n8n
Connect your apps together without writing much code.
What it is
n8n is a workflow automation tool. You build flows visually — when this happens, do that — connecting hundreds of services together. It occupies the same territory as Zapier or Make, with the difference that it runs on your server and does not charge per task.
Good for
- Automating repetitive business processes
- Moving data between services on a schedule
- Anyone whose Zapier bill has started to sting
Getting in
- Open the link on your console page.
- Create your owner account on first visit.
- Start from a template, or build a workflow from a trigger node.
Your own address, port and any credentials are on your server's console page, reached from your dashboard. They are specific to your server, so they are not repeated here.
Things that catch people out
Credentials are stored on your server
Convenient and private, but it means a snapshot of your server contains keys to everything you connected. Treat backups accordingly.
Workflows that call out need the service reachable
Anything n8n talks to has to be reachable from your server, not from your laptop.
Where your data lives
Workflows and credentials live in a Docker volume under /opt/n8n.
Take a snapshot before anything risky — see Snapshots and backups.
Updating
Ubuntu patches itself, but the app does not. SSH in and run:
Take a snapshot first.