How Can I Run n8n Pro Locally for ERP REST API Integration?

Below is some guidance based on what n8n recommends, along with comments on licensing and system setup:

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Pro/Enterprise Licensing on a Local Instance

• Local Activation:
  n8n’s open‑source Community Edition is fully available to install locally. Extra features in the Community Edition can be unlocked by registering your instance via a free license key. However, if you’re interested in pro/enterprise features (such as SSO, external secrets, projects, etc.), these aren’t simply unlocked on any local installation via an activation key. Instead, the enterprise (or pro) offering is available as a separate licensing model—often as a self‑hosted Enterprise plan or through n8n Cloud. For precise details on activating pro/enterprise features on a local instance, it’s best to contact n8n sales/support for the exact licensing options and activation process.

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Setup Recommendations

• Dedicated Database:
  It is strongly recommended that each n8n instance uses a dedicated database (for example, PostgreSQL or SQLite if you’re running a small installation). A dedicated database prevents dependencies and helps maintain performance and stability. Using a separate database also reduces the risk of interference with other applications and ensures that n8n can properly manage workflows, credentials, and execution logs.

• Handling Connection Drops:
  n8n stores workflows, execution data, and credentials in its database. If a network or database connection is dropped, workflow executions may not proceed as expected and some in‑progress data might not be saved correctly. In production, you should consider:

  • Using persistent storage (for instance, persistent volumes in containerized deployments) so that data isn’t lost when instances are restarted.
  • Configuring proper monitoring and having mechanisms like automated retries or alerts when connectivity issues to your database or other critical services occur.
  • If you are using queue mode (which is recommended for improved scalability), keep in mind that both your message broker (e.g. Redis) and database need to be robustly set up with failover/back‑up strategies.

  By ensuring high availability and persistent storage, you help guarantee that even if connections drop temporarily, the state of your workflows is preserved, and you can recover from unexpected outages.

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Final Recommendations

• License Inquiry:
  Since you’re exploring pro features for a local n8n setup, check directly with n8n’s team regarding the available self‑hosted Enterprise options to understand the activation process—they will provide the details on how the license key can be applied with the locally installed instance.

• Infrastructure Planning:
  Ensure that you have planned for dedicated resources (especially a dedicated database, possibly a robust message broker if you’re scaling via queue mode, and persistent volumes) to avoid data loss or performance degradation, especially in scenarios where service connections drop.

By following these practices, you can safely implement a strong local setup to integrate your ERP’s REST API with n8n while ensuring that workflow data is retained and that any connectivity issues are minimized in production.

Feel free to ask if you need additional details on any of the setup aspects!