What is n8n? Workflow automation explained
n8n is a workflow automation tool you run on your own server. What it is, how it is pronounced, what a workflow looks like, and when to use it.
#n8n
Filtering by topic #n8n · clear
Self-host LiveContext, an n8n alternative
LiveContext CE is a seven container Docker stack with a Java backend that wants 8 GB. Size it, pin the version, put Traefik in front, and back up both stores.
What the n8n Sustainable Use License allows
The n8n Sustainable Use License in plain words: internal business purposes, consulting for clients, paid hosting, white labelling, and where Embed starts.
Claude + n8n: build AI workflows on a VPS
Connect Claude to n8n on your own VPS: an integration guide with credentials, model choice per node, three worked AI workflows, cost math, and common errors.
n8n AI agent: build one on your own VPS
Build a working AI agent in n8n: the AI Agent node, a Claude model credential, an HTTP Request tool, memory, a trigger, and the settings that cap cost.
Why n8n keeps going offline on your VPS
Four different failures look like n8n going offline. Learn to tell the websocket banner, a restart loop, an out of memory kill and a dead schedule apart.
n8n vs Zapier vs Make: the self-host math
Zapier and Make bill per task. Self-hosted n8n bills a flat server cost. Work a real month of volume, find the crossover, and read the n8n license.
Self-hosted n8n alternatives compared
Activepieces, Windmill, Node-RED, Automatisch and Huginn measured against n8n on licence, RAM, database, AI steps and the backup that breaks restores.
n8n Timezones and Schedule Triggers
A self-hosted n8n reads three timezone settings, so a schedule trigger can fire hours off. Set TZ, GENERIC_TIMEZONE and the workflow zone right.
Self-host n8n on a VPS: Docker + HTTPS
Run n8n on a VPS with Docker Compose, Postgres, and HTTPS behind a reverse proxy: the WEBHOOK_URL and encryption-key traps, plus every error string.
Is n8n free? Community vs enterprise limits
Self-hosted n8n is free under a fair-code licence with real limits. What you may do, which features need a paid key, and where cloud plans fit.
Connect Outlook to Self-Hosted n8n
Register a Microsoft Entra app for self-hosted n8n, fix the callback URL, and plan for the client secret expiry that later breaks your Outlook workflows.
AI Agent Examples, and What Each One Needs
Seven AI agent examples people run on a VPS: what starts each one, what it can touch, the model it calls and how much server it needs, from our tested guides.
Connect Gmail to self-hosted n8n
Connect Gmail to self-hosted n8n behind a reverse proxy, then stop the seven-day Google token expiry that kills Gmail workflows a week after setup.
n8n queue mode: when one VPS needs workers
Queue mode puts n8n executions on Redis and lets workers run them. See when one VPS gains from it, then build a pinned Compose stack with Postgres and Redis.