Summary
Highlights
This video is part of the 'Mastering AI Engineering on n8n Platform' course. The focus is on n8n due to its recent popularity. There are two main ways to work with n8n: on their cloud platform or by installing it on your device (self-hosting). The self-hosting option is free, while the cloud platform requires payment.
To start with the cloud version, search for 'n8n platform' on Google. The website provides documentation, self-hosting guides, and pricing. n8n offers three paid tiers: Starter ($20), Pro ($50), and Enterprise (custom quote). To sign up, click 'Get Started', fill in personal details, and create an account. An email confirmation is required, after which you can log in. The free trial offers 1000 workflow executions.
Self-hosting involves installing n8n on your device, offering all features for free, but it can present some difficulties. For example, integrating external services like Gmail is straightforward on the cloud version with a 'Sign in with Google' button. However, in the self-hosted version, this button is absent, requiring several additional steps to enable this functionality.
To self-host n8n, Node.js must first be installed. Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows JavaScript code to run outside a browser. The video demonstrates downloading and installing the Windows 64-bit version of Node.js from its official website, emphasizing that it's a straightforward installation process.
After Node.js installation, n8n can be installed using two methods: npm (Node Package Manager) or npx (Node Package eXecute). The key difference is that npm installs n8n permanently on your system, while npx downloads and runs the latest version for a single use. The choice depends on whether you need a persistent installation (npm) or a temporary one for quick tests (npx). npx also ensures you always use the latest n8n version.
The video guides through installing n8n using the 'npx n8n' command in the command prompt. After installation, which takes a few minutes, you can access n8n via a local host URL in your browser. This self-hosted version uses your device's resources. The initial setup requires creating a new user account and providing some information about your company and role. All paid features become free on the self-hosted version upon activation.
The video concludes with a quick tour of the n8n interface on the self-hosted version. Key sections include: 'Workflows' to view created integrations, 'Credentials' for managing external service authentications, 'Executions' to see past workflow runs, 'Templates' which acts as a marketplace for pre-built workflows (some free, some paid), and 'Variables' for defining workflow variables. The 'Help' section provides documentation and courses. The canvas is where new workflows or AI agents are built.