VPS for n8n: Self-Host n8n from $8 a Month

n8n runs well on a small server: the Community Edition needs no license fee, executions are not metered, and its default SQLite database lives on the server's own disk. On VeloxaHost the one-click n8n app installs it on Ubuntu 24.04 in a root system container, billed by the hour and capped at the monthly price of the size you pick.

The one-click install

The install puts n8n on Ubuntu 24.04 with Node.js 20 from NodeSource and runs it as a systemd service under its own n8n user, listening on port 5678. Workflows, credentials and the encryption key for stored credentials are in /home/n8n/.n8n.

To reach the editor, forward a port of your shared IPv4 block to 5678 under How to connect on the server page, then open http://<shared address>:<port>. For a domain with HTTPS, see the limits below.

Prefer to install it yourself, or to run n8n's Docker image? Docker runs inside VeloxaHost servers, and the n8n app page has the manual steps.

Which size

The marketplace minimum for n8n is 1 vCPU and 1 GB; the recommended size is 1 vCPU and 2 GB, which is Veloxa 1 ($8 a month, $0.02 an hour). Many workflows running in parallel, large binary files or code nodes that hold big payloads in memory need more: Veloxa 2 ($15 a month, $0.03 an hour) doubles the CPU and memory. On a container server, CPU and memory changes from the console apply without a restart.

Worked example bill

A 31-day month with n8n running all month, and a copy restored from a backup for ten hours to test an upgrade before applying it to production.

Server	Size	Hours running	Hourly rate	At the hourly rate	Monthly cap	Billed
n8n	Veloxa 1	744	$0.02	$14.88	$8	$8.00
n8n-upgrade-test	Veloxa 1	10	$0.02	$0.20	$8	$0.20
Total						$8.20

The n8n server reached its cap in hour 400 and ran the rest of the month at no charge. The bill is the same whether it ran ten workflows or ten thousand: there is no per-execution charge on a server you run yourself. For what the same workload costs on Zapier, see self-hosted n8n vs Zapier.

What is included

• Root access, so you can set n8n's environment variables, install community nodes, or move to PostgreSQL later.
• Snapshots before every upgrade. Take one from the console, run npm install -g n8n@latest, restart the service, and restore the snapshot if a workflow breaks. Snapshots are not charged.
• Scheduled backups every 6 or 12 hours, daily or weekly, keeping 1 to 10, with a download of any backup.
• A block of 10 ports on the shared IPv4 address, with SSH on the first, and firewall rules per server.
• Browser terminal, to follow journalctl -u n8n without SSH.

Limits

• Webhooks need a reachable URL. Without a dedicated address, n8n's webhook URLs are http://<shared address>:<port>/... on a port of your block. Some services only send webhooks to HTTPS URLs on a domain. For those, add a dedicated IPv4 address (a paid add-on with limited availability), point your domain at it and put Caddy in front of n8n. IPv6 is not available in US East yet.
• The shared address can change. If a server is moved to another host in the region, its port block moves with it and the address and port numbers can change. A dedicated address avoids that for webhooks.
• Outbound port 25 is blocked by default. Send email from workflows through a provider on port 587 or 465.
• You run it. Upgrades, backups of the .n8n folder and its encryption key, and security are yours. There is no managed n8n support from VeloxaHost.
• License. n8n is released under the Sustainable Use License, which allows internal business use; check it before offering n8n to your own customers.
• One region: US East, in the Washington, DC area.

FAQ

How much does it cost to self-host n8n on VeloxaHost?

Veloxa 1 ($8 a month, $0.02 an hour) is the recommended size. A server running all month costs $8; one you run for a weekend costs its hours. A dedicated IPv4 address for HTTPS webhooks is extra.

Are n8n executions limited?

Not by VeloxaHost. The Community Edition does not meter executions; what limits you is the server's CPU and memory.

Can n8n use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite?

Yes. n8n supports PostgreSQL through its DB_TYPE=postgresdb and DB_POSTGRESDB_* environment variables. PostgreSQL can run on the same server, installed from the Ubuntu archive with apt install postgresql.

Where are my workflows stored?

With the default SQLite setup, in /home/n8n/.n8n on the one-click install. Back up that folder with the database file and the encryption key together.

Can I run n8n in queue mode?

Queue mode needs Redis and worker processes. They can run on the same server, but they all share its memory, so size up before you split n8n into workers.