Licensing Update for Camunda 8 Self-Managed

I’m writing to share important news regarding an upcoming change to the licensing for Camunda 8 Self-Managed, including Zeebe. As you know, we are actively working to make Camunda 8 even easier to install, operate, and use through a set of enhancements that include:

• An all-in-one distribution combining Zeebe, Operate, Tasklist, Optimize, and Identity into a single binary. This will replace both the existing Camunda 8 Self-Managed distribution as well as the standalone Zeebe download.
• A unified Camunda 8 REST API, including REST endpoints for Zeebe APIs
• Consolidation of all component source code into a single repository

Along with these improvements, we will also be simplifying our licensing model to a single license covering all the components in the distribution. This new license will allow:

• Access to source code, including components like Operate, whose source code was not previously available.
• Free access to Web Modeler for up to 5 users.
• Free usage of the all-in-one Camunda distribution for development and testing.

The new license will require a production license from Camunda to use the software in production environments. Production use is when Camunda is used to power one or more aspects of your organization, internal or external, outside of development and testing. Production licenses are available commercially or through our community programs for non-profits, academic institutions, and personal or non-commercial use cases (e.g. hobby projects). 

Camunda 8.6, releasing on October 8th, 2024, will be the first version under this new licensing model. Camunda 8.5, available today, represents the final release under our current licensing. This will be fully supported, including all applicable updates and patches, until April 14, 2026, per our typical 18-month maintenance window.

The table below highlights the changes:

Please be assured that the changes to our distribution, APIs, and licensing model support the long-term success of our company, customers, and partners by:

• Allowing for an easier & faster installation of Camunda Self-Managed.
• Improving the developer experience with consistent APIs across all components.
• Providing a simple and easy-to-understand licensing model.
• Funding increased engineering investments in our products to achieve more value through process orchestration for our customers and partners.

I’d like to personally thank you for your support as an integral part of the Camunda community. We’re excited about our future and dedicated to delivering solutions that drive your success together.

FAQ

Why are we making this change?

• Why are you moving away from a free-for-production license model?
  
  The catalyst for this change stems from an initiative to simplify the architecture and distribution of Camunda 8 Self-Managed. Knowing that we needed a single license across all components, we then had to decide if all Camunda 8 components should become available for free production usage or will they require a commercial license. Since we are a business, we have an obligation to our customers to further accelerate innovation at Camunda. This change in licensing helps fund continued investment and innovation in Camunda’s platform.

• Given that we’re not moving forward with a free-for-production license model, why are we keeping the code available?
  
  The availability of source code aligns with our commitment to transparency and collaboration. By making the code available, developers can continue to review, understand, and trust the underlying mechanics of Camunda’s platform. We continue our commitment to developers and encourage experimentation, learning, sharing, and feedback which are essential aspects of product development and innovation.

Production Use

• Can you provide specific examples of what constitutes “development” vs. “production” use under the new license?
  
  Development use refers to any activities involved in creating, testing, or preparing applications on Camunda that are not yet deployed in a production environment. This includes but is not limited to, designing workflows, developing process applications, testing functionalities within the team(s) developing and testing the process(es), or any use case where the application is not accessible to employees or customers outside your development team(s).
  
  Production use is when Camunda is used to power one or more aspects of your business, internal or external, outside of development and testing. This encompasses applications running in live environments, where processes are executed to support business operations, customer interactions, or any external-facing service.
  
  To illustrate, during development, you might use Camunda to build and test a new customer onboarding process within your team. This scenario is considered “development use.” Once you deploy this process and it becomes accessible to your customers for onboarding, it transitions to ‘production use’ under our licensing terms.
  
  We’ll release a more detailed FAQ around “production” vs. “development” use with 8.6.0-alpha1 in May 2024.

• How will Camunda make sure users won’t be violating the license accidentally?
  
  The product will clearly indicate when an unlicensed developer edition is used. This will be achieved by a combination of indicators in the log files and the UI. These indicators will educate the user about the usage restriction.

Current Users

• Will there be any updates or patches provided for Camunda v8.5 or below?
  
  We have an 18-month maintenance window for all releases of Camunda. Camunda v8.5 will be fully supported, including all applicable updates and patches, until April 14, 2026.

• How will this change impact current users who are using the product for free in production environments?
  
  Currently, only Camunda Zeebe allows for production usage; other components such as Operate, Optimize, and Web Modeler require a commercial license for use in production. You remain in good standing if you are running Zeebe 8.5 or below in production without a commercial license. If you upgrade to newer versions, this will require a production license.
  
  If you would like to upgrade beyond the 8.5 release, you may purchase an Enterprise license or apply for a free license for non-profits, academic institutions, and personal or non-commercial use cases (e.g. hobby projects).

• How will this licensing change impact small businesses and startups previously relying on the free-for-production model?
  
  We will continue to provide free licenses for non-profits, academic institutions, and personal or non-commercial use cases (e.g. hobby projects). If you still have questions about your specific scenario, contact us at [email protected] to discuss further.

• Will there be any changes to support and maintenance services for users under the new license?
  
  No, there are no changes to the support and maintenance services for users under the new license.

Community Programs & Contributions

• How will this change in licensing affect the community’s ability to contribute to the project?
  
  This change in licensing doesn’t impact the community’s ability to contribute.
  
  We genuinely value the contributions and engagement from our community. Your feedback, extensions, and content have played an important role in shaping our products and our journey as a company. While the licensing change does introduce some new usage constraints, we want to emphasize that our commitment to collaboration and transparency holds firm.
  
  Under the new licensing model, the source code for Camunda 8 will still be publicly available, allowing the community to explore, learn from, provide feedback on, and contribute to the codebase. We will continue to maintain open communication channels, such as forums and issue trackers, where you can share ideas, report bugs, and engage with both Camunda employees and community members.
  
  We remain dedicated to the developer ecosystem around Camunda 8 and will continue to support and encourage the development of community extensions, integrations, and plugins that enhance the capabilities of the platform.

• Are there any plans to offer discounts or special licensing options for educational, or non-profit projects?
  
  We will continue to provide free licenses for non-profits, academic institutions, and personal or non-commercial use cases (e.g. hobby projects).

• How does the company plan to address questions from the community regarding this change?
  
  We encourage you to engage in conversation with us and the larger community via our online forum or reach out to our DevRel team ([email protected]) to ensure your voice is heard.