How to Self-Host n8n Workflow Automation

What Is n8n?

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool similar to Zapier. It lets you connect different services and automate tasks with a visual node-based editor.

Requirements

• A Breeze with at least 2 GB RAM
• Docker and Docker Compose

Docker Compose Setup

mkdir -p /opt/n8n && cd /opt/n8n
cat > docker-compose.yml <<'EOF'
services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/New_York
    volumes:
      - n8n-data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n-data:
EOF

docker compose up -d

Reverse Proxy with Nginx

server {
    server_name n8n.yourdomain.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header Connection "";
        chunked_transfer_encoding off;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_cache off;
    }
}

Example Workflows

• Monitor a website and send Slack alerts on downtime
• Automatically create support tickets from email
• Sync data between CRM and spreadsheet
• Post social media updates on a schedule
• Process incoming webhooks and trigger actions