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.
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