Run n8n 24/7 without hosting it yourself
n8n is workflow automation with a visual editor. Self-hosting it removes the execution limits of the cloud plan, and it costs you a server that has to stay up, terminate TLS, and not be open to the internet.
That server is what this is. n8n is already installed; starting it is a switch on the dashboard.
How it arrives
- On the machine
- Installed as part of the build
- At boot
- Starts when you start it, and holds nothing until then
- Reached at
- /n8n/ on your machine's own HTTPS name
- Memory while running
- about 2 GB
We did not write n8n. It is n8n-io/n8n. We install it on every machine and put it behind the login.
Scheduled workflows need a machine that is awake
A workflow on a cron trigger is only as reliable as the thing running it. The machine is a real VM that keeps running when you close the tab. A process you start does not stop because your laptop slept, your train went into a tunnel, or you switched to your phone.
The machine keeps running whether or not anyone has the dashboard open, so an overnight schedule fires overnight.
The gateway is the login
n8n binds to loopback with its own authentication disabled, and is reached through the HTTPS gateway on the machine's own name. There is one authentication boundary rather than two sets of credentials, and n8n is never exposed directly to the internet.
It shares the machine with the agents
A workflow can shell out to something on the same box — a script in your home directory, a coding agent, a container. The automation tool and the thing being automated are not in different environments.
Questions
- Is this n8n cloud or self-hosted n8n?
- Self-hosted. It is the open-source n8n running on your own machine, so there is no per-execution pricing and no workflow limit imposed by us.
- Do scheduled workflows run when I am not logged in?
- Yes. n8n runs as a process on the machine, not in your browser. Once started it keeps running, and the machine stays on for the length of your term.
- How is n8n secured?
- It binds to loopback only and its own login is disabled. Access goes through the machine's HTTPS gateway, which is the single authentication boundary.
Once you have one
It comes with the machine
Every tool on this site is installed on every machine. You are choosing a size, not a bundle.