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Migrate from Flowable to Priostack

Last updated: 2026-04-06 · 11 min read

Concept Mapping

BPMN: Extension Namespace Changes

Flowable uses the flowable: namespace. Replace with zeebe: task definitions. The snippets below are fragments: paste them inside a <definitions> element that declares xmlns:zeebe="http://camunda.org/schema/zeebe/1.0".

Before (Flowable):

<serviceTask id="validate-order" name="Validate Order"
  flowable:class="com.example.ValidateOrderDelegate">
  <extensionElements>
    <flowable:field name="threshold" stringValue="500" />
  </extensionElements>
</serviceTask>

After (Priostack):

<serviceTask id="validate-order" name="Validate Order">
  <extensionElements>
    <zeebe:taskDefinition type="validate-order" />
  </extensionElements>
</serviceTask>

DMN: Direct Compatibility

Flowable DMN 1.3 tables use the same XML format. Deploy them through POST /api/v1/models (1 credit, refunded if the deploy fails); input entries must be unary tests the engine reads (see DMN Elements), otherwise the deploy answers 422. Evaluate with a flat JSON object of inputs (1 credit):

# Deploy DMN (201 {"key","modelKind":"dmn","resourceName","tenantId"})
curl -X POST "https://priostack.com/api/v1/models?resourceName=risk-score.dmn" \
  -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
  --data-binary @risk-score.dmn

# Evaluate (200 {"result":{...}})
curl -X POST https://priostack.com/api/v1/decisions/riskScore/evaluate \
  -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"age":35,"income":60000}'

CMMN: Direct Compatibility

Flowable CMMN 1.1 case models use the same XML format. Priostack supports:

• Human tasks and decision tasks. A process task does not start a BPMN process: it is offered as a job of type process that you complete
• Sentries (onPart + ifPart with FEEL conditions); several on-parts in one sentry must all occur
• Entry/exit criteria on the plan items that reference stages, tasks and milestones (every stage must be referenced by a planItem)
• Milestone elements

# Deploy CMMN (1 credit)
curl -X POST "https://priostack.com/api/v1/models?resourceName=investigation.cmmn" \
  -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
  --data-binary @investigation.cmmn

# Start a case instance (201, 1 credit)
curl -X POST https://priostack.com/api/v1/cases \
  -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"caseDefinitionId":"investigation","variables":{"subject":"ABC Corp"}}'

# Complete a plan item (200 {"instanceKey"})
curl -X POST https://priostack.com/api/v1/cases/jobs/{jobKey}/complete \
  -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"variables":{}}'

REST API Endpoint Mapping

Migration Steps

Step 1 - Export definitions

From Flowable Modeler or repository, export all .bpmn, .dmn, and .cmmn files.

Step 2 - Strip Flowable extensions from BPMN

# Patterns to find and replace in .bpmn files:
flowable:class="..."           → remove
flowable:expression="..."      → remove
flowable:async="true"          → remove
flowable:exclusive="..."       → remove
flowable:formKey="..."         → remove
flowable:candidateGroups="..." → remove

For each replaced service task, add a zeebe:taskDefinition type="your-type".

Step 3 - Deploy all definitions

POST /api/v1/models detects the kind of each file and costs 1 credit per model. Deploy decisions and called processes before the models that use them:

for f in *.dmn *.bpmn *.cmmn; do
  curl -sf -X POST "https://priostack.com/api/v1/models?resourceName=$f" \
    -H "X-API-Key: ps_your_key" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
    --data-binary @"$f" || { echo "Deploy failed: $f"; break; }
  echo "Deployed $f"
done

Step 4 - Port JavaDelegates to REST workers

Each JavaDelegate class becomes a polling worker. See the Activiti migration guide for a Node.js worker example - the same pattern applies.

Step 5 - Remove Flowable Spring configuration

Remove flowable-spring-boot-starter from your dependencies. Workers only need an HTTP client to communicate with Priostack.

Step 6 - Test with representative instances

Start one instance of each process type and validate the happy path before migrating production traffic.

Flowable-specific Features: Status

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