# Activepieces + Postgres

Apache-2.0 Zapier alternative: Activepieces with Postgres and Redis.

**Replaces:** Zapier / Make

**Tier:** Easy

## Problem

Zapier and Make meter every run. If you want a fully open-source pieces model instead of n8n's fair-code license, Activepieces is the other box.

## Stack

- [Activepieces](https://activepieces.com/) — Open-source Zapier alternative
- [Postgres](https://www.postgresql.org/) — Flows, runs, and connections
- [Redis](https://redis.io/) — Job queue (required)

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---:|---|
| Make Pro / Teams | $2,400 | Activepieces + Postgres + Redis |
| Zapier Professional (team) | $3,600 | Same box, or /stacks/n8n-automation |

**About $2,400 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

One-click template from github.com/9o4t/activepieces: official ghcr.io/activepieces/activepieces + Railway Postgres and Redis. Template generates AP_ENCRYPTION_KEY and AP_JWT_SECRET, wires AP_FRONTEND_URL. No operator API keys. n8n is a separate template at /stacks/n8n-automation.

[Deploy on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/activepieces?from=%2Fstacks%2Factivepieces.md)

## AGENT_PROMPT

```
Deploy self-hosted Activepieces that replaces Zapier/Make.

Use the official ghcr.io/activepieces/activepieces image plus Postgres and Redis. Do not combine n8n in this project — that is a separate stack at /stacks/n8n-automation.
- One container, AP_CONTAINER_TYPE=WORKER_AND_APP, AP_PORT=$PORT.
- Set AP_FRONTEND_URL to the Railway public https domain.
- Generate AP_ENCRYPTION_KEY (openssl rand -hex 16) and AP_JWT_SECRET (openssl rand -hex 32). Back them up.
- Wire AP_POSTGRES_URL and AP_REDIS_URL. Health check GET /api/v1/health.
```

## FAQ

### Why Redis?

The official image uses Redis for the job queue. This template does not use in-memory Redis.

### n8n or Activepieces?

Activepieces if you want Apache-2.0 and a simpler pieces model. n8n if you want the biggest node library — that template is /stacks/n8n-automation.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/activepieces