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Version: 8.8 (unreleased)

Elasticsearch without cluster privileges

If the Camunda single application cannot access Elasticsearch with cluster-level privileges, you can run the schema manager as a standalone application, separate from the main application.

Standalone schema manager​

When running the schema manager as a standalone application, cluster-level privileges are required only during schema creation. The single application itself does not need cluster-level privileges.

  • Database support: This setup is supported only for Elasticsearch installations (OpenSearch is not supported).
  • Privileges required by the single application: The Camunda single application still requires an index-level privilege of at least manage to function properly.

To run the schema manager as a standalone application:

  1. Initialize the schema manager: The database schema must first be initialized.
  2. Start the Camunda single application: Once the schema is initialized, start the application without cluster-level privileges.

1. Initialize the schema manager​

The schema manager is a separate standalone Java application responsible for creating and managing the database schema, and applying database settings (e.g., retention policies).

note
  • Initialization requires a user with cluster-level privileges (e.g., superuser) in the database.
  • Initialization needs to be executed only once per installation.

Configure the schema manager​

Create a custom configuration for the schema manager with the following values:

camunda:
  database:
    type: elasticsearch
    # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-admin' who has 'superuser' privileges
    username: camunda-admin
    password: camunda123
    url: https://localhost:9200
    # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
    security:
      enabled: true
      selfSigned: true
      verifyHostname: false
      certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
    # Optional, only if ILM is enabled
    retention:
      enabled: true
# Optional, only if legacy Elasticsearch exporter is used
zeebe.broker.exporters.elasticsearch:
  className: io.camunda.zeebe.exporter.ElasticsearchExporter
  args:
    url: https://localhost:9200
    index:
      createTemplate: true
    retention:
      enabled: true
    # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-admin' who has 'superuser' privileges
    authentication:
      username: camunda-admin
      password: camunda123

For additional configuration options, see the [common database configuration guide](#TODO link to common database configuration page after it is created).

Start the schema manager​

Using the custom configuration file, start the Java application schema (or schema.bat on Windows) located in the bin folder of the delivered JAR package. The schema manager will create the necessary indices and templates in the database and apply the configured settings.

Assuming your custom configuration is saved as schema-manager.yaml, you can start the application with the following command:

SPRING_CONFIG_ADDITIONALLOCATION=/path/to/schema-manager.yaml ./bin/schema

Verify that the application executed successfully.

2. Start the Camunda single application​

The Camunda single application can now be started without cluster-level privileges. It will connect to the database and use the schema previously created by the schema manager.

Elasticsearch user with sufficient privileges​

Ensure that an Elasticsearch user with sufficient privileges exists. The application requires a database user with at least manage privileges on the indices it needs to access.

You can either use an existing user with the required privileges or assign the necessary privileges to an example user named camunda-app by sending the following request to the Elasticsearch REST API:

PUT _security/role/read_write_role
{
  "indices": [
    {
      "names": [
        "*"
      ],
      "privileges": [
        "read",
        "write",
        "view_index_metadata"
      ],
      "allow_restricted_indices": false
    },
    {
      "names": [
        "camunda-*",
        "operate-*",
        "tasklist-*",
        "zeebe-*"
      ],
      "privileges": [
        "manage"
      ],
      "allow_restricted_indices": false
    }
  ],
  "applications": [],
  "run_as": [],
  "metadata": {},
  "transient_metadata": {
    "enabled": true
  }
}

Next, assign the user to the role defined above. For example, if Elasticsearch is running on Docker, use the following command:

docker exec -t elasticsearch elasticsearch-users useradd camunda-app -p camunda123
docker exec -t elasticsearch elasticsearch-users roles camunda-app -a read_write_role

Configure the Camunda single application​

Create a configuration for the Camunda single application with the following values. This essentially disables schema creation for the application.

