Install n8n On Mac & Community License Activation For Easy AI Automation

N8N Installation and Initial Setup on macOS

Key Concepts:

• N8N: A workflow automation platform.
• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime environment.
• NPM (Node Package Manager): A package manager for Node.js.
• NVM (Node Version Manager): A tool to manage multiple Node.js versions.
• Homebrew: A package manager for macOS.
• Community Edition: A free version of N8N with limited features.
• Workflows: Automated sequences of tasks within N8N.
• Community Nodes: Additional nodes created by the N8N community to extend functionality.

Installation Process

1. Prerequisites:

   • Node.js: Specifically version 22.
   • NVM: Node Version Manager.
   • Homebrew (for macOS package management).

2. Installing Node.js and NVM:

   • Use Homebrew to install Node.js version 22: brew install node@22.
   • If NVM is not installed, use Homebrew: brew install nvm.

3. Installing N8N:

   • Use NPM to install N8N globally: npm install -g n8n. This ensures N8N can be run without root privileges.
   • Avoid installing N8N with Homebrew, as the package may be broken.

Running N8N for the First Time

1. Starting N8N:

   • Open the terminal and run the command: n8n.
   • N8N will start and display the address where the editor is accessible (typically http://localhost:5678).

2. Accessing the N8N Editor:

   • Open a web browser and navigate to the address provided in the terminal (e.g., http://localhost:5678).

Account Setup and Community Edition Features

1. Account Registration:

   • Upon accessing the N8N editor for the first time, you may be prompted to create an account.
   • Registration typically requires an email address.

2. Community Edition Features:

   • The Community Edition offers basic workflow automation capabilities.
   • Users can unlock selected paid features for free by requesting a license key.

3. Activating Paid Features:

   • Navigate to the settings and personal information.
   • Request a free license key.
   • The license key is sent to the registered email address.
   • Clicking the activation link in the email automatically activates the license key.

4. Available Paid Features (Unlocked for Free):

   • Workflow history
   • Advanced debugging
   • Execution search and tagging
   • Folders

N8N Settings and Configuration

1. User Settings:

   • Personal information (email address, password).
   • Two-factor authentication.
   • Theme selection (light or dark).

2. User Management:

   • Creating additional users is available with an official license key.

3. API Keys:

   • Ability to create API keys for external integrations.

4. External Secrets:

   • Management of external secrets for secure storage of sensitive information.

5. Multiple Instances:

   • Support for running multiple N8N instances.

6. Git Deployment:

   • Ability to deploy N8N workflows via a Git repository.

7. Single Sign-On (SSO):

   • Support for SAML-based SSO (requires an enterprise plan).
   • LDAP integration is also available.

8. Log Streaming:

   • Option to enable log streaming for monitoring and debugging.

9. Community Nodes:

   • Browse and install community-created nodes to extend N8N functionality.
   • Examples: MCP nodes, Deepseek nodes.

Conclusion

The video demonstrates the process of installing and setting up N8N on macOS, highlighting the importance of using the correct Node.js version (22). It covers account registration, unlocking free features in the Community Edition, and exploring various settings and configuration options, including the use of community nodes. The next step is to create a workflow.