How we are invoking the inbound connector code from backend?

Camunda 8 Topics
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1

In which line or you can say method through inbound connector code is getting triggered .
Ideally I triggered the process but the backend is not started like the activate method.
any idea how we can resolvethis?

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Hi there! :wave:

I can help you understand how inbound connector code gets invoked and troubleshoot why your activate method isn’t being called.

How Inbound Connectors Are Triggered

When you deploy a process definition containing an inbound connector, here’s what happens:

  1. Automatic Detection: The connector runtime detects the relevant BPMN element in your deployed process
  2. Activation: The runtime automatically calls the activate method of your connector’s backend implementation
  3. Listening: Your connector starts listening for inbound events (messages, HTTP requests, etc.)

The activate method should look something like this:

@Override  
public void activate(InboundConnectorContext connectorContext) {  
    MyConnectorProperties props = connectorContext.bindProperties(MyConnectorProperties.class);  
    this.connectorContext = connectorContext;  
    // Set up subscriptions or listeners here
    subscription = new MockSubscription(  
            props.getSender(), props.getMessagesPerMinute(), this::onEvent);  
}

Troubleshooting: Why Your Activate Method Isn’t Called

If your activate method isn’t being triggered, here are the most common causes:

1. JAR Placement Issue

  • Ensure your custom connector JAR is in the correct directory: /opt/app or /opt/custom in the connectors container
  • If it’s in a subfolder or missing, the runtime won’t pick it up

2. Wrong Dependencies

  • Don’t use spring-boot-starter-camunda-connectors for JAR-based connectors
  • Use the connector SDK dependencies instead
  • The starter is for standalone Spring Boot applications, not plugin JARs

3. Missing SPI File

  • Your JAR must contain resources/META-INF/services/io.camunda.connector.api.inbound.InboundConnectorExecutable
  • This file should contain the fully qualified class name of your connector implementation

4. BPMN Configuration

  • Verify your BPMN model references the correct connector type/name from your @InboundConnector annotation
  • Check your element template matches your connector definition

5. Check Logs

  • Look for errors like “Connector ‘xyz’ is not registered” in the connectors container logs
  • This indicates the connector wasn’t properly registered

6. Version Compatibility

  • Ensure your connector SDK version matches your Camunda platform version

Next Steps

To help you further, could you please share:

  • Your Camunda version
  • Whether you’re using SaaS or Self-Managed
  • Any error logs from the connectors container
  • Your connector’s @InboundConnector annotation

You can also try starting from the official connector-template-inbound repository to verify your setup.

References:

Let me know what you find, and I’ll help you get your inbound connector working! :rocket:

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