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Streamlining Camunda 8: Deprecating the zbctl and Go Clients

Evolving Camunda 8 means transition and change. Here's why we're deprecating our zbctl and Go clients.
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As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline Camunda 8 and deliver a consistent API experience for the platform, we’re making some strategic changes to the tools and clients we support. Following our announcement of the Zeebe REST API and the development of the Camunda 8 REST API for Process Management, we’re taking the next step and deprecating the zbctl and Go clients.

Why are we deprecating the zbctl and Go clients?

This decision aligns with our API strategy, resource allocation, and customer adoption trends, and is part of our broader initiative to simplify the development and operational experience for our customers.

  • API strategy alignment: zbctl was originally built to make the Zeebe gRPC API easier to use via the command line, particularly in CI/CD pipelines. However, as we build the Camunda 8 REST API, the need for zbctl has diminished. The zbctl CLI is built on the Go client, which complicates its maintenance and slows down our development process. Deprecating zbctl allows us to focus on providing robust REST API support, which can be accessed easily via tools such as cURL and Postman.
  • Streamlined development and operations: By focusing on the REST API, we’re simplifying the developer experience and reducing the complexity associated with using multiple API technologies. This change also helps us provide better support and faster updates for the tools that our customers rely on the most.
  • Limited adoption: The Go client has seen limited adoption among our user base. Moving forward, the Go client will transition to a community-maintained client, allowing us to focus our resources on more widely used and supported technologies.

What this means for you

Starting with Camunda 8.6 (releasing October 8, 2024), we will no longer release new zbctl and Go client features. These clients will remain available and maintained on the stable branches of Camunda <=8.5 but will transition to community-maintained status from 8.6 onwards, meaning they will not receive further official updates or support from Camunda.

To help you transition, we’re providing:

  • REST API support: We encourage you to use cURL to make REST API calls in CI/CD pipelines. For those who need a more user-friendly interface, we provide a supported Postman collection and an OpenAPI definition to facilitate interaction with Camunda via REST.
  • Future considerations: Based on feedback from the community and our customers, we will evaluate the potential development of a new CLI client for the Camunda API. If you are interested in that, please provide your feedback in our idea portal.

What’s next?

As we continue to evolve Camunda 8, we remain committed to providing a unified, intuitive, and powerful API experience. Deprecating the zbctl and Go client will allow us to focus on delivering the best possible tools and support for our users.

We understand that transitions like this can be challenging, and we’re here to help. With the Camunda 8 REST API release (8.7 release, January 2025), we will provide additional guidelines and documentation to ensure that your move from the component API (V1) to Camunda 8 REST API (V2) is as smooth as possible.

Stay tuned to our blog, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. Your feedback is invaluable as we continue to refine and improve Camunda 8.

Start the discussion at forum.camunda.io

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