FlowForge — Self-Hosted, Open-Source
Deploy Node-RED applications in a reliable, scalable and secure manner. The FlowForge platform provides DevOps capabilities for Node-RED development teams.
License: Apache-2.0. Built with: JavaScript, Vue, TypeScript, SCSS, CSS, Dockerfile, HTML. Website: https://flowforge.com/. Source: https://github.com/FlowFuse/flowfuse.
Features
- AI-assisted collaborative development - Multiple developers can work together on a single Node-RED instance. Our FlowFuse Assistant accelerates building data logic, generating code from natural language, and automating data flows securely.
- Scalable, remote deployment - Automate deployment of standardized Node-RED snapshots across edge devices and multiple remote locations with centralized control.
- AI-powered data transformation - Transform raw data into structured, unified models using AI-assisted low-code tools that generate SQL, JavaScript, and custom logic from simple descriptions.
- Flexible hosting - FlowFuse is available from FlowFuse Cloud, a managed cloud service, or a self-hosted solution.
- Pro-Support - FlowFuse offers professional technical support for FlowFuse and Node-RED.
- Interactive dashboards with AI support - Quickly build custom KPIs and visualization dashboards as AI generates UI components from your specifications.
- DevOps pipelines for industrial scale - Manage development, test, and production environments with integrated CI/CD pipelines and AI-driven version control summaries for easier governance.
- Enterprise security framework - Built-in monitoring, audit trails, and role-based access controls ensure production-ready and compliant deployments.
Installation
See official install docs: https://flowfuse.com/docs
Why self-host FlowForge
Self-hosting gives you three things SaaS can’t: data ownership (the files live on disks you control), cost predictability (a one-time setup vs. recurring per-seat fees that grow with your household or team), and longevity (open-source means the app keeps working even if the maintainers move on, since you can pin a working version). The trade-off is that you take on the operational work of running a server, applying updates, and handling backups.
What hardware do you need
Most self-hosted apps run comfortably on modest hardware — a Raspberry Pi 4, a mini PC, a NAS with Docker support, or a small VPS is usually enough for personal or family use. CPU and RAM requirements scale with how many simultaneous users or how much data you push through FlowForge. Storage requirements depend on the kind of data you keep; check the README for guidance on data retention.
Last verified: 2026-04-21