How to Install n8n: Cloud vs Docker vs npm

Three ways to run n8n

Option	Setup time	Cost	Best for
n8n Cloud	2 minutes	From €20/month	Non-technical teams, quick start
Docker	10–30 minutes	Free + server	Production self-hosting
npm / npx	5 minutes	Free	Trying n8n on your laptop

Option 1: n8n Cloud

1. Go to n8n.io and start a free trial.
2. Pick a workspace name. You get a URL like yourname.app.n8n.cloud.
3. Start building. Updates, backups and SSL are handled for you.

Choose Cloud if nobody on your team wants to maintain a server. You pay per execution (2,500 on Starter), so check your volume first.

Option 2: Docker (recommended for self-hosting)

Docker runs n8n in an isolated container, so it is easy to update and move. Install Docker Desktop on your computer or Docker Engine on a Linux server, then run:

docker volume create n8n_data

docker run -it --rm \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Europe/Budapest" \
  -e TZ="Europe/Budapest" \
  -e N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true \
  -e N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

Open http://localhost:5678 and create the owner account.

What each part does:

• n8n_data volume keeps your workflows and credentials when the container restarts. Without it, you lose everything on restart.
• -p 5678:5678 exposes the n8n editor on port 5678.
• GENERIC_TIMEZONE makes Schedule Trigger nodes run in your local time.

For a real server, n8n recommends Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and a reverse proxy for HTTPS. We walk through that setup in self-host n8n on a VPS.

Option 3: npm or npx (quick local test)

n8n needs Node.js 20.19 to 24.x. Check your version with node -v.

Try it without installing:

npx n8n

Or install globally:

npm install n8n -g
n8n start

Then open http://localhost:5678.

npm is great for learning and testing. For anything other people depend on, use Docker, because upgrades and backups are simpler and you avoid Node version conflicts.

Webhooks on a local install

Apps like Stripe or Typeform need a public URL to send data to your webhook nodes. On a laptop, localhost is not reachable from the internet. Options:

• Use a tunnel such as Cloudflare Tunnel (cloudflared) for testing.
• Deploy to a VPS with a domain for anything real.

Updating n8n

• Cloud: automatic.
• Docker: docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n, then recreate the container. Your data stays in the volume.
• npm: npm update -g n8n.

Back up first. Read release notes for breaking changes before major upgrades.

Which option should you choose?

• Just exploring: npx.
• Running real business workflows and someone can manage a server: Docker on a VPS.
• No technical person available: n8n Cloud.

Next steps

• Self-host n8n on a VPS for under $10/month
• Connect Google, Slack and OAuth credentials