Flowable Explained

Flowable
Logo Size:	300
Developer:	Community
Latest Release Version:	7.0.1,^[1] 6.8.1,^[2] 5.23.0^[3]
Latest Release Date:	17 January 2023
Programming Language:	Java, JavaScript
Operating System:	Linux, Windows
Genre:	Business process management, Workflow
Licence:	Apache License 2.0

Flowable is an open-source workflow engine written in Java that can execute business processes described in BPMN 2.0.^[4] It is an actively maintained fork of Activiti (software).^[5]

History

In October 2016, the lead developers of Activiti (software) left Alfresco (software) and started the Flowable Open Source project based on a fork of Activiti code.^{[6] [7]}

The first version of Flowable was 5.22, based on a fork of Activiti 5.21, but added Transient Variables.^[8] The first release of Flowable version 6.0^[9] was based on a fork of Activiti version 6 beta 4. Version 6 of the Flowable engine includes a rewrite of the core process virtual machine.

Components

The project comprises a set of modules that can operate together:

• BPMN Engine, the core Business Process Model and Notation workflow processor
• CMMN Engine, a Case Management Model and Notation processor
• DMN Engine, an implementation of a subset of Decision Model and Notation based business rules
• Flowable Design, a cloud-based graphical authoring interface for editing BPMN, CMMN, and DMN ^{[10] [11]}

Differences between Version 5 and Version 6

The key changes in Flowable 6 are:^{[12] [13]}

• Abstract persistence layer, enabling use of relational or non-relational data sources^{[14] [15]}
• 1-to-1 mapping of BPMN model to executable instruction set
• Simplified execution tree, enabling easier analysis and manipulation of in-flight processes
• Single agenda for process execution plans
• Queue-based job execution^[16]
• Ad hoc Sub Processes^[17]
• Dynamic process execution^[18]

Notes and References

1. https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine/releases/tag/flowable-7.0.1 Flowable 7.0.1 downloads
2. https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine/releases/tag/flowable-6.8.1 Flowable 6.8.1 downloads
3. https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine/releases/tag/flowable-5.23.0 Flowable 5 downloads
4. Web site: Announcing Flowable. Joram Barrez. Small steps with big feet. 2016-10-17. 2016-12-29.
5. Web site: Activiti founders fork the project to create Flowable, an open source BPM engine. Jeff Potts. Enterprise Architect. 2016-10-15. 2016-12-29.
6. Web site: Another rift in the open source BPM market: @FlowableBPM forks from @Alfresco Activiti. Sandy Kemsley. Enterprise Irregulars. 2016-10-20. 2016-10-20.
7. Web site: Flowable and Activiti: What the Fork?!. Flowable Team. Flowable. 2016-10-12. 2016-10-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230001429/http://www.flowable.org/blog/2016/10/12/flowable-and-activiti.html. 2016-12-30. dead.
8. Web site: How to use transient variables. Joram Barrez. Small steps with big feet. 2016-09-01. 2017-01-03.
9. Web site: Flowable 6.0.0 release. Flowable Team. Flowable Project. 2017-02-15. 2017-02-26.
10. Web site: New Flowable Modeling tool. Tijs Rademakers. Flowable Forum. 2023-04-13. 2023-09-21.
11. Web site: Unveiling the new Flowable Design: A closer Look. Valentin Zickner. Flowable Blog. 2023-06-20. 2023-09-21.
12. Web site: Activiti 6.0.0.Beta3 released. Tijs Rademakers. BPMN 2.0 / Flowable. 2016-08-31. 2017-01-03.
13. Web site: An Evolution of the Core Engine. Joram Barrez. Small steps with big feet. 2015-09-08. 2016-12-29.
14. Web site: Running Flowable on CockroachDB. Joram Barrez. Small steps with big feet. 2016-11-02. 2016-12-29.
15. Web site: Running Flowable on MongoDB. Joram Barrez. Flowable Blog. 2018-08-13. 2018-08-13.
16. Web site: Benchmarking the message queue based Activiti Async Executor. Joram Barrez. Small steps with big feet. 2016-07-20. 2017-01-03.
17. Web site: Activiti 6 adds ad-hoc sub process support. Tijs Rademakers. BPMN 2.0 / Flowable. 2016-02-10. 2017-01-03.
18. Web site: BPMNext 2017: Making Business Processes Dance. Paul Holmes-Higgin. BPMNext. 2017-04-20. 2017-05-09.