n8n Self-Hosting

The practice of running n8n on your own infrastructure (VPS, local, Docker) rather than on n8n Cloud. Trade-offs: unlimited executions, full data control, lower cost, and ability to integrate with private LLMs – but loses the AI workflow builder, n8n Cloud AI assistant, project-based collaboration, and official support. Hostinger VPS has emerged as the beginner-friendly one-click option; Docker-based updates follow a pull/down/up pattern that preserves workflows and credentials via Docker volumes.

Key points

• Self-hosted unlocks unlimited workflow executions and customisation but loses the n8n Cloud AI workflow builder
• Updating n8n on a VPS is a three-command Docker sequence: docker compose pull, docker compose down, docker compose up -d
• Credentials and workflows persist across updates because Docker volumes are mounted separately from the image
• Collaboration features (projects, shared credentials, roles) require n8n Enterprise self-hosted or n8n Cloud
• At more than $25/month of Cloud spend, self-hosting typically pays off – Hostinger plans start at ~$6/month
• Backups can be automated daily for ~$6/month on Hostinger
• You cannot legally charge clients for access to a self-hosted n8n instance – clients must own the account and pay separately

Related entities

• n8n
• Hostinger VPS

Related concepts

• Workflow Migration Between n8n Instances

Source references

• ^[src-005] Nate Herk cluster — Nate Herk — n8n cluster (18 videos)

– Videos referenced: 6ZB0zADNaqk, t1PTmpas0bg, 67BVIScAlbs, D9MIGseFB3g