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Teams often choose to self-host n8n instead of using its cloud service. Why? Control over data, flexible scaling, and freedom from vendor lock-in. This guide walks you through setting up a self-hosted n8n instance—covering architecture choices, deployment steps, and scaling with PostgreSQL and Redis. Plus, we’ll unpack what running n8n yourself really costs for an optimal n8n overview.
n8n is a no-code workflow automation tool that connects with hundreds of apps and services. From IT automating system tasks, marketing optimizing campaigns, to HR crunching workforce data—n8n fits them all.
It’s drag-and-drop simple but powerful: build complex automations without code. That means faster workflows, fewer bottlenecks, and more productivity across teams.
Self-hosting means running the open-source n8n on your own servers—whether physical machines, containers, or cloud VMs you control. You skip the managed cloud version, so your data stays in-house, customization options widen, and long-term costs can drop as scale grows.
The usual route? Deploy n8n’s official Docker image and link it to persistent storage. For bigger setups, Redis helps manage workflow queues. This setup lets you own your infrastructure and data from day one for secure n8n self-hosted architecture.
Here’s what you can build:
You start lean, then scale to handle thousands of workflows reliably.
Before you deploy, make sure you have:
Having these ready cuts deployment headaches.
Cut manual steps by using prebuilt templates or stacks that bundle n8n, PostgreSQL, and optional workers.
Typical flow:
This can save days of setup and configuration.
PostgreSQL replaces n8n’s default SQLite for real persistence and scale. Here’s how:
This ensures your workflows and credentials don’t vanish when containers restart—it’s reliability, nailed for deploy n8n with PostgreSQL.
Scaling up means splitting work:
Set environment variables to enable queue modes, health monitoring, and offload manual runs to workers securely for efficient n8n worker deployment and deploy Redis addon.
This lets you scale workers independently of the UI, shaving costs and improving performance seamlessly.
Once deployed, access n8n via the service domain. Initial setup? Create your admin account, then build workflows with the drag-and-drop editor.
Monitor health, adjust scaling, and add custom domains as you grow. From testing to production, the interface stays slick and responsive.
Self-hosting n8n offers control over your data, flexible scaling, and freedom from vendor lock-in. You can customize your setup and potentially reduce long-term costs.
Using PostgreSQL instead of SQLite provides real persistence and better scalability. It ensures workflows and credentials remain intact even when containers restart.
Redis manages workflow queues efficiently, while worker services handle executions separately. This improves throughput and allows independent scaling of workers.
You need infrastructure that supports containers and the credentials to deploy services like databases and app servers. These are key to smooth deployment.
Yes, the Community Edition has no license fees or user caps, but additional costs may incur for compute resources and managed services.
Good news: the Community Edition is free—no license fees, no user caps. Costs to watch include compute (CPU, RAM) depending on workload, persistent storage, and managed services like PostgreSQL and Redis when scaling n8n self-hosted.
Small setups might spend tens of dollars monthly. Enterprise deployments can scale into hundreds or thousands, based on usage.
Pro features like SSO or version control require business plans, priced by exec volume.
Self-hosting n8n flips the script: autonomy over data, flexible scaling, and cost control beyond cloud lock-ins. Containerize smartly, connect to managed databases, add Redis-powered workers if you’re serious about scale.
Focus on the architecture that fits your team size and growth plans. Nail environment configs and secret management, and you’ll run smooth, reliable automations your way with an informed n8n overview.
Want to see how no-code can speed your setup? Explore how WeWeb lets you build faster and cheaper, with a 10% discount on your first project. Ready to automate smarter?
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