This article provides a step-by-step how-to guide to deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS.

Table of Contents

What is n8n?

n8n is an open-source, self-hostable workflow automation platform—similar to Zapier or Make.com, but far more flexible because you can run it on your own server and build fully customizable automations.

⭐ What n8n Does

n8n lets you:

Create automated workflows using a visual drag-and-drop editor
Connect APIs from hundreds of services (webhooks, CRMs, databases, email, cloud apps, etc.)
Run background tasks (cron jobs, scheduled scripts, daily digests)
Process data with built-in JavaScript functions
Handle complex logic, branching, loops, error handling, variables, and more
Host it yourself on a VPS, Docker, Kubernetes, or local machine

🧩 Why People Use n8n

Open-source — unlimited workflows without expensive per-task pricing
Extremely expandable — create your own custom nodes and integrations
Self-hostable — keeps your data private and under your control
Event-driven — ideal for incoming webhooks and API integrations
Code-friendly while remaining beginner-friendly

⚡ Examples of What You Can Build

Webhook intake → Transform JSON → Push to CRM
Scrape RSS feeds → Filter → Auto-post to social media
Database event → Send Slack/Telegram alerts
Cron job → Query API → Save to Google Sheets
Stripe order → Generate PDF invoice → Email client
Custom ETL pipelines between systems

🧱 How n8n is Typically Deployed

Most common setup:

Docker container (recommended)
Reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy/Traefik)
HTTPS / Let’s Encrypt
Persistent storage volume
PostgreSQL (optional, for scale)

🔑 In Short

n8n = your own private Zapier, with no limits.

This setup will use:

Docker + Docker Compose
A dedicated external volume for persistence
Optional Traefik/HTTPS support
A .env file to manage environment variables

🚀 Overview

n8n is a fair-code licensed automation platform, ideal for receiving, processing, and triggering workflows via webhooks, API integrations, and more.

✅ Prerequisites

Ensure you have Docker installed on your server or VPS:

docker --version
docker compose version

If not, install Docker and Docker Compose:

# Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | bash

# Docker Compose v2 (plugin)
sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin -y

How to Deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS

To deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS, follow the steps outlined below:

📁 Create Project Directory
```
mkdir -p ~/n8n-docker
cd ~/n8n-docker
```

📝 Create `.env` File

Create a .env file to store sensitive environment variables.

nano .env

Paste the following:

# n8n config
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=supersecurepassword

# Timezone
TZ=America/Chicago

# External hostname for webhook URLs
N8N_HOST=your.domain.com
N8N_PORT=5678
WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL=https://your.domain.com

# Database (optional; use SQLite or Postgres)
# DB_TYPE=postgresdb
# DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
# DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
# DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
# DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
# DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=n8npassword

Change credentials and N8N_HOST as needed.

🐳 Create `docker-compose.yml`

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following:

version: "3.8"

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    container_name: n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - TZ=${TZ}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
      - N8N_PORT=${N8N_PORT}
      - WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL=${WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL}
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    networks:
      - n8nnet

volumes:
  n8n_data:

networks:
  n8nnet:
    driver: bridge

🔐 Enable HTTPS (Reverse Proxy via Traefik or Nginx)

To enable HTTPS:
- Add a reverse proxy service like Traefik or Nginx Proxy Manager
- Point your domain DNS to your VPS IP
- Use Let’s Encrypt for free TLS

▶️ Launch n8n

docker compose up -d

Check the logs:

docker compose logs -f

🌐 Access Your n8n Instance

Open a browser and go to:
```
http://your-server-ip:5678
```
Or (if using a domain):
```
https://your.domain.com
```
Use the username/password you set in .env.

Navigate to n8n using your browser to login.
📤 Webhook URLs in Production

Make sure to use the public-facing URL for webhook calls:
```
https://your.domain.com/webhook/{path}
```
If you don’t specify N8N_HOST and WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL, n8n will default to local addresses (not suitable for production).

💾 Backups

Your workflow data is saved in the Docker volume n8n_data. To back it up:

docker run --rm --volumes-from n8n -v $(pwd):/backup ubuntu tar czf /backup/n8n-backup.tar.gz /home/node/.n8n

🧠 Notes

SQLite is default for persistence. Use Postgres for team setups or high availability.
n8n is stateless, so make sure environment variables are backed up.
You can also set up email alerts, Slack notifications, or cron-based triggers.

Here’s a complete HTTPS-enabled Docker deployment of n8n using Let’s Encrypt, including a ready-to-import workflow for parsing incoming webhooks.

🛠️ PART 1: HTTPS-Enabled Deployment with Let’s Encrypt (via Traefik)

This guide uses Traefik reverse proxy with automatic SSL (Let’s Encrypt), all in Docker.

