.txt in the extracted directory.

  2. Add secrets in the format NAME=VALUE, one per line:

    SLACK_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token-here
    SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG.your-api-key

  3. Save the file. The secrets become available in connector configurations with the syntax {{secrets.NAME}}. For example, {{secrets.SLACK_TOKEN}}.

warning

Do not commit connector-secrets.txt to version control with real credentials. Use placeholder values in the repository and configure actual secrets in each environment.

For more details, see configure connector secrets.

Custom connectors​

In addition to the built-in connectors, you can add custom connectors.

To include custom connectors:

  • Create a new Docker image that bundles your connectors, as described in the Connectors repository.
  • Mount the connector JARs as volumes into the /opt/app directory in the Docker Compose file.

Each connector JAR must include all required dependencies inside the JAR.

Deploy and execute processes​

You can deploy and execute processes with either Desktop Modeler or Web Modeler.

Deploy with Desktop Modeler​

Desktop Modeler is a free, open-source desktop application for modeling BPMN, DMN, and Camunda Forms.

Lightweight configuration​

To deploy from Desktop Modeler to the lightweight configuration:

  1. Open Desktop Modeler and click the deployment icon.
  2. Select Camunda 8 Self-Managed.
  3. Configure the connection:
    • Cluster endpoint: http://localhost:8088/v2
    • Authentication: None
  4. Click Deploy.

For more details, see deploy to Self-Managed from Desktop Modeler.

Full configuration​

To deploy from Desktop Modeler to the full configuration:

  1. Open Desktop Modeler and click the deployment icon.
  2. Select Camunda 8 Self-Managed.
  3. Configure the connection:
    • Cluster endpoint: http://localhost:8088/v2
    • Authentication: OAuth
    • OAuth URL: http://localhost:18080/auth/realms/camunda-platform/protocol/openid-connect/token
    • Client ID: orchestration
    • Client secret: secret
    • Audience: orchestration-api
  4. Click Deploy.
tip

The full configuration uses Keycloak for OIDC authentication. The client credentials are preconfigured in the .env file and admin configuration.

Deploy with Web Modeler​

note

Non-production installations of Web Modeler are limited to five collaborators per project. See Licensing.

Web Modeler provides a browser-based interface for creating and deploying BPMN, DMN, and form diagrams. It is included in the full configuration by default, and can also run as a standalone setup.

Standalone setup​

To start Web Modeler and its dependencies independently, run:

docker compose -f docker-compose-web-modeler.yaml up -d

To stop Web Modeler and remove all data and volumes, run:

docker compose -f docker-compose-web-modeler.yaml down -v

Deploy or execute a process​

When you use the full configuration, Web Modeler connects automatically to the local Orchestration Cluster started by docker-compose-full.yaml. You can deploy and run processes directly from the Web Modeler interface.

  1. Log in to Web Modeler at http://localhost:8070 with demo / demo.
  2. Create a new project or open an existing BPMN diagram.
  3. Use the visual modeler to design your BPMN process.
  4. Click Deploy to deploy the diagram to the preconfigured Orchestration Cluster.
  5. After deployment, you can create process instances and monitor them in Operate.

Web Modeler uses the BEARER_TOKEN authentication method to communicate with the Orchestration Cluster. The user's authentication token from Management Identity is used automatically for deployment.

note

Web Modeler is not included in the lightweight configuration. To use Web Modeler with the lightweight configuration:

  1. Run Web Modeler separately with docker-compose-web-modeler.yaml.
  2. Manually configure the cluster connection in Web Modeler.
  3. Use NONE or BASIC authentication for the lightweight Orchestration Cluster.

For details, see configure Web Modeler clusters.

Emails​

The Docker Compose setup includes Mailpit as a test SMTP server. Mailpit captures all emails sent by Web Modeler, but does not forward them to actual recipients.

You can access emails in Mailpit at http://localhost:8075.

Next steps​