Best Practices for Handling Large File Transfers Outside of n8n?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for advice on best practices for moving files outside of n8n when working with large or numerous file operations.

Here’s my situation:

I’m using n8n to automate creative workflows (generating and processing ~20+ image files at a time).
After generation, I need to download these images and upload them into Google Drive and then give them share access.
However, I’ve run into problems with memory overloads, binary data size limits, and slow or fragile file handling inside n8n itself.

To workaround it, I’ve started executing Node.js scripts separately via Execute Command or HTTP Request nodes that move/download files outside of n8n — directly on the server.

What I’m wondering is:

What’s the best practice for handling file downloads/uploads at scale outside of n8n but still connected to the automation?
Is it common to spin off lightweight external scripts (Node.js, bash, etc.)?
Are there better patterns or microservice designs to offload file operations cleanly?
How do people handle Google Drive uploads reliably without bogging down n8n memory?

Ideally, I want the flow to stay fully automated, resilient, and low-memory.

Appreciate any wisdom, architecture patterns, or lessons learned here!

Thanks so much. 🙏

— Shawn

2 comments