Queue mode, in one line: the main instance serves the editor and webhooks, stateless workers run the executions, Postgres and Valkey sit behind them.
One long job stops blocking all the others.
The reason to self-host n8n is the reason you left Zapier: no per-task meter.
But watch the replacement. Per-service hosting bills you for each worker and database. A fixed plan runs the whole queue-mode stack, workers included, for one price.
Self-hosting n8n? Back up the encryption key before you do anything else.
The encryption key is forever: lose it and you re-enter every stored credential by hand. And pin your version tag, never run latest.
The single-container n8n setup in most tutorials is a trap.
It runs fine until one long execution blocks every other workflow behind it. Queue mode, a main instance plus stateless workers, is where self-hosted n8n becomes real.
If you moved off Zapier to escape per-task pricing, self-hosted n8n is the next step.
But the single-container setup everyone starts with falls over under load. The fix has a name: queue mode. Here is how it works.
On Miget the whole thing is one fixed plan: $25/mo for 4 GiB RAM and 2 vCPU.
The Postgres, the Valkey, the extra workers all live inside it at $0 per service. Queue mode setup and full costs below.
Self-hosting Supabase is not deploying one app.
It is eight services that all have to come up together and agree on their secrets. Size it for what it is, not for what the one-click button implies.
Honest math on self-hosting Supabase: the core stack is about $49/mo of infrastructure.
For one small app, Supabase Cloud Pro at $25/mo is cheaper. Self-hosting wins when you run many projects or need data on your own infrastructure.
Self-hosting Supabase? Generate your own JWT_SECRET before anything else, and never ship the tutorial values.
Get it wrong later and you invalidate every session and API key already issued. Set it once, keep it safe.
"Just self-host Supabase, it's open source" skips the part that bites.
It is eight services that must come up together, backups become your job, and one mishandled JWT secret logs out every user you have. Worth it, but not free.
Self-hosting Supabase is the most requested and most underestimated deploy in the self-hosting world.
It is not one app. It is eight services that all have to come up together. Here is what you are actually running.
On Miget the whole stack deploys in one click as a Compose Stack, with TLS and domain handled.
Or run supabase-lite from $13/mo if you do not need Realtime and Storage. Full sizing and setup below.