Knowledge Hub

What is n8n?

The workflow automation tool for people who hate paying the "Zapier Tax."

n8n (nodemation) is the world's most powerful open-source workflow automation tool. It allows you to connect apps, manipulate data, and build complex logic trees—all via a visual node-based editor.

Recently, n8n has evolved into the leading platform for AI Agents. With native integration for LangChain and OpenAI, you can build autonomous bots that read your emails, query your database, and summarize content without writing a single line of Python.

The "Task Tax" Problem

Platforms like Zapier or Make charge you per "Task" or "Operation." Every time your automation runs, the cash register rings. If you build a viral AI bot or a heavy data-sync workflow, your bill can jump from $20 to $500 overnight.

Cost Comparison: 50,000 Tasks/Month

Platform Cost Limitations
Zapier ~$1,500/mo Hard limits, expensive add-ons.
Make (Integromat) ~$100/mo Complex pricing tiers.
Leapjuice n8n Free* / Included Unlimited Tasks. Capped only by CPU.

*n8n is included for free with any Annual Leapjuice Premium subscription.

⚠️ Why Self-Hosting n8n is Painful

Since n8n is open source, you can host it yourself. But n8n is a different beast than a simple blog. It requires constant two-way communication with the outside world (Webhooks), which makes securing it a nightmare for beginners.

The Webhook Tunnel Problem: To receive data (e.g., from Stripe or Slack), your n8n instance needs a public, SSL-secured URL. You can't just run it on `localhost`. You need to configure reverse proxies like Traefik or Caddy.
Encryption Key Anxiety: n8n encrypts your credentials (API keys) using a specific environment variable. If you lose this key or migrate your container incorrectly, all your integrations break instantly.
AI Memory Usage: Running modern AI chains requires significant RAM. A cheap $5 shared VPS will crash (OOM Kill) the moment you try to process a large PDF with an LLM.

The Docker Debugging Reality

Trying to set up the correct environment variables for webhook tunneling usually looks like this:

# 1. Starting the container...
root@vps:~/n8n# docker-compose up -d

# 2. Checking logs because Webhooks aren't firing
root@vps:~/n8n# docker logs n8n-main
Error: WEBHOOK_URL environment variable does not match the current URL.
Expected: https://n8n.mydomain.com
Received: http://localhost:5678

# 3. Fixing SSL Certificate...
Error: acme: Error -> One or more domains had a problem: [n8n.mydomain.com] acme: error: 403 :: urn:ietf:params:acme:error:unauthorized

Do you want to manage SSL certificates, or do you want to build automations?

The Leapjuice Way

We provide a fully managed, production-ready n8n environment. It works instantly.

Instant Webhooks: Your instance comes with a pre-configured SSL domain. Webhooks work out of the box.
Persistent Storage: Your workflows and execution history are saved to our Hyperdisk storage, safe from restarts.
Google C4D Power: Run heavy AI Agents without crashing your server. Our high-performance chips chew through data processing.
Get it FREE: Sign up for any Annual Premium or Enterprise subscription (like Odoo or Ghost) and get a dedicated n8n server on the house.
Deploy Automation Army

Available standalone or as a Free Bundle Perk.

What can you build?

Social Media AI: Watch your RSS feed, summarize the article with GPT-4, and post a thread to Twitter/X automatically.

Lead Router: Catch a Typeform submission, look up the email in Clearbit, and add it to your HubSpot CRM with enriched data.

PDF Analyzer: Upload a contract to Google Drive, have n8n extract key clauses using AI, and email you a summary.