Yes: to run n8n on a server of your own you need a VPS (or a dedicated server) with root access. It cannot be done on a shared hosting plan, and it would not make sense anyway: n8n has to stay switched on, and a shared plan was not built for that.
What a shared plan lacks
| What n8n asks for |
Shared plan |
VPS with root |
| Docker and Docker Compose, the route the project’s documentation recommends |
Not there, and cannot be installed. |
Installed with root access. |
| A process that is always alive, for schedules and webhooks |
Processes have limits and may be stopped when there are no requests. |
The container keeps running and restarts by itself. |
| Choosing the system, opening ports, putting an HTTPS proxy in front |
No access to any of that. |
All yours: see first steps with your VPS. |
| Memory for workflows that move a lot of data |
There are memory and process limits. |
The memory of the plan is all yours. |
You may point out that cPanel has Node.js, and n8n is written in Node.js. True, but “Setup Node.js App” is meant for websites and small applications that answer requests, managed by Passenger. n8n has to run permanently, with a database of its own, and be updated like a service. The limits of a shared plan are laid out in the limits nobody advertises.
Which machine to pick
| 1 |
Start from a small plan. According to third-party guides and the project’s documentation, as a starting point 1 vCPU with 1 GB of RAM is enough to begin with, and 2 vCPU with 2 GB is more comfortable. Check the current n8n documentation, since it changes between versions.
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| 2 |
See what each plan has on VPS servers and, for more headroom, Cloud servers. The figures are on those pages, not in this article.
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| 4 |
Grow when you need to. Workflows that process a lot of data are what use the most. If memory runs short, read the causes before changing plan.
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And if you do not want to run a server
There are two honest ways out. The first is the hosted service of the n8n project itself: nothing to install, but it is their service, on their terms, and not a Interweb product. The second is to ask whether you need n8n at all: for simple scheduled jobs a cron job in cPanel does the work, as in cron jobs: what they are for and how to create one.
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An unmanaged VPS is yours. Installing n8n, keeping it updated and securing it is your job. Our support does not install or repair n8n or any other third-party software. See the Support Policy and how far our support goes.
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RECOMMENDED PRODUCT VPS server with root access Resources of your own, the OS you choose, reinstall whenever you like. from 7.560,00 Kz/mo (3-year plan, with coupon) See plans |
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