camunda:
  database:
    type: elasticsearch
    # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
    username: camunda-app
    password: camunda123
    url: https://localhost:9200
    # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
    security:
      enabled: true
      selfSigned: true
      verifyHostname: false
      certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
    schema-manager:
      createSchema: false
  tasklist:
    elasticsearch:
      # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
      username: camunda-app
      password: camunda123
      healthCheckEnabled: false
      url: https://localhost:9200
      # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
      ssl:
        selfSigned: true
        verifyHostname: false
        certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
    zeebeElasticsearch:
      username: camunda-app
      password: camunda123
      url: https://localhost:9200
      # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
      ssl:
        selfSigned: true
        verifyHostname: false
        certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
  operate:
    elasticsearch:
      # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
      username: camunda-app
      password: camunda123
      healthCheckEnabled: false
      url: https://localhost:9200
      # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
      ssl:
        selfSigned: true
        verifyHostname: false
        certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
    zeebeElasticsearch:
      # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
      username: camunda-app
      password: camunda123
      url: https://localhost:9200
      # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
      ssl:
        selfSigned: true
        verifyHostname: false
        certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
zeebe.broker.exporters:
  camundaExporter:
    className: io.camunda.zeebe.exporter.CamundaExporter
    args:
      createSchema: false
      connect:
        url: https://localhost:8080
        # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
        username: camunda-app
        password: camunda123
        # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
        security:
          enabled: true
          selfSigned: true
          verifyHostname: false
          certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT
        history:
          # Optional, only if ILM is enabled
          retention:
            enabled: true
  # Optional, only if legacy Elasticsearch exporter is used
  elasticsearch:
    className: io.camunda.zeebe.exporter.ElasticsearchExporter
    args:
      url: https://localhost:9200
      index:
        createTemplate: false
      retention:
        enabled: false
        managePolicy: false
      # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-app' with the privileges described in 2.1
      authentication:
        username: camunda-app
        password: camunda123

Start the application​

You can start the application using the custom configuration either from the JAR file or with Helm charts.

Start the application from the JAR file​

Start the Java application camunda (or camunda.bat on Windows), located in the bin folder of the delivered JAR package.

Assuming the configuration is saved in a file named application-custom.yaml, start the application with the following command:

SPRING_CONFIG_ADDITIONALLOCATION=/path/to/application-custom.yaml ./bin/camunda

Starting the application using Helm charts​

Case 1: Auto-generated app configuration by Helm chart​

Spring Boot convention environment variables can be used to override configuration.

The following Helm values are needed to disable the schema manager in the Camunda apps.

# Helm chart values file.
core:
  env:
    - name: CAMUNDA_DATABASE_SCHEMAMANAGER_CREATESCHEMA
      value: "false"
    - name: CAMUNDA_TASKLIST_ELASTICSEARCH_HEALTHCHECKENABLED
      value: "false"
    - name: CAMUNDA_OPERATE_ELASTICSEARCH_HEALTHCHECKENABLED
      value: "false"
    - name: ZEEBE_BROKER_EXPORTERS_CAMUNDAEXPORTER_ARGS_CREATESCHEMA
      value: "false"
    - name: ZEEBE_BROKER_EXPORTERS_ELASTICSEARCH_ARGS_INDEX_CREATETEMPLATE
      value: "false"
    - name: ZEEBE_BROKER_EXPORTERS_ELASTICSEARCH_ARGS_RETENTION_ENABLED
      value: "false"
    - name: ZEEBE_BROKER_EXPORTERS_ELASTICSEARCH_ARGS_RETENTION_MANAGEPOLICY
      value: "false"
Case 2: Manually-managed app config by the user​

If the application configurations are managed directly and do not rely on the Helm chart auto-generated configuration.

# Helm chart values file.

core:
  configuration |
    [...] # Any other custom config.
    camunda.database:
      schema-manager:
        createSchema: false
    camunda.tasklist:
      elasticsearch:
        healthCheckEnabled: false
    camunda.operate:
      elasticsearch:
        healthCheckEnabled: false
    zeebe.broker.exporters:
      camundaExporter:
        className: io.camunda.zeebe.exporter.CamundaExporter
        args:
          createSchema: false
      elasticsearch:
        className: io.camunda.zeebe.exporter.ElasticsearchExporter
        args:
          index:
            createTemplate: false
          retention:
            enabled: false
            managePolicy: false
    [...] # Any other custom config.

