Welcome to the podcast where we rip automation out of the overpriced, bubble-wrapped hands of Zapier and shove it—screaming—into the industrial-grade engine room that is Docker. Yes, we’re talking n8n, the open-source automation tool for people who don’t faint at the sight of a terminal.

This episode is your brutally honest, step-by-step survival guide to deploying n8n in Docker like a proper adult—not like those people still using Zapier, as if it’s 2015 and they’ve just discovered drag-and-drop. https://alfabuster.com/the-ultimate-n8n-docker-setup-guide-2025-because-zapier-is-too-mainstream-and-expensive/

Spoiler: we don’t like per-task pricing. We don’t like limits. And we especially don’t like giving money to companies for things our Raspberry Pi could automate in its sleep.

We dive into Docker Compose, because writing docker run commands by hand is about as fun as changing a tyre in a hurricane. We’ll tackle persistent volumes, SSL via Nginx, and explain why running n8n on port 5678 is like leaving your house unlocked with a sign that says "Rob me, I’m clueless."

Security? Covered. Logging? Sharper than your boss’s midlife crisis hair transplant. Permissions? Bulletproof.

Secrets? Managed tighter than MI6 on a caffeine bender.

By the end, you’ll have a fortress of an automation stack that costs less than a cup of coffee—and won’t whine at you for "exceeding your task quota."

So grab your keyboard, docker-compose up, and prepare to join the rebellion. Because Zapier is for normies. And you, dear listener, are not a normie.