Automata is an open‑source workflow automation engine that connects apps, APIs, and AI models to build end‑to‑end automated workflows without code. It combines trigger → actions → data flow → execution engine → observability into one system, similar to Zapier / n8n, with Gen‑AI‑powered decision making.
- Webhook / Event / Schedule triggers
- ️ Multi‑step automation workflows
- LLM‑powered conditional logic & data transformation
- Asynchronous execution & retry mechanisms
- Task history, run logs & execution status tracking
- Role‑based workflow access (optional)
- Modular design — new integrations can be plugged in easily
- Queue‑based worker system for scaling (Kafka/SQS/RabbitMQ‑ready)
Unlike traditional automation tools that follow static if‑else flows, Automata adds AI agents that dynamically decide next actions using context.
| Traditional Automation | Automata |
|---|---|
| Static workflow | Adaptive workflow |
| Rule‑based only | AI + Rules |
| Manual branching | LLM reasoning |
| Fails on edge cases | Recovers using fallback logic |
| Rigid schema | Flexible JSON data graph |
Trigger → Workflow Engine → AI Agents (optional)
→ Task Queue → Worker Nodes → Integrations / APIs
↓
Run Logs + History
| Module | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Trigger Service | Webhook / Cron / Event triggers |
| Workflow Service | Stores workflow steps & node graph |
| Execution Engine | Runs steps sequentially/conditionally |
| Worker Service | Executes tasks asynchronously |
| AI Service | LLM‑based decision and transformation |
| Run Log Service | Tracks execution, retries, failures |
| Layer | Tools |
|---|---|
| Backend | Spring Boot, REST APIs |
| Database | PostgreSQL |
| ORM | JPA / Hibernate |
| Security | JWT (in progress) |
| AI | OpenAI / MCP‑compatible integrations |
| Queue (future) | Kafka / RabbitMQ / AWS SQS |
| Frontend | React (roadmap) |
| Deployment | Docker / Render / Railway / AWS |
POST /api/hooks
{
"name": "Github Issue Trigger",
"callbackUrl": "https://api.automata.run/hooks/github"
}
POST /api/run
{
"workflowId": "wf_123",
"payload": { ... }
}
- Java 17+
- PostgreSQL / Neon DB
- Maven
mvn spring‑boot:run
Ensure application.properties contains correct DB credentials before running.
| Status | Feature |
|---|---|
| In Progress | Login + Dashboard |
| In Progress | Workflow Builder UI |
| Planned | Kafka‑based queue system |
| Planned | Integrations Marketplace |
| Planned | Multi‑user teams |
| Long Term | Plugin ecosystem for community contributions |
- Zapier
- n8n
- Make.com
- Temporal
- Agentic workflows
Contributions are welcome — fork the repo and submit PRs for:
- New integrations
- AI agent capabilities
- Workflow execution improvements
- UI/UX for visual builder
Kavya Jain B.Tech | Software Engineer & AI Automation Developer
If you like this project, please star the repo — it motivates further development!
Star → Fork → Build → Automate