March 2022 Summaries

The text discusses the importance of database backups as a means to safeguard data, focusing on automating backup management in CrateDB using no-code workflows in n8n. It outlines the process of creating and managing database snapshots, which serve as backups in CrateDB, highlighting the benefits of incremental backups that save only new data since the last backup. The article uses the Iris Dataset to illustrate key backup management use cases, such as automatic generation and deletion of outdated snapshots, and memory usage assessment. It provides detailed guidance on setting up a repository on Amazon S3 for storage and creating workflows to automate tasks like generating, monitoring, and reporting errors in backups. Tools such as CrateDB, a scalable database management system, and n8n, a task automation tool, are essential in this process. The article concludes by emphasizing the advantages of automation in ensuring the reliability and availability of data, suggesting potential extensions to the discussed workflows for enhanced data management efficiency.

n8n has transitioned from its previous Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause license to a new Sustainable Use License to address ambiguities and enhance clarity on permissible uses while supporting a sustainable business model. The new license restricts software use to internal business purposes, clarifying previous limitations on selling the software, and lifts restrictions on charging fees for consulting or support services related to n8n. This change reflects a growing trend among companies to create custom licenses to balance open-source benefits with commercial viability, as seen with other organizations like MongoDB and Elastic. The Sustainable Use License aims to establish a new standard in fair-code licensing, ensuring free use, extensibility, and open-source availability, yet maintaining commercial restrictions. This approach seeks to protect the value created by open-source projects from being solely monetized by external entities without benefiting the original developers, thereby enabling continued development and support.

The first version of User Management for self-hosted n8n is now available, enabling users to invite team members to their n8n instance, where they can create workflows and credentials. This feature aims to simplify managing multiple n8n instances within a team, department, or company by allowing owners to have CRUD capabilities over all workflows and credentials created by members. Future enhancements to the User Management feature are being planned, such as adding more granular permissions and sharing options, with user feedback encouraged via the forum.

n8n has expressed shock and condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has decided to cease accepting new cloud customers from Russia and Belarus starting March 7th, in an effort to ensure that their business actions do not inadvertently finance the ongoing conflict. Existing customers in these countries have been given a 60-day period to migrate their n8n cloud instances, after which no further payments will be accepted. Despite these measures, the company will not restrict access to its site, resources, desktop app, or source code for self-hosting, and will continue to support all community members through its forum, irrespective of their nationality or country of origin. Furthermore, n8n has made an appeal for peace and expresses solidarity with those affected by the events in Ukraine.