5 Ways Flowise Was Deployed
Yulei ChenFlowise reached end of life on August 31, 2026. Active development stopped on July 29, and the repository was archived with its npm packages and Docker images marked deprecated on August 13. Sliplane no longer offers the Flowise preset for new deployments. Read the official announcement and compare maintained Flowise alternatives.
Flowise was an open-source visual builder for LLM workflows and AI agents. This article originally compared five ways to deploy it. Those options are retained below as historical context, not as recommendations for new projects.
Historical deployment options
| Method | Previous use case | Status after Flowise EOL |
|---|---|---|
| Sliplane preset | Managed one-click deployment | Retired for new deployments |
| Hetzner VPS | Self-managed production server | Existing installations only |
| Local Docker | Development and testing | Existing installations only |
| Kubernetes | Large-scale deployments | Existing installations only |
| Flowise Cloud | Official managed service | Wound down with the project |
The Apache 2.0 source remains available in the archived repository, so teams may continue running the last release or maintain a fork. However, the official npm packages and Docker images are deprecated, pull requests are no longer reviewed, and official core-team support has ended.
What existing Flowise users should do
- Export and back up flows, credentials, databases, and uploaded files.
- Pin the exact image or package version currently in use rather than tracking
latest. - Document external integrations and custom nodes before evaluating migration targets.
- Decide whether your team can maintain a private fork or should migrate to an active project.
- Test the replacement with representative workflows before switching production traffic.
Our archived Docker Compose guide and Hetzner guide remain available for operators who need to understand an existing installation.
Maintained Flowise alternatives
- n8n is the strongest fit when AI steps are part of broader app and data automation.
- Langflow is the closest visual AI builder for teams that want Python flexibility and RAG tooling.
- Dify combines datasets, prompts, workflows, and app publishing in one platform.
- Activepieces focuses on open-source workflow automation, integrations, AI agents, and MCP.
- Haystack is a code-first Python framework for teams building custom RAG and search pipelines.
See our full Flowise alternatives comparison for features, tradeoffs, pricing, and self-hosting options.
FAQ
Q: Can I still run an existing Flowise installation? A: Yes. The archived source remains available under Apache 2.0, but you are responsible for maintenance because upstream development and official support have ended.
Q: Can I create a new Flowise service from the Sliplane preset? A: No. Sliplane removed the Flowise preset for new deployments after the project reached end of life. Existing services are not removed.
Q: Which alternative is closest to Flowise? A: Langflow is the closest visual AI builder in this list. n8n is a better fit when your workflows also need broad SaaS automation. Compare all five options in the alternatives guide.
