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n8n Installation Guide

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The n8n is a free and open-source workflow automation tool that enables users to connect different applications and services to create custom workflows. It can be seen as an alternative to more commercial platforms like Zapier, Integromat, and others, but with a focus on self-hosting and deeper data integration.

Here are some key points about n8n:

  • Open Source: One of the main distinctions of n8n is that it's open-source, which means users can review its code, contribute to its development, or modify it for their own needs.
  • Self-hosted: n8n can be hosted on your own servers or cloud infrastructure, ensuring data privacy and security. This is especially beneficial for businesses concerned about data sovereignty.
  • Extensible: Users can add their own nodes or functionalities to extend the platform's capabilities.
  • Graphical User Interface: It provides a user-friendly visual interface to design and deploy workflows, making it accessible to both technical and non-technical users.
  • Flexible: It's designed for creating complex workflows. There's no limit to the combinations and integrations you can achieve, unlike some other tools that might have limitations based on pricing tiers.
  • Community and Ecosystem: Being open-source, there's an active community around n8n that develops new nodes, integrations, and shares workflows.

N8n can be used to automate a wide range of tasks, from simple data synchronization between tools to complex business processes. Its free and open-source nature has made it increasingly popular among users who want to have more control over their workflow automation tools and data.

If you like n8n software and don't want to self-host it, support this project by subscribing to their cloud platform.

Before you proceed, make sure you have secured docker daemon.
You can also refer to the securing Docker daemon.

Webnestify can help you secure your server and deploy any applications. Just get in touch.

Prerequisites

Self-hosting n8n requires some technical knowledge:

  • Setting up and configuring servers and containers
  • Managing application resources and scaling
  • Securing servers and applications
  • Configuring n8n
  • 4GB Ram for optimal performance
  • Free Cloudflare Account

Visit n8n installation docs.

You can get 20€ in cloud credits using this link for Hetzner Cloud. Webnestify recommends Hetzner for all of your projects.

Installation

Video Walkthrough

Docker engine

First, we will need to install docker engine on our brand new server.

Visit official installation guide.

Never install docker from other sources or custom repositiories.

Docker compose file:

Copy this code to your docker-compose.yml file

version: "3.7"

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    ports:
      - 5678:5678
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=${SUBDOMAIN}.${DOMAIN_NAME}
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://${SUBDOMAIN}.${DOMAIN_NAME}/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=${GENERIC_TIMEZONE}
      - N8N_EMAIL_MODE=smtp
      - N8N_SMTP_HOST=your_SMTP_server_name
      - N8N_SMTP_PORT=your_SMTP_server_port
      - N8N_SMTP_USER=your_SMTP_username
      - N8N_SMTP_PASS=your_SMTP_password
      - N8N_SMTP_SENDER=sender_email_address
      - N8N_SMTP_SSL=false
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/New_York
      - N8N_DEFAULT_LOCALE=en
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    volumes:
      - ${DATA_FOLDER}/local_files:/files
      - ${DATA_FOLDER}/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n
    
## Full env variables at https://docs.n8n.io/hosting/environment-variables/environment-variables/

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If you need to setup your own Docker instances or need help with security, visit our Docker deployment service.

You can get 20€ in cloud credits using this link for Hetzner Cloud. Webnestify recommends Hetzner for all of your projects.

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