Transcription
In this video, we are going to learn how to run N8N locally on your computer. I will guide you step by step so you can follow along easily.
First, make sure you already have N8N installed. To begin, download and install NodeJS from the official website. Select the Windows version to download. During the installation, simply go with the default options, as these settings work well for most users.
After the installation finishes, open the Windows command prompt here. Type the command `npm install N8N` to install N8N globally on your system. This step may take a little while, so give it some time to complete.
When the first phase of the installation is finished, type `N8N` into the command prompt. Once the process completes, you'll see a message prompting you to press O to open N8N in your browser. Press O, and your default browser will launch, taking you to the N8N account setup page. Follow the instructions displayed on the page to create and configure your account. You can get the license key by going to your mail and then activate the account.
After completing the setup, you'll have access to the N8N dashboard and its workflow automation features. However, before you start using the application, it's important to make sure it's fully updated. Keeping N8N updated ensures that you have the latest features and bug fixes.
To run the update, return to the command prompt and type `npm update N8N`. The update process, like the installation, can take some time, so be patient and let it finish. Once the update has been applied successfully, type `N8N` again and press O to relaunch the application in your browser. At this point, N8N is installed, updated, and ready to use on your Windows system.
Once you have N8N installed, the process of running it locally is very simple. Open your command prompt on Windows or your terminal if you are using Mac OS or Linux. In the terminal window, type the command `N8N` and then press enter. This will start the N8N server on your computer.
After a few seconds, you will see messages in the terminal showing that N8N is running. By default, it will run on port 5678 of your local machine. That means you can open your web browser and go to the address `http://localhost:5678` to access the N8N interface.
There is also a shortcut you can use directly from the terminal. Once N8N is running, simply press the letter O on your keyboard. This will automatically open the N8N editor in your browser. From this point, you are ready to start building workflows locally.
Every time you want to run N8N again, you just need to open your terminal, type `N8N`, press enter, and then open it in your browser either by going to `localhost` on port 5678 or by pressing the O key in the terminal. That is the complete process of running N8N locally on your machine.