Self-hosting n8n on an Ubuntu Server

Want to automate tasks using n8n but prefer to fully control your infrastructure? By self-hosting n8n on a Linux Ubuntu server, you can cut down costs and manage your data yourself!

Follow along this easy-to-understand guide to learn how you can deploy your own n8n instance using Docker and Caddy Web server for automatic HTTPS.

Before we start, make sure you have:

• a running Ubuntu Linux server instance. A good option is Hetzner, but any Ubuntu server that you can login to with SSH and that has a public IP address works.
• basic SSH experience.

Step 1: Update Your Server

Log into your Ubuntu server via SSH and update the system to ensure it has the latest security patches and updates.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Once finished, your server is ready for installing the software.

Step 2: Install and Configure UFW Firewall

Only keep necessary ports open: SSH (22), HTTP (80), HTTPS (443).

Install UFW and configure the firewall as follows:

sudo apt install ufw -y
sudo ufw allow 22    # SSH
sudo ufw allow 80    # HTTP
sudo ufw allow 443   # HTTPS
sudo ufw enable

Check your firewall configuration:

sudo ufw status verbose

Note: Docker can sometimes ignore UFW rules. To tackle this, verify extra settings as explained here.

Step 3: Docker Installation

Docker will be the container system running n8n. Install Docker by running these commands:

Setup dependencies and Docker's GPG key:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg \
| sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Add Docker repository:

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(. /etc/os-release && echo $VERSION_CODENAME) stable" \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt-get update

Install Docker Engine and compose-plugin:

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli \
containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y

Check installation:

sudo docker run hello-world

If you see the "hello-world" message, Docker is ready.

Step 4: Installing Caddy for Automatic HTTPS

Caddy simplifies HTTPS configuration since it handles SSL certificates automatically from Let's Encrypt.

Install Caddy:

sudo apt install -y debian-keyring debian-archive-keyring apt-transport-https curl

curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' \
| sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg

curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list

sudo apt update
sudo apt install caddy -y

Edit the Caddyfile configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

Enter your domain and configure reverse proxy. Replace "yourdomain.com" with your actual domain name:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:5678
}

If no domain yet, use this temporarily:

:80 {
    reverse_proxy localhost:5678
}

Restart Caddy to load the config:

sudo systemctl restart caddy

Step 5: Running n8n with Docker Compose

We're going to use Docker Compose for easier setup. First create a directory for n8n and navigate to it:

mkdir ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n

Create docker-compose.yml with the following content:

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

Now deploy n8n by running Docker compose:

sudo docker compose up -d

Docker pulls the n8n image and runs it in background mode using port 5678.

Step 6: Accessing Your Self-Hosted n8n Instance

Visit your domain in any web browser. Your n8n instance should now load successfully at https://yourdomain.com. Follow the setup steps in the interface to complete your initial setup.

Security Recommendations

Public servers should always be secure. The following practises are recommended:

• Regularly apply updates and security patches.
• Set strong passwords and control user access.
• Monitor server logs for suspicious activity.
• Install tools like Fail2ban for extra security.

Updating your n8n Installation

When you want to update your n8n instance, simply run:

sudo docker compose pull
sudo docker compose up -d

Docker will download updated versions automatically and replace your current containers.

Cost Comparison with Other Providers

Self-hosting n8n typically results in lower cost compared to hosted services:

You maintain complete control and avoid additional usage-based charges by self-hosting. But of course there is no free lunch and you're now responsible for managing your own server!

Is anything missing with a self-hosted n8n?

Self-hosted n8n (community edition) misses some features included in the official hosted version, but generally provides everything you need. You can check the complete differences on the n8n website.

Now you have your own self-hosted n8n instance running on Ubuntu! Time to start automating your workflows.

If managing and securing your own server is a bit too much for you, check out how easy it is to deploy a managed instance of n8n on sliplane (takes 45 seconds!)