Building End-to-End Business Workflows with Martini

Let’s get one thing straight: automation isn’t about fancy diagrams or ticking a “digital transformation” checkbox. It’s about building workflows that actually work—reliably, scalably, and without forcing you to reinvent the wheel every time your business logic changes.

That’s exactly what we’ve built Martini to do.

I’ve used a lot of workflow engines over the years—some too rigid, some too abstract, and most way too complicated for their own good. With Martini, we set out to build something different. A low-code engine that doesn’t limit you, built for real developers solving real integration and automation problems.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how I built an end-to-end business workflow in Martini—from design to deployment. Whether you're automating onboarding, order fulfillment, or any complex multi-system process, this is your blueprint.

Step 1: Start with the Workflow—Not the Tools

Before you even open up Martini, take five minutes to map out what the workflow actually needs to do.

For this walkthrough, let’s say we’re automating a purchase order approval process that spans three systems:

• A web app where purchase orders are submitted (Bellini-built, naturally)
• A third-party accounting API
• An internal ERP system

The flow looks like this:

1. Receive purchase order
2. Validate and enrich data
3. Route for approval based on amount
4. If approved, send to accounting and ERP
5. Notify requester with outcome

Now let’s build it.

Step 2: Design the Workflow in Martini’s Visual Editor

Open up Martini and head to the Workflows section. Here’s where the fun begins.

Martini’s visual workflow editor isn’t just a flowchart toy—it’s a real orchestration engine. Every block you drag and drop is backed by real services, APIs, and data models you can wire together.

• Start Node: I’m triggering this via an API call from the front-end app.
• Validation Block: A service that checks for required fields and formats. This can be built visually or in code if you need custom logic.
• Enrichment Block: I use a service to look up vendor info via an external API. One click to bind, one test to verify—it’s that simple.
• Decision Block: If the order is > $10K, route to a different approval path.
• Parallel Execution: One path sends data to the accounting system, the other updates the ERP. Martini handles both in parallel.
• Notification: A final block sends a status update back via email or webhook.

At any point, I can preview the workflow, simulate inputs, and watch data flow through the steps. No guesswork, no mystery black boxes.

Step 3: Integrate APIs Like a Pro

Here’s where Martini really earns its keep.

Every service I call in the workflow—whether it’s internal or external—is modeled as an API connector in Martini. I can import OpenAPI specs, test endpoints, transform payloads, and reuse those services across workflows and apps.

Need to transform data between JSON and XML? Built-in. Need to call a REST API with OAuth2 and retry logic? No problem. Need to enrich with data from a Negroni-built model? One-click binding.

Martini’s API-first design means every workflow step can talk to every service you use—securely and consistently.

Step 4: Add Business Rules Without Writing a Scripting Engine

Here’s what I don’t want to do: embed logic in random scripts that only I understand.

With Martini, I don’t have to. I can define rules and logic visually, or I can drop into a custom script when I really need to. I used a mix here:

• For conditional logic and routing, I used Martini’s workflow editor—clean, readable, and dynamic.
• For some data formatting, I wrote a tiny Groovy snippet—Martini handled the injection and variables for me.

It’s low code where I want it, full code where I need it.

Step 5: Deploy and Monitor (Without the Drama)

Once the workflow was done, I deployed it directly from Martini’s interface. Every workflow is versioned, testable, and publishable as an API endpoint—ready to plug into Bellini apps or third-party tools.

Even better? Monitoring is built in.

• I can see execution logs and errors for every workflow instance.
• I can track performance metrics.
• I can set up alerting for failures or bottlenecks.

This is automation you can trust in production—not just demo environments.

Final Thoughts: Why This Matters

Martini lets me do in hours what used to take weeks. And not by cutting corners—by giving me the right level of abstraction, flexibility, and visibility.

This isn’t just about stitching together tasks. It’s about building resilient, reusable business logic that scales.

If you’ve ever felt boxed in by a "workflow builder" that can’t handle complexity, give Martini a spin. This is low code, no limits—and it shows.

Curious to try it yourself?
Grab the Martini Free Edition—no credit card, no nonsense.
You’ll be building your first end-to-end workflow before lunch.