How to Set Up N8N Self-Hosted with Docker

steps

1. Sign up for Digital Ocean
   Create an account on Digital Ocean (new accounts come with a free $200 trial credit). Navigate to the Digital Ocean Marketplace and find the pre-configured N8N droplet.

2. Create a Droplet
   Select the N8N droplet from the marketplace, choose a region, and configure hardware specifications. A basic shared CPU with minimal resources is sufficient for most initial setups.

3. Set Up Authentication
   Choose SSH key-based authentication for secure access to the droplet. Generate and upload the public SSH key if needed.

4. Point Your Domain to the Droplet
   Configure an A record in your domain's DNS settings to point to your droplet's public IP address.

   bashCopy

   # Example of pinging your domain to check DNS propagation
   ping example.com

5. Run the Setup Script
   SSH into your droplet:

   ssh root@<your-droplet-IP>
   # Example: ssh root@123.45.67.89

The setup script will initiate automatically. Provide:

• A fully qualified domain name for your N8N instance.
• An email for setting up a free SSL from Let's Encrypt.

6. Confirm your Installation
   Once the setup finishes, access your N8N instance using your chosen domain (e.g., https://n8n.example.com), and proceed with creating a new owner account.

steps

1. Create a Project Directory
   Set up a new directory on your local machine.

   bashCopy

   mkdir n8n-docker-setup
   cd n8n-docker-setup

2. Create a docker-compose.yml File
   Create and edit the docker-compose.yml file.

   yamlCopy

   version: "3"
   services:
     postgres:
       image: postgres:13
       restart: always
       environment:
         POSTGRES_USER: n8n
         POSTGRES_PASSWORD: n8npassword
         POSTGRES_DB: n8n
       ports:
         - "5432:5432"
       volumes:
         - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
     n8n:
       image: n8nio/n8n
       restart: always
       ports:
         - "5678:5678"
       environment:
         DB_TYPE: postgresdb
         DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST: postgres
         DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT: 5432
         DB_POSTGRESDB_USERNAME: n8n
         DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: n8npassword
         DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE: n8n
         N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE: "false"
         N8N_HOST: "localhost" # Local testing
       volumes:
         - n8n-data:/home/node/.n8n
   volumes:
     n8n-data:
     postgres-data:

3. Run the Containers
   Start the environment using Docker Compose.

   docker-compose up -d

4. Access N8N Locally
   Visit http://localhost:5678 in your browser to complete setup and create an owner account.

steps

1. Check DNS Propagation
   Confirm your domain points to the correct droplet IP using a ping command.

   ping example.com
   # Ensure the IP matches your droplet's IP

2. Access Your Instance
   Use your browser to visit:

   • https://n8n.example.com (Digital Ocean setup)
   • http://localhost:5678 (Local Docker setup)

3. Test Workflows
   Create and run a basic workflow to ensure N8N operates as expected. For instance, set up a trigger node and connect it to a simple email or schedule-based automation.