n8n

Build automations visually, host them yourself. The Zapier replacement where you don't pay per task.

⏱ 20 min ◆◆◇ some copy-pasting ↺ reversible

What it does

Drag and drop 400+ integrations into workflows. Connect your CRM to your email, your forms to your database, your calendar to your Slack. Run unlimited workflows - no per-task charges.

Why it's on the shelf

Zapier charges $0.01-$0.10 per task. A moderate automation that runs 50,000 tasks/month costs $250+ on Zapier. On n8n self-hosted, it costs $5/month for the VPS. The visual builder is genuinely better than Zapier's, and you can write custom JavaScript nodes when the built-in ones aren't enough.

What it replaces

Zapier, Make (Integromat), Pipedream, Workato. Whatever you pay for that today is what this page is here to delete. Worth being honest with yourself first though: if the bill is already small, the answer may still be that this isn't worth your Saturday.

Skip this one if... You don't want a server you're responsible for. n8n runs on your own box, which is what makes it free and what makes it yours - but it also means the backups, the updates and the 11pm restart are on you. If that's a no, close the tab; it'll cost you 20 min to find out the hard way.

Setting it up

These are the steps in order. The time on the bar above is what this took us end to end, including the reading.

Install Docker on your VPS
Create a docker-compose.yml with the n8n image
Set your domain, webhook URL, and a secure encryption key
Run docker-compose up -d
Visit your domain and create your admin account

The code

The actual configuration, not a sketch of one. The highlighted lines are the ones you have to change.

What this doesThe minimal n8n setup. Add Nginx + SSL for production.

docker-compose.yml

services:  n8n:    image: n8nio/n8n:latest    ports: ["5678:5678"]    environment:      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com  ← your domain      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-this  ← generate a secret      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com  ← same domain, https    volumes:      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8nvolumes:  n8n_data:

Before you run this n8n uses the 'Sustainable Use License' - not strictly OSI open source, but free to self-host and use. You just can't resell it as a hosted product.

What it costs to run

Runs on a $5/month VPS (1GB RAM) for light use. 2GB recommended for heavy workflows.

This keeps working without us n8n runs on your own box under the Sustainable Use License, with your data in your own database. If Growth Dudes stops existing tomorrow, nothing on this page stops working. That is deliberate, and it's the only promise here we can actually keep.

Field notes

What people found when they actually ran it - dated, named and specific, including the times our setup number turned out to be optimistic.

Nobody has posted one for n8n yet.

We're not going to invent them. Run it, then tell the room what actually happened - the time you got, and the step that wasn't in the instructions.

Join and post one

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