Important Licensing Changes to Camunda 8 Self-Managed

We announced today that we’ll be changing to a new licensing model for Camunda 8 Self-Managed, including Zeebe, with the release of v8.6 on Oct 8, 2024. This change will require a production license to use Camunda 8 Self-Managed software in production environments. I understand this transition might be unexpected, particularly for our long-time Camunda users. This decision was made with careful consideration for the long-term sustainability of Camunda as well as the health of our incredible community.

We cannot overstate how much we genuinely value the contributions and engagement from all of you. Your feedback, extensions, and content have helped shape our products and our journey as a company in ways we couldn’t have imagined when we launched Camunda in 2013. While the licensing change does introduce some new constraints, we want to emphasize that our commitment to collaboration and transparency holds firm.

What does this actually mean?

  • Under the new licensing model, the source code for Camunda 8 will still be publicly available. In fact, some components (e.g. Identity and Operate) will be moved from private repos to this new public mono-repo.
  • We will continue to maintain open communication channels where you can share ideas, report bugs, and engage with both Camunda employees and other community members.
  • We remain committed 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, as well as contributions to the core Camunda 8 repository.

We understand that this change may raise questions, and we are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with you. We have a detailed FAQ on the blogpost, but we also encourage you to reach out to us with your thoughts, ideas, and feedback. Together, we can navigate this transition and continue to build a strong and vibrant Camunda community.

-Mary Thengvall
Director, Developer Relations