An easy step-by-step guide on how to self-host n8n

Please do not understand me wrong. I am not saying at all that you can not use the service. At least it is not what I wanted to say. I just want to make clear that installing something on a server is only the first step and very often the easiest. Having it run long term stable, updating it and keeping it secure something totally else and much more complicated. Because as soon as something changes the whole service can go down and it will be very hard to get it up again. Writing an initial setup guide is still rather simple as a new system can be assumed with a certain setup. As time goes by and stuff changes some very simple thing as updating the system packages can bring the everything down and it will then be very hard for anybody without some deeper IT knowledge to bring it up again because also outside people have then a hard time helping.

It is one thing to use a no-code/low-code tool, but self-hosting it is something else. They are after all complicated pieces of software that have to be configured and maintained. Again similar like with a car. Driving one is rather simple, maintaining it (if you are not a mechanic, as here if you are not a DevOps person) more complicated.

To make it clear. I think it is great what you want to do and great to hear that you want to promote n8n. Thanks a lot for that! Great to have people like you in the community but still think it is important to not make people believe that self-hosting a no-code tool is the same as using it. I simply want to be honest and want to make sure that people are aware of that and are not surprised if there are problems. I could for sure simply say “uh yes will be super simple, no worries” but that simply does not feel right. After all are people running important workflows, making false claims will not be helpful for anybody.

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