Limitations​

  • This feature only works with Elasticsearch installations.
  • Camunda Optimize cannot be used with this setup.

Standalone backup application​

If the Camunda application(s) cannot access Elasticsearch with cluster-level privileges, you can run the backup for Operate and Tasklist data as a standalone application, separate from the main application.

Creating a snapshot in Elasticsearch requires manage_snapshots cluster-level privileges. These privileges are only needed by the application responsible for creating the backups; the Camunda application(s) do not require cluster-level privileges.

  • Database support: This setup is supported only for Elasticsearch installations (OpenSearch is not supported).
  • Indices: The standalone application only handles Operate and Tasklist indices. Optimize is not included in this procedure.
note

Before using the standalone backup manager:

  • A user with cluster-level privileges (including snapshot creation) must be configured in Elasticsearch. A user with the snapshot_user role should be sufficient to run the backup application.
    However, restoring snapshots also requires index-level permissions.
  • An Elasticsearch snapshot repository must be configured.

1. Configure the backup application​

Create a custom backup-manager.yaml configuration file for the standalone backup application using the following values:

camunda:
  backup:
    webapps:
      # Example assuming an existing snapshot repository 'els-test'
      repositoryName: els-test
  database:
    # Example assuming an existing user called 'camunda-admin' who has 'snapshot_user' privileges
    username: camunda-admin
    password: camunda123
    url: https://localhost:9200
    # If custom SSL configuration is necessary
    security:
      enabled: true
      selfSigned: true
      verifyHostname: false
      certificatePath: PATH_TO_CA_CERT

For additional configuration options, see the [common database configuration guide](#TODO link to common database configuration page after it is created).

2. Start the backup application​

Start the Java application backup-webapps (or backup-webapps.bat on Windows), located in the bin folder of the delivered JAR package.

This application requires a <backupID> argument—a unique identifier of type java.lang.Long, used as part of the snapshot names.
To learn more, see the backup and restore guide.

Assuming your custom configuration is saved in a file named backup-manager.yaml, start the application using the following command:

SPRING_CONFIG_ADDITIONALLOCATION=/path/to/backup-manager.yaml ./bin/backup-webapps <backupID>

The standalone application will log the current state of the backup every five seconds until it completes.

Verify that the application executed successfully.

Example output logs:

11:42:13.713 [main] INFO  i.c.a.StandaloneBackupManager - Snapshot observation:
11:42:13.714 [main] INFO  i.c.a.StandaloneBackupManager - Indices snapshot is COMPLETED. Details: [GetBackupStateResponseDto{backupId=12345, state=COMPLETED, failureReason='null', details=[GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_1_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:08.495+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_2_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:08.695+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_3_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:08.897+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_4_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:08.897+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_5_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:08.897+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_6_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:09.097+02:00, failures=null}, GetBackupStateResponseDetailDto{snapshotName='camunda_webapps_12345_snapshot_part_7_of_7', state='SUCCESS', startTime=2025-06-25T11:42:09.097+02:00, failures=null}]}]
11:42:13.714 [main] INFO  i.c.a.StandaloneBackupManager - Backup with id:[12345] is completed!

The backup manager creates a backup of Elasticsearch data. The backup includes several Elasticsearch snapshots containing sets of Camunda, Operate and Tasklist indices.

For example, a backup with an ID of 123 might contain the following Elasticsearch snapshots:

camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_1_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_2_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_3_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_4_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_5_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_6_of_7
camunda_webapps_123_8.8.0_part_7_of_7

Once completed, you can proceed with step 7 of the backup procedure.

Limitations​

  • This feature only works for installations using Elasticsearch.
  • Camunda Optimize data cannot be backed up with this setup.
  • Some operations that are supported by the backup actuator API are not supported by this feature.

As a workaround, you can use the Elasticsearch API as follows:

List the snapshots of a backup​

GET /_snapshot/<repository-name>/*_<backupID>_*

Delete the snapshots of a backup​

warning

Make sure the <backupID> you provide is not a single digit integer, otherwise the following command will delete more snapshots than desired.

DELETE /_snapshot/<repository-name>/*_<backupID>_*