Apache ODE
| Company type | Open source software project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Workflow engine |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Defunct | August 2019 |
| Fate | Archived in Apache Attic |
| Products | Workflow engine for WS-BPEL business processes |
| Parent | Apache Software Foundation |
| Website | ode |
Apache ODE (Apache Orchestration Director Engine) is a workflow engine developed in Java, created to execute business processes defined using the Web Services Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL). This project, maintained by the Apache Software Foundation, released its stable version on March 23, 2018. The engine coordinates multiple web services by exchanging messages, managing data transformations, and handling exceptions according to the process specifications. It accommodates both short-term and long-term processes to facilitate service coordination within software applications.
Development of Apache ODE ceased as of August 2019, and the project was subsequently archived in the Apache Attic.
Communication
The WS-BPEL language, which is XML-based, specifies business workflows through constructs such as conditional statements, loops, service invocations, and message exchanges. The interfaces for web services are defined using the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). Messages can be flexibly manipulated by extracting entire or partial content into variables for subsequent communication.
Apache ODE provides external communication via two distinct layers:
- Integration with Apache Axis2, allowing interaction over Web services.
- A Java Business Integration (JBI) compliant layer that facilitates messaging through JBI protocols.
Features
- Concurrent support for the WS-BPEL 2.0 standard from OASIS alongside the earlier BPEL4WS 1.1 specification.
- Compatibility with Axis2 for HTTP-based web service transport and support for the JBI standard through ServiceMix.
- HTTP WSDL binding capability to invoke REST-style web services.
- Ability to map process variables externally to database tables.
- A robust API designed for integration with any communication infrastructure.
- Support for hot-deployment of business processes.
- A compiled BPEL model enabling comprehensive validation and analysis during deployment or via command-line tools.
- Management interfaces providing control over processes, instances, and message flows.
Embedding
Apache ODE is integrated within Jboss projects such as RiftSaw (a WS-BPEL 2.0 engine) and its successor Switchyard, which serves as a service delivery framework tailored for service-oriented application development.