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Start Event 🚀

The entry point of every workflow. Every workflow must have exactly one Start Event.

Node type: startEvent Category: Flow Control Actor: startEvent (5 threads)

Description​

The Start Event marks where workflow execution begins. It has no configuration properties — it simply receives the initial execution data and passes it to the first connected node.

When a workflow is triggered (via API, webhook, UI, or scheduled trigger), the engine creates a new process instance and begins execution at the Start Event.

Properties​

The Start Event has no configurable properties. All common node properties (timeout, retry, loop) do not apply to the Start Event.

Inputs​

The Start Event receives the data object passed in the execution request:

{
  "processId": "proc_abc123",
  "data": {
    "customerName": "Jane Smith",
    "ticketNumber": "TKT-1234",
    "issueType": "billing"
  }
}

All fields in data become top-level workflow variables, accessible as {customerName}, {ticketNumber}, {issueType} in downstream nodes.

Outputs​

The Start Event passes all input variables to the first connected node via a sequenceFlow connection.

Connections​

FromConnection TypeTo
Start EventsequenceFlowAny node

The Start Event can only have outgoing connections — never incoming.

Example​

A workflow triggered with:

{
  "processId": "proc_abc123",
  "correlationKey": "order-9981",
  "data": {
    "orderId": "ORD-5521",
    "total": 149.99,
    "customerEmail": "jane@example.com"
  }
}

All three variables — {orderId}, {total}, {customerEmail} — are immediately available to all subsequent nodes.

Notes​

  • A workflow must have exactly one Start Event
  • The Start Event is always the first node in execution order
  • The correlationKey passed at execution time is stored on the process instance for event correlation — it is not automatically available as a variable, but can be referenced by the engine for Intermediate Catch Events