Getting started with Camunda BPM as a Java Developer

It is estimated that the number of Java developers in the world was 7.1 million as of September 2018 that number was projected to will reach 7.6 million during 2019 and increase to 8-9 million during 2020s.

During 2020, Java turned 25 years old, Java continues to transform, while there are numerous reasons why Java continues to be a leader in the world of development and remains a programming language worth learning in 2021.

As a Java Developer, the chances of needing to interact/integrate with a Workflow or Process Engine are very high, fortunately, the open-source Camunda Platform has been designed to make that an easy task.

Who is the intended audience here?

The intended audience for this podcast and I may extend this into a series, is basically my geeky brethren. Java Developers who want to start using Camunda.

So, in order to follow along, you should probably be at least two years into your career as a Java developer, and be comfortable with Java, Spring, maven, etc. I’m not going to be teaching those, because better teachers than me have already created excellent free content on that.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, I can’t praise The Java Brains Series on YouTube enough. That guy is an excellent teacher, and very generous with his knowledge. I’ve provided a link below.

https://www.youtube.com/user/koushks

An overview of the context for someone who’s brand new to Camunda

Camunda allows you to visually draw the sequence in which your application code is executed, along with branching logic, timers, decision tables, etc. These drawings are interpreted as XML by the Camunda engine and executed. The executing engine provides optimized performance, as well as automated logging, versioning, and so much more. The idea is that you can use a tool to control the orchestration of your code, and thus free developers up to focus on the raw excellence of what happens at every step.

How does the Camunda Process engine know what step you want to execute at any given point?

Every step in your process can be tied to a Java class, and that class’s ‘execute’ method will be called when the sequence flow leads you to that step.

What’s the significance of the fact that it’s on Spring Boot?

So that’s a really big deal. It means that your process has a bundled BPM process engine, and Tomcat engine, as an intrinsic part of it. These, in turn, can be super optimized for your particular process, which is really the way the “Camunda Gods” intended for your engine to work. It’s a game-changer, and something we’ve talked about before.

What are the top five things you need to know about using the Camunda Decision Engine work?

This podcast discusses 5 things you need to be aware as “Best Practices” when starting with Camunda as Java Developer. Stuart and Max discuss how Java and Camunda were designed to work together, usage of the visual sequencing feature in Camunda, how Camunda interfaces with Java code, step management with Camunda and the importance of Spring Boot support within Camunda.

Testimonial

What Our Clients Say

We brought on Max Young and his team at CapBPM to help us out to put our best foot forward as it related to our Camunda deployment and our Camunda journey. And when we brought on CapBPM, we actually didn't have Terry Camerlengo even on board yet as a Technology Director. So I can't emphasize enough how important it was for us to have a really good partner with us. I can confidently say if we made a wrong choice on the partner, I don't think we'd be standing here and sharing what we're sharing with you today.

George Kutnerian Co-Founder, President & CEO of Wellpointe Inc.
(Excerpt from his session at CamundaCon 2025 NYC)

Capital BPM migrated 21 workflows from Camunda 7 to Camunda 8 using their Exodus tool. Recently, coming across a lot of customers that are also migrating from monolithic and legacy workflow tools to Camunda.

Sathya Sethuraman, Field CTO, Camunda

A great way to start your week, when your previous boss sees your roadmap design confirmed by a Harvard Business Review article. Thanking our partners on this journey - Will Strickland and the CapBPM team.

Amir Billones IT Manager, Vermont

We'd already started the conversation with CapBPM about upgrading anyway... (now) we have a partner who really understands that migration from C7 to C8... Knowing that I had somebody to rely on to help us through that migration was huge.

Jeremy Warren VP of Programming & Project Management, Greylock Federal Credit Union

Camunda’s orchestration gives us that solid foundation—providing the stability we need while still enabling us to push forward with GenAI-driven innovations that improve care and operational efficiency. CapBPM has been an invaluable partner in this journey. Their expertise and guidance help us design and position solutions that respect the rigor of healthcare’s regulatory landscape while unlocking the promise of next-generation orchestration. CapBPM has given us the confidence to explore agentic orchestration with Camunda in a way that is innovative, responsible, and value-driven. Kudos to both of these excellent partners.

Terry Camerlengo Director of Technology, Wellpointe

Capital BPM has consistently proven to be a top-tier, dependable, and results-driven partner in supporting KPI's ongoing journey with Camunda and BPM. Their team brings both strategic insight and hands-on tactical expertise, enabling us to navigate complex, modern automation challenges with confidence.

Adam Stutz Senior Software Engineering & Manager, KPI Solutions