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Camunda Platform 7 vs Inngest

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
CA Camunda Platform 7 Archived BPMN-based workflow and decision automation engine VS IN Inngest Event-driven workflow and background job platform
FeatureCamunda Platform 7Inngest
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score15 · At risk90 · Excellent
StatusArchivedActively maintained
CategoryAutomation & WorkflowsAutomation & Workflows
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaGo
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 4,269★ 5,879
First released20132021
ReplacesMicrosoft Power Automate, AWS Step FunctionsZapier, AWS Step Functions

What are Camunda Platform 7 and Inngest?

Camunda Platform 7

Camunda Platform 7 is an open-source workflow and decision automation engine based on the BPMN and DMN standards. It executes process models and integrates with Java applications and microservices.

  • Standards-based BPMN execution
  • DMN decision tables
  • Visual process modeler
  • REST API and Java integration

Inngest

Inngest is an open-source platform for building event-driven workflows and reliable background jobs. It provides durable step functions, automatic retries and a local development server, and the execution engine can be self-hosted.

  • Event-driven background jobs
  • Durable step functions
  • Local development server
  • Self-hostable execution engine

Read the full Inngest guide →

Camunda Platform 7 vs Inngest: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: Camunda Platform 7's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Inngest is actively maintained. Camunda Platform 7 is written in Java, while Inngest is built with Go. Inngest is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Camunda Platform 7. Camunda Platform 7 is the more established project (first released 2013), while Inngest arrived in 2021.

Why pick each one

Choose Camunda Platform 7 if…

  • Strong BPMN standards support
  • Mature ecosystem

Watch out for

  • Newer Camunda 8 is not fully open source
Camunda Platform 7 details

Choose Inngest if…

  • Good developer experience
  • Reliable step execution

Watch out for

  • Some features tied to Inngest Cloud
Inngest details

Frequently asked questions

Is Camunda Platform 7 or Inngest better?

Inngest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Camunda Platform 7 if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Camunda Platform 7 and Inngest free and open-source?

Yes. Camunda Platform 7 is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Inngest under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Camunda Platform 7 and Inngest with Docker?

Camunda Platform 7: yes. Inngest: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Camunda Platform 7 or Inngest?

Inngest has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Camunda Platform 7. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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