n8n-self-hosting

Deploying self-hosted n8n

This skill takes a fresh Linux VM (Ubuntu/Debian, root or sudo SSH) to a running, HTTPS, production n8n via Docker Compose behind Caddy (automatic Let's Encrypt TLS). It is for self-hosted n8n on Docker — not n8n Cloud, and not for building workflows (that's the rest of this pack).

Two deployment modes. The architectures differ, so pick the mode before doing anything.

You drive this end-to-end over SSH: preflight → install Docker → lay down the project → generate secrets → launch → verify TLS → hand off. The template files live in assets/; the per-mode and security depth live in the reference files named below.

Rule 0 — choose the mode (ask the user)

Do not guess. Ask, then commit to one:

If unsure, start single — it's the simplest correct thing and covers most needs. Moving to queue later means swapping the compose file and migrating SQLite→Postgres, so if the user already expects real volume, start queue.

Rule 1 — secret hygiene (non-negotiable)

A misstep here leaks client credentials. Be diligent:

1. Generate every secret fresh, on the target box. Never copy an encryption key, DB password, or .env from another n8n instance into this one. See SECURITY.md for the openssl commands.
2. Secrets live only in .env (mode 600), referenced by the compose as ${VAR}. Never inline a secret into docker-compose.yml, the Caddyfile, or anything you commit.
3. The N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY is sacred. It encrypts every stored credential. If it's lost or changes, all saved credentials become undecryptable. Set it explicitly, and tell the user to back it up off the box. Don't echo it into long-lived logs or chat history beyond what's needed to hand it over.
4. Never expose internal services. Only Caddy (80/443) is public. n8n (5678), Postgres (5432), Redis (6379) stay on the private Docker network — the templates already omit their host port mappings. Don't add them.
5. .env and Caddy's caddy_data volume (the issued certs + ACME account key) are not artifacts to share. If you're working inside a git repo, confirm .env is git-ignored before any commit.

Inputs to collect up front

• SSH target — user@host and how you authenticate (key path or the user confirms the agent already has access). Root or a sudo user.
• Domain — the full hostname n8n will live at, e.g. n8n.example.com (→ SUBDOMAIN=n8n, DOMAIN_NAME=example.com). The user must control its DNS.
• TLS email — for Let's Encrypt (SSL_EMAIL).
• Timezone — IANA name for Schedule/Cron nodes (e.g. Europe/Warsaw), else Etc/UTC.
• Mode — single or queue (Rule 0). Queue → confirm the box has enough RAM (rough floor ~4 GB; each worker wants ~1–2 GB).
• Optional modules — some features (currently Agents) are backend modules that stay off unless listed in N8N_ENABLED_MODULES. Ask only if the user brings one up; if they do, read the modules section of QUEUE_MODE.md before enabling it, because in queue mode it has to reach the workers as well.

The deploy flow

Work through these in order. SINGLE_MODE.md / QUEUE_MODE.md give the mode-specific command detail; SECURITY.md covers secret generation and hardening; DAY2.md covers update/backup/restore.

1. Preflight (the cheapest failure is the one you catch here)

• SSH in; confirm the OS is Debian/Ubuntu-like (. /etc/os-release).
• DNS must already point at the box. Compare the box's public IP (curl -s ifconfig.me) with dig +short <fqdn> (run it from the box AND ideally your laptop). If they don't match, stop — Caddy's ACME challenge will fail. Have the user create the A record, wait for it to propagate, then continue.
• Ports 80 and 443 must be reachable from the internet. Check the host firewall AND any cloud security group / network firewall (Hetzner Cloud, AWS SG, etc.) — these are outside the box and a common silent blocker.

2. Install Docker (if absent)

• Check docker --version and docker compose version. If missing, install Docker Engine + the Compose plugin (Docker's official get.docker.com script on Ubuntu/Debian is fine). Re-check docker compose version before proceeding.

3. Lay down the project

• Pick DATA_FOLDER — an absolute path, e.g. /opt/n8n. The DATA_FOLDER value in .env must equal this exact directory (the compose mounts ${DATA_FOLDER}/caddy_config/Caddyfile, and init-data.sh is mounted via a relative ./ path), so always run docker compose from here. Create it, plus caddy_config/ and local_files/ inside.
• Get the template files onto the box. They live in this skill's assets/ on your machine, not on the server — transfer each one. Either scp them up, or (no local copy needed) write each file's contents over SSH, e.g. ssh <target> 'cat > <DATA_FOLDER>/docker-compose.yml' < assets/docker-compose.single.yml. Land them with these exact names:
  • the chosen compose → <DATA_FOLDER>/docker-compose.yml (rename it to exactly this)
  • Caddyfile → <DATA_FOLDER>/caddy_config/Caddyfile
  • queue only: init-data.sh → <DATA_FOLDER>/init-data.sh, then chmod +x it
  • the matching .env.*.example → <DATA_FOLDER>/.env

4. Fill .env + generate secrets

• Set DATA_FOLDER, DOMAIN_NAME, SUBDOMAIN, SSL_EMAIL, GENERIC_TIMEZONE.
• Generate each secret on the box with openssl (SECURITY.md has the commands) and write it into .env, replacing the matching REPLACE_WITH_… placeholder: N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY; queue also POSTGRES_PASSWORD + POSTGRES_NON_ROOT_PASSWORD.
• Before launching, confirm none are left unset: grep REPLACE_WITH_ .env must return nothing — a leftover placeholder becomes the literal password and Postgres/n8n fail to connect.
• chmod 600 .env. Record the encryption key so the user can back it up off-box.

