Automation shouldn’t start with a weekend of setup.
Whether you’re a solo developer, a startup team, or a student experimenting with no-code tools, n8n is one of the most flexible ways to connect apps, move data, and build powerful workflows. But getting it running cleanly—especially on your local machine—can be a hassle.
That’s why Raff offers a pre-prepared n8n template you can launch in a couple of clicks.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to start using n8n on Raff in minutes, what you can build, and why running it on a cloud VM is often the better choice.
What is n8n?
n8n (short for “node-node”) is an open-source workflow automation tool. Think Zapier-style automation, but with:
- Full control of your workflows
- Self-hosting freedom
- More flexible logic
- Code-friendly steps when needed
You can connect hundreds of services (Slack, GitHub, Google Sheets, Notion, Telegram, CRMs, databases…) and automate repetitive tasks without duct-taping scripts together.
Why run n8n on a cloud VM instead of locally?
You can run n8n locally. But most users hit the same issues:
1. Dependency headaches
Local Docker conflicts, port collisions, or system updates can break your setup.
2. Workflows should run 24/7
If your laptop sleeps, your automations sleep too.
3. Scaling gets messy
As workflows grow, RAM and CPU demand grows with them.
4. Clean environments matter
Testing automations in a stable, isolated environment avoids “works on my machine” problems.
A cloud VM solves all of this. And on Raff, it’s simple.
The fastest way: launch n8n using Raff’s 1-click template
Raff already includes a ready-to-run n8n VM template, so you don’t need to install anything manually.
Here’s the flow:
- Create your Raff VM
- Choose the n8n template
- Launch
- Open n8n in your browser
- Start building workflows immediately
That’s it.
No CLI steps. No Docker setup. No configuration rabbit holes.
Prefer manual install? Here’s the clean Docker setup
If you’d rather install n8n yourself (or want a custom setup), this works on any Linux VM—including Raff instances:
- Launch a Linux VM
- SSH into your machine
- Run:
docker run -it --name n8n \ -p 5678:5678 \ -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \ n8nio/n8n
Then open:
http://YOUR-VM-IP:5678
You now have a clean n8n instance ready to automate.
What can you build with n8n on Raff?
Here are a few real-world examples users commonly launch:
Dev & engineering automation
- Auto-create GitHub issues from form submissions
- Send deployment alerts to Slack
- Daily CI summaries to Telegram/Discord
Startup & ops automation
- New user signup → CRM → email → onboarding checklist
- Sync Stripe events into Google Sheets
- Build internal approval workflows
Content & marketing automation
- Auto-post to social channels
- Pull daily analytics into Notion/Sheets
- Monitor mentions and send reports
No-code + code hybrid flows
n8n is powerful because it lets you stay no-code until you need code.
And when you do, you can run JS/Python steps directly inside the workflow.
Why Raff is a great home for n8n
We built Raff for one reason:
developers and small teams shouldn’t need expensive hardware or complex cloud dashboards to get real work done.
Running n8n on Raff gives you:
- Fast boot times
- Simple template-based launch
- Stable environment
- Always-on execution
- Easy scaling
- Clear pricing with no surprises
In short: Fast. Simple. Reliable.
Start automating in minutes
If you want to explore automation without setup friction, launch n8n on Raff today using the pre-prepared template. You’ll go from “idea” to working workflow in minutes.
And if you have template requests (extra nodes, default workflows, backups, etc.), tell us — we’re actively improving our template library based on community needs.
Build smarter. Automate faster.
Start with Raff.