FL0W: A Self-Hosted Visual Workflow Automation Tool

Miloserdev — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 19:30:24 +0000

I've been working on FL0W, an open-source visual workflow automation platform inspired by tools like n8n.

The idea is simple: build automations visually, run them locally, and keep full control over your data and execution environment.

What makes FL0W different?

54 built-in blocks — HTTP, Telegram, Jira, IMAP/SMTP, Microsoft Graph, file operations, data transformations, and more.
Process isolation — every workflow execution runs in its own Node.js process.
Visual debugging — inspect inputs, outputs, parameters, logs, and errors at every node.
Background execution — publish workflows with webhook, interval, Telegram, email, and other triggers.
AI Code Agent — an agent-style block with tools and memory.
Self-hosted — no cloud account, external database, or third-party execution service required.

Workflows are stored as plain JSON, and the execution model is intentionally simple and predictable.

Get started

You can run FL0W with Node.js:

git clone https://github.com/miloserdev/fl0w.git
cd fl0w
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm start

Or use Docker Compose:

docker compose up -d --build

Then open http://localhost:3000.

FL0W vs n8n

FL0W operates in the same space as n8n, but takes a different approach: a smaller execution model, one JSON value per port, isolated workflow processes, and no server-side credentials database.

It's an independent implementation, not an n8n fork.

The project is released under GPL-2.0-only.

Check it out

GitHub: https://github.com/miloserdev/fl0w

I'd appreciate feedback, ideas, and contributions!

If you're interested in self-hosted automation or building workflow engines, give it a look.

DEV Community: Miloserdev

FL0W: A Self-Hosted Visual Workflow Automation Tool

What makes FL0W different?

Get started

FL0W vs n8n

Check it out