40GB of Bot Traffic Later: I'm Open Sourcing 8,000+ n8n Workflows 🚀

#opensource #webdev #automation

The Dream

Two months ago, I built n8nworkflows.world.
The goal was simple: The official n8n template library was hard to search, and I wanted to build a "Google for n8n" that allowed developers to find workflows by Role (e.g., Marketer, DevOps) or Integration pairs (e.g., "Notion to Slack").

I indexed over 8,400+ verified workflows. Traffic started growing. Real users were finding value. I was happy.

The Attack 🤖

Then, last week, things got weird.
I woke up to check my Google Analytics and saw a massive spike in traffic. But something was off.

Source: 100% Direct/None.
Location: Almost entirely from a single city: Lanzhou, China (a known hub for data centers and proxy pools).
Behavior: They weren't reading the articles. They were hitting the "Copy JSON" endpoint. Systematically. One by one.

The Damage

I checked my Supabase dashboard, and my heart sank.

(Image: My database egress hit 40GB, 600% over the free limit)

The scrapers weren't just visiting; they were downloading the entire database. They sucked out 40GB of data in a few days. My free tier was obliterated, and I was facing potential account suspension.

The Decision: Fight or Fold? 🛡️ vs 🎁

I had two choices:

Fight it: Spend days configuring Cloudflare WAFs, upgrading to enterprise plans, and playing whack-a-mole with rotating IPs.
The "Nuclear" Option: If they want the data so bad... just give it to them.

I realized that as an indie developer, I shouldn't be hoarding this data. The n8n community deserves better access to these templates without me worrying about server bills.

So, I killed the database connection.
I converted the entire site into a static frontend and pushed the entire dataset to GitHub.

🚀 Introducing: Free n8n Workflows (Open Source)

Today, I am officially open-sourcing the entire project.

What you get:

📂 The Database: A full dump of 8,414+ n8n workflows (JSON format).
💻 The Code: The Next.js source code for the search engine.
✅ No Limits: No sign-ups, no server limits, no paywalls.

You can find the repo here:
👉 github.com/pxw3504k-web/free-n8n-workflows

(Please drop a ⭐️ Star if you find it useful! It helps a lot.)

🚧 What I'm Building Next (Coming Soon)

Since I'm no longer maintaining the n8n server, I'm shifting my focus to two mobile apps centered around personal safety and privacy.

They are currently in development. If you like what I did with the open-source n8n project, I'd love for you to join the Waitlist or follow me for the launch.

1. 🆘 LifelineSOS: Family Locator

I'm building a privacy-first alternative to Life360. No ads, no data selling.

Real-time Safety: Private location sharing for your close family.
SOS Alerts: One-tap emergency notifications with location history.
Status: In closed beta. Launching soon.

2. 🕵️‍♂️ Hidden Camera Detector

For the frequent travelers and digital nomads.

Scan Your Room: Detect hidden spy cameras in Hotels and Airbnbs using magnetic sensors and network analysis.
Peace of Mind: Ensure your privacy when you are on the road.
Status: Under active development.

Join Waitlist:

https://forms.gle/ws6ZxMPMk1WGV5658

📢 How to get them?
I will announce the release on my GitHub and X (Twitter).
👉 Follow me on X for Early Access
(Or just Star the n8n repository, and I'll update the README when they are live!)