Enterprise Platform Migration 🟡 BETA

General Bots provides complete feature parity with enterprise cloud productivity suites while offering significant advantages: self-hosting, open source licensing, no per-user fees, and native AI integration.

Migration Overview

Organizations evaluating self-hosted alternatives find General Bots delivers equivalent functionality with full data sovereignty. The sections below map common enterprise APIs to their General Bots equivalents.

API Endpoint Mapping

Mail and Communication

Enterprise mail APIs handle sending, receiving, and managing email. General Bots provides the same capabilities through Stalwart Mail Server and BASIC keywords.

The BASIC syntax is straightforward:

SEND MAIL TO "client@company.com" SUBJECT "Report Ready" BODY report_content

For receiving mail, configure webhooks or use scheduled scripts to process incoming messages through the Stalwart API.

Calendar and Scheduling

Calendar APIs manage events, appointments, and scheduling. General Bots integrates CalDAV with the BOOK keyword.

Schedule appointments conversationally:

TALK "When would you like to schedule your appointment?"
HEAR appointment_time AS DATE
BOOK "Consultation" AT appointment_time
TALK "Your appointment is confirmed for " + FORMAT(appointment_time, "MMMM d 'at' h:mm a")

Files and Storage

Cloud storage APIs handle file operations, versioning, and sharing. MinIO provides S3-compatible storage with full versioning support.

File operations in BASIC:

files = LIST "/reports/"
FOR EACH file IN files
    content = READ file.path
    processed = LLM "Summarize this document: " + content
    WRITE "/summaries/" + file.name + ".summary.txt", processed
NEXT file

Tasks and Planning

Task management APIs create, update, and track work items. General Bots implements a complete task system with project organization.

Create tasks from conversations:

TALK "What task should I create?"
HEAR task_title

TALK "When is it due?"
HEAR due_date AS DATE

CREATE TASK task_title DUE due_date
TALK "Task created: " + task_title

Users and Directory

User management APIs handle identity, groups, and permissions. Zitadel provides enterprise-grade IAM with OIDC/OAuth2.

Automation and Workflows

Cloud automation platforms provide flow-based workflow design. General Bots offers BASIC scripting with more power and flexibility.

A workflow that would require a visual designer elsewhere becomes simple BASIC:

SET SCHEDULE "0 9 * * 1-5"

' Daily sales report - runs weekdays at 9 AM
sales = AGGREGATE "orders", "SUM", "total", "date = TODAY()"
count = AGGREGATE "orders", "COUNT", "id", "date = TODAY()"

SET CONTEXT "You are a business analyst. Create a brief executive summary."
summary = LLM "Sales: $" + sales + ", Orders: " + count

SEND MAIL TO "executives@company.com" SUBJECT "Daily Sales Report" BODY summary

AI and Intelligence

Cloud AI assistants typically require additional per-user licensing. General Bots includes AI capabilities at no extra cost.

AI integration is native:

USE KB "product-docs"
SET CONTEXT "You are a helpful product specialist."

TALK "How can I help you today?"
HEAR question
response = LLM question
TALK response

Feature Parity Matrix

Core Services

Automation

AI Capabilities

Cost Comparison

Typical Per-User Cloud Licensing

General Bots Self-Hosted

For 100 users, General Bots costs roughly 1-2% of typical cloud licensing while providing equivalent or better functionality.

Migration Approach

Phase 1: Assessment

Inventory current service usage and map to General Bots equivalents. Most organizations find complete feature coverage for core productivity scenarios.

Phase 2: Parallel Deployment

Run General Bots alongside existing services during transition. Configure identity federation between Zitadel and existing directory services.

Phase 3: Data Migration

Use provided migration tools and APIs:

' Example: Migrate files from external storage
files = GET "https://api.storage.example/files"
FOR EACH file IN files
    content = DOWNLOAD file.url
    WRITE "/" + file.name, content
NEXT file

Phase 4: Cutover

Redirect DNS, update client configurations, and deprecate cloud subscriptions.

What You Gain

Data Sovereignty - Your data stays on your infrastructure. No third-party access, no cross-border data concerns.

Cost Control - Predictable infrastructure costs instead of per-user licensing that scales with your organization.

Customization - Full source code access. Modify, extend, and integrate as needed.

AI Integration - Native LLM support without additional licensing. Use any provider or run models locally.

Automation Power - BASIC scripting provides more flexibility than visual flow builders with no per-automation limits.

No Vendor Lock-in - Open standards (IMAP, CalDAV, S3, OIDC) mean your data is always portable.

Migration Resources

General Bots provides tools and documentation for smooth migration:

• Import utilities for common data formats
• API compatibility layers for gradual transition
• Identity federation for single sign-on during migration
• Data validation tools to verify migration completeness

Summary

General Bots delivers enterprise productivity features without enterprise pricing:

• 100% API coverage for core productivity services
• Self-hosted deployment with full data sovereignty
• No per-user licensing fees
• Native AI integration without additional cost
• More powerful automation with BASIC scripting
• Open source with full code access

The choice between cloud and self-hosted depends on organizational priorities. For those valuing control, cost efficiency, and customization, General Bots delivers enterprise-grade productivity without enterprise-grade pricing.

See Also

• Quick Start - Deploy in minutes
• Keywords Reference - Full BASIC reference
• REST API Reference - Complete API documentation
• Migration Guide - Detailed migration steps