Before you rent a server for n8n, know what it needs. This guide gives realistic starting sizes for RAM, CPU, disk, database and network.
n8n itself is light. A quiet instance that runs a handful of simple workflows will start on a very small server. The requirements grow when you run many executions at once, move large files through workflows, or keep a long execution history. This guide gives practical starting points. They are not official limits, so always watch your own server and adjust.
For a personal or small business setup, start with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM and 40 GB of SSD or NVMe storage. For testing only, 1 vCPU and 2 GB RAM can work, but you will see memory problems as soon as a workflow handles large data. Production setups should use Postgres instead of the default SQLite database.
| Workload | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testing and learning | 1 | 2 GB | 20 GB | SQLite is fine. Do not rely on it for important work. |
| Personal automations (a few workflows) | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB | Use Postgres and a reverse proxy with SSL. |
| Small team (dozens of workflows) | 2 to 4 | 8 GB | 80 GB | Prune execution data and take daily backups. |
| Heavy use (many webhooks, large data) | 4+ | 16 GB+ | 160 GB+ | Consider queue mode with workers. |
n8n runs on Node.js and keeps the data of a running execution in memory. A workflow that loads a large spreadsheet, a big API response or many binary files can use far more memory than a simple one. When memory runs out, the process is killed and the container restarts, which looks like a random crash. If you see this, give the server more RAM and read our guide on n8n performance tuning.
Most workflows wait on APIs, so they use very little CPU. CPU matters when you run the Code node on large data, do image or PDF work, or run many workflows in parallel. Two vCPU is a comfortable start. Add more only after you see sustained high CPU in your monitoring.
Disk use comes mostly from the database and from stored execution data. By default n8n keeps execution history, and that grows quickly if workflows run often. Turn on automatic pruning and keep only what you need. SSD or NVMe storage makes the interface and database feel much faster than a slow disk.
SQLite is the default and works for small setups. For anything you rely on, use Postgres. It handles several processes at once, it is easier to back up with standard tools, and it is required if you later move to queue mode. See how to back up and restore n8n for the database side.
A small Linux VPS is the usual choice. Browse our Linux VPS plans or a Private VPS and pick the size from the table above. If you would rather not manage any of this, managed n8n hosting gives you a dedicated n8n instance that we set up, secure and back up for you.
Skip the server work: get a dedicated n8n instance with backups and updates handled for you.
See Managed n8n Plans