5. Firewall

• ufw: allow OpenSSH + 80 + 443, then enable. Do not open 5678/5432/6379.

6. Launch

• cd <DATA_FOLDER> && docker compose up -d.
• Queue mode brings up Redis + Postgres + main + workers (workers via replicas). To add capacity: docker compose up -d --scale n8n-worker=N.

7. Verify (don't declare success without this)

• docker compose ps — every service Up/healthy (queue: postgres & redis healthy first).
• n8n itself up (internal): docker compose exec n8n wget -qO- http://localhost:5678/healthz → {"status":"ok"}. This separates "n8n is running" from "TLS isn't ready yet."
• Cert issued: docker compose logs caddy | grep -i 'certificate obtained'. First-boot ACME can take a minute or two; until it finishes, a public https:// request fails TLS — that means the cert is still pending, not that n8n is down.
• Public reachability (with retry): curl -fsS --retry 5 --retry-delay 10 https://<fqdn>/healthz → {"status":"ok"}. (/healthz only proves the process is reachable; /healthz/readiness additionally confirms the DB is connected and migrated — use it when debugging a boot loop.)
• Queue mode — main and workers must agree. Diff their environments: diff <(docker compose exec -T n8n env | sort) <(docker compose exec -T --index 1 n8n-worker env | sort). Only the public-URL/proxy vars should differ. Anything else means a behavioural setting reached the main but not the workers — and workers are what execute workflows, so it fails at runtime in one node rather than at boot. QUEUE_MODE.md explains the rule.
• Open https://<fqdn> → the owner setup screen. Whoever completes that signup form first claims the instance — an exposed un-owned instance is a race, so create the owner account immediately, before sharing the URL. Enable 2FA. (Automated deploys can pre-provision the owner via env vars instead — see the owner row in SECURITY.md.)

8. Hand off

• Give the user: the URL, where the project lives, the encryption key to store safely, and the Day-2 basics (update / backup / restore) from DAY2.md.

What NOT to do

• Don't skip the DNS/ports preflight. A wrong A record or a closed cloud firewall is the #1 reason Caddy can't get a cert and n8n looks "broken."
• Don't publish 5678/5432/6379 to the host. Caddy reaches n8n over the private network.
• Don't reuse another instance's encryption key or .env. Fresh secrets per box.
• Don't run queue mode on SQLite. Queue requires Postgres (the template already wires it).
• Don't put secrets in docker-compose.yml or the Caddyfile. .env only.
• Don't add a behavioural env var to the main only (queue mode). Modules, DB, queue, binary-data and encryption settings belong in the shared x-n8n-env anchor so workers get them too; only the public-URL/proxy vars are main-only. See QUEUE_MODE.md.
• Don't use :latest blindly. Pin N8N_IMAGE_TAG; update deliberately (DAY2.md).

Reference files

• SINGLE_MODE.md — single-instance specifics, SQLite vs Postgres, when to graduate to queue.
• QUEUE_MODE.md — queue architecture, workers/concurrency/scaling, shared encryption key, the main-vs-worker env-parity rule, optional backend modules (N8N_ENABLED_MODULES, e.g. Agents), binary data (database mode — filesystem is unsupported in queue mode; S3/Azure = Enterprise), webhook processors, multi-main licensing.
• SECURITY.md — generating secrets, the encryption-key rules, the full hardening checklist (telemetry off, env-access block, public API, firewall, secure cookies).
• CREDENTIAL_OVERWRITES.md — managed OAuth: register one OAuth app instance-wide so users never see a client ID/secret ("Sign in with Google" on self-hosted). The endpoint-vs-env choice, the mandatory endpoint auth token, parent-type inheritance, persistence and worker reload.
• DAY2.md — changing a setting (env var) safely, updating the image, backing up (encryption key + volume + Postgres), and restoring.
• assets/ — the templates: docker-compose.single.yml, docker-compose.queue.yml, Caddyfile, .env.single.example, .env.queue.example, init-data.sh.

Authoritative upstream reference: the official hosting docs live at https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n (restructured mid-2026 from the old /hosting/ paths — prefer these URLs). The env-var reference index is at https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration/use-environment-variables. When this skill and the live docs disagree, trust the docs and tell the user.*