Tools
n8n, Docker Desktop
Price
Free (Community edition)
Time
10 to 15 min
Level
Terminal, beginner

n8n is an automation tool: you connect your apps (Gmail, Google Sheets, your CRM…) with building blocks, without writing code. Before paying for a server or a subscription, the easiest move is to try it on your own computer. Docker is the software that runs n8n in an isolated “box”, so nothing else gets installed on your machine.

Prepare your computer

  1. Install Docker DesktopDownload it from the official Docker website (Mac, Windows or Linux), install it and open it. It has to keep running in the background. Docker Desktop is free for personal use and for businesses with fewer than 250 employees and less than $10 million in annual revenue.
  2. Open a terminal in your home folderOn a Mac, open the Terminal app. The command creates an n8n folder wherever you are, so move to your home folder first. On Windows, n8n asks you to use WSL (the Linux layer built into Windows) rather than PowerShell.
    Terminal
    cd ~

Start n8n

  1. Read the script, then run itThese commands download n8n's official setup script, check that Docker is running, write the configuration files and start n8n. The second line shows the script (press q to quit). The first start can take a few minutes.
    Terminal
    curl -fsSL https://get.n8n.io -o get-n8n.sh
less get-n8n.sh
sh get-n8n.sh
    The short version, once you have read the script: curl -fsSL https://get.n8n.io | sh.
  2. Open n8n in your browserWhen the terminal prints the address, open http://localhost:5678 and follow the welcome screen. Your workflows, credentials and history are stored in the n8n folder.
  3. Start from a templateRather than starting from scratch, pick a workflow in the n8n template library and import it to see how it is built.

Commands worth keeping

Terminal
# Stop n8n
docker compose -f ./n8n/compose.yml down

# Start it again
docker compose -f ./n8n/compose.yml up -d

# Upgrade to the latest version
curl -fsSL https://get.n8n.io | sh -s -- --upgrade

Run them from the folder where you installed n8n (here, your home folder). Upgrading keeps your data and settings.

Good to know

  • n8n only runs while your computer is on and Docker is open: a workflow scheduled for 7am will not fire if the laptop lid is closed.
  • Your local n8n cannot be reached from the internet: an outside service cannot send it data (a webhook). For that you need a server or n8n Cloud.
  • The built-in database (SQLite) is fine for learning. For a team or production, n8n recommends Postgres with its full Docker Compose setup.
  • n8n's AI assistant stays switched off until you add your own API key: n8n works perfectly well without it.

Be careful with curl | sh. This pattern runs a script downloaded from the internet with your permissions. Only do it with the official get.n8n.io address, read the script first (step above), and remember that down -v permanently deletes all your n8n data.

Sources

Once your first workflows work, they need to run on a server, day and night. That is what I set up in my automation projects.