n8n: Fair-Code Workflow Automation

Overview n8n (nodemation) is a workflow automation tool similar to Zapier or Make, but with a key difference: it is source-available and self-hostable.

Key Differentiators

1. Self-Hostable You can run n8n on your own server (Docker) for free.

• Privacy: Data never leaves your infrastructure (GDPR/HIPAA compliance).
• Cost: No "per-task" fees. You are limited only by your server CPU.

2. Node-Based UI Visual flowchart interface.

• Start Node: Webhook, Cron, Event.
• Action Nodes: HTTP Request, Google Sheets, Slack, OpenAI.

3. Developer Friendly In any node, you can write JavaScript.

• Access data: items[0].json.myField
• Transform data: return items.map(i => { newKey: i.json.oldKey })

Use Cases

• Internal Tooling: Sync DB to Spreadsheet.
• Webhooks: Receive data from Stripe, process it, send to Slack.
• AI Agents: n8n has strong LangChain integration for building AI pipelines visually.

Licensing "Fair Code" license. Free for internal business use. You only pay if you sell n8n as a service (e.g., you build a competing Zapier clone).

n8n is the top choice for technical teams who want the speed of no-code with the control of self-hosting.