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Version: 8.9

Integrate a built-in connector

The launch of Camunda 8 also introduced an integration framework with a key goal: integrate faster to reduce the time it takes to automate and orchestrate business processes across systems.

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New to connectors? Review our introduction to connectors to get familiar with their capabilities.

Connectors achieve this goal. Ready to use out of the box, connectors help automate complex business processes by inserting them into BPMN diagrams within Web Modeler, and configuring them via the properties panel on the right side of the screen.

You can also orchestrate APIs, for example by working with a REST connector. Learn more about types of connectors.

Connectors technically consist 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, we'll walk step-by-step through the implementation of a sample connector.

Set up​

We'll implement our connector with Modeler. To get started, ensure you’ve created a Camunda 8 account.

You'll also need to create a SendGrid account if you don't have one already, as we'll use SendGrid in our example connector. Once you've created your account, you will immediately be prompted to create a sender.

Create a cluster​

To deploy and run your process, you must create a cluster in Camunda 8.

  1. To create a cluster, navigate to Console by clicking the square-shaped icon labeled Camunda components in the top left corner, and click Console.
  2. Click the Clusters tab, and click Create new cluster.
  3. Name your cluster. For the purpose of this guide, we recommend using the Stable channel and the latest generation. Additionally, select your region. Click Create cluster.
  4. Your cluster will take a few moments to create. Check the status on the Clusters page or by clicking into the cluster itself and looking at the Applications section.

Even while the cluster shows a status Creating, you can still proceed to begin modeling.

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Zeebe must show a status of Healthy to properly deploy your model.

Import a diagram​

  1. Download the following files:
  2. Log in to your Camunda 8 account.
  3. In Web Modeler, create or open a project.
  4. In your project, click Create process application, and name your process application Expense process. Storing files in a process application is required for SaaS. In preparation for 8.10, it's also recommended for Self-Managed.
  5. In your process application, delete the default diagram, and click Create new > Upload files.
  6. Upload submit-expense.bpmn, upload-receipt.form, and approve-receipt.form.

Open submit-expense to see the process you'll be working with throughout this tutorial:

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To learn more about building your own BPMN diagram from scratch, visit our guide on automating a process using BPMN.

Add a connector​

At the beginning of the process, a receipt is ready and uploaded for review. The next task is to notify the manager of the uploaded receipt.

To accomplish this, you'll use SendGrid to send an email:

  1. With the submit-expense diagram open, make sure you're in Implement mode.
  2. Click the Notify manager of receipt task.
  3. Click Change element.
  4. Search for Send Email with SendGrid. If you're using Self-Managed, you may need to download it from the connector marketplace. You can search for the operation you want to perform, such as send email, instead of the connector name.
  5. Open the Details panel on the right side of the modeling interface.
  6. Under Properties, configure the following sections:

The connector is ready to use.

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Camunda offers a variety of available connectors. For example, utilize cloud connectors to communicate with cloud-native applications and conform to REST, GraphQL, or SOAP protocols. Or, employ service connectors to integrate with technology enablers like RPA, AI or IOT services. Learn more about our available connectors to find out which may best suit your business needs.

Execute your process diagram​

If you change a diagram and it is auto-saved, this has no effect on your cluster(s). When you deploy the diagram, it becomes available on the selected cluster, and new instances can start.

To execute your completed process with the diagram open:

  1. Make sure you're in Implement mode.
  2. Click Deploy and run.

You can now monitor your instances in Operate.

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Variables are part of a process instance and represent the data of the instance. To learn more about these values, variable scope, and input/output mappings, visit our documentation on variables.

Observe your running process​

After the user task Upload receipt is completed in Tasklist, an email is automatically sent to the address you specified in the SendGrid connector's properties panel.

In Operate, you will now see the process move forward to Review receipt.

Additional resources and next steps​