Hey folks,
I’m on the hunt for a workflow automation platform that’s similar to n8n but comes with a more permissive open-source license. You know, something like GPL, AGPL, Apache, or MIT.
Don’t get me wrong, n8n’s self-hosted version is pretty awesome. But I’m a bit worried about their license model. It might cause some headaches down the road.
I’ve been checking out Kestra as a possible replacement, but I’m not totally sold on it yet. It’s got me wondering what other options are out there.
Anyone have experience with other tools that might fit the bill? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!
Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve been in a similar boat, searching for n8n alternatives. After some digging, I stumbled upon Apache Airflow. It’s been a game-changer for my workflow automation needs. The learning curve is a bit steeper than n8n, but the flexibility and robust ecosystem make up for it.
What I particularly love about Airflow is its Python-based approach. If you’re comfortable with Python, you’ll feel right at home. The DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) concept took me a while to grasp, but once I did, it opened up a world of possibilities.
Another tool worth considering is Prefect. It’s like Airflow’s younger, more user-friendly sibling. The open-source version is feature-rich and comes with an MIT license.
Both have active communities, which has been invaluable when I’ve run into issues. Just remember, the transition from n8n might require some adjustments, but in my experience, the long-term benefits are worth it.
hey emma, have u checked out nodered? its pretty cool for workflow stuff. got apache 2.0 license so ur good there. UI’s simple, lots of nodes for integrations. I use it for home automation but it can do way more. might be worth a look if ur still searchin
I’ve had success with Apache NiFi for workflow automation. It’s open-source under the Apache License 2.0, which addresses your licensing concerns. NiFi offers a web-based UI for designing dataflows and supports a wide range of data sources and protocols.
One standout feature is NiFi’s data provenance, which tracks the entire lifecycle of data through your workflows. This has been invaluable for debugging and auditing in my projects. The learning curve is moderate, but the documentation is comprehensive.
NiFi’s scalability is also impressive. I’ve used it for both small-scale personal projects and large enterprise deployments. While it may not have as many pre-built integrations as n8n, its extensibility through custom processors allows for great flexibility.
Just be prepared for a different paradigm compared to n8n. NiFi’s flow-based programming model takes some getting used to, but it’s powerful once mastered.