✅ Prerequisites

DNS A record pointed to your VPS (e.g., n8n.example.com → your.server.ip)
Docker + Docker Compose
Ports 80 and 443 open

📁 Project Structure

mkdir -p ~/n8n-traefik
cd ~/n8n-traefik

📝 `.env` (Environment Variables)

# n8n credentials
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=SuperSecurePassword123

# Domain
DOMAIN=n8n.example.com
EMAIL=your@email.com

🐳 `docker-compose.yml`

version: '3.8'

services:
  traefik:
    image: traefik:v2.11
    container_name: traefik
    restart: unless-stopped
    command:
      - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
      - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
      - "--providers.docker=true"
      - "--providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.email=${EMAIL}"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.tlschallenge=true"
      - "--api.dashboard=true"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - "./letsencrypt:/letsencrypt"
      - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro"
    networks:
      - n8nnet

  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    container_name: n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=${DOMAIN}
      - N8N_PORT=443
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://${DOMAIN}
      - VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API=https://${DOMAIN}
      - TZ=America/Chicago
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.n8n.rule=Host(`${DOMAIN}`)"
      - "traefik.http.routers.n8n.entrypoints=websecure"
      - "traefik.http.routers.n8n.tls.certresolver=le"
      - "traefik.http.services.n8n.loadbalancer.server.port=5678"
    networks:
      - n8nnet

volumes:
  n8n_data:

networks:
  n8nnet:
    driver: bridge

🔐 Launch the Stack

docker compose up -d

Your n8n instance should now be accessible at:

https://n8n.example.com

🌐 PART 2: Ready-to-Import n8n Webhook Workflow

This workflow listens for a POST webhook with JSON input, parses the data, and responds with a confirmation.

📥 Import JSON

Here’s a minimal n8n workflow you can import:

📄 Click to Expand JSON

{
  "name": "Webhook Listener",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "path": "incoming-webhook",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "WebhookTrigger",
      "name": "Webhook Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [240, 300],
      "webhookId": "custom-id"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "functionCode": "return [{ json: {\n  message: \"Webhook received!\",\n  input: $json\n} }];"
      },
      "id": "Function",
      "name": "Respond",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [480, 300]
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Webhook Trigger": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Respond",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "active": false
}

📤 How to Import:

Log in to https://n8n.example.com
Go to Workflows > Import
Paste the JSON above or upload as .json
Activate the workflow

Now test it:

curl -X POST https://n8n.example.com/webhook/incoming-webhook \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Larry","project":"Webhook Parser"}'

Response:

{
  "message": "Webhook received!",
  "input": {
    "name": "Larry",
    "project": "Webhook Parser"
  }
}

Conclusion

You now know how to deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS.

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🚀 Deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS (Quick-Start Guide)

What is n8n?

⭐ What n8n Does

🧩 Why People Use n8n

⚡ Examples of What You Can Build

🧱 How n8n is Typically Deployed

🔑 In Short

🚀 Overview

✅ Prerequisites

How to Deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS

📁 Create Project Directory

📝 Create `.env` File

🐳 Create `docker-compose.yml`

🔐 Enable HTTPS (Reverse Proxy via Traefik or Nginx)

▶️ Launch n8n

🌐 Access Your n8n Instance

📤 Webhook URLs in Production

💾 Backups

🧠 Notes

🛠️ PART 1: HTTPS-Enabled Deployment with Let’s Encrypt (via Traefik)

✅ Prerequisites

📁 Project Structure

📝 `.env` (Environment Variables)

🐳 `docker-compose.yml`

🔐 Launch the Stack

🌐 PART 2: Ready-to-Import n8n Webhook Workflow

📥 Import JSON

📤 How to Import:

Conclusion

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What is n8n?

⭐ What n8n Does

🧩 Why People Use n8n

⚡ Examples of What You Can Build

🧱 How n8n is Typically Deployed

🔑 In Short

🚀 Overview

✅ Prerequisites

How to Deploy n8n on Ubuntu VPS

📁 Create Project Directory

📝 Create .env File

🐳 Create docker-compose.yml

🔐 Enable HTTPS (Reverse Proxy via Traefik or Nginx)

▶️ Launch n8n

🌐 Access Your n8n Instance

📤 Webhook URLs in Production

💾 Backups

🧠 Notes

🛠️ PART 1: HTTPS-Enabled Deployment with Let’s Encrypt (via Traefik)

✅ Prerequisites

📁 Project Structure

📝 .env (Environment Variables)

🐳 docker-compose.yml

🔐 Launch the Stack

🌐 PART 2: Ready-to-Import n8n Webhook Workflow

📥 Import JSON

📤 How to Import:

Conclusion

Related Posts

Editorial Staff

Services

Categories

Recent Posts

Save on VPS Hosting!

We’re Social!

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📝 Create `.env` File

🐳 Create `docker-compose.yml`

📝 `.env` (Environment Variables)

🐳 `docker-compose.yml`