Self-Hosting n8n on Ubuntu 24.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

In today’s digital age, automation is key to streamlining workflows and increasing efficiency. n8n, a powerful and flexible automation tool, empowers you to connect various applications and services. By self-hosting n8n on your Ubuntu 24.04 server, you gain complete control over your automation processes.

This blog post will guide you through the installation and configuration process, ensuring a smooth setup.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 24.04 Server
• SSH Access
• Root or sudo Privileges

Installation Steps

Update the System:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Node.js and npm:

Get the version of NodeJS from https://deb.nodesource.com/

The url will be avaialble from above, just follow and there will be command avaialble which is down below;

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Check Version of both nodejs and npm

node --version

npm --version

Ensure to Update npm version to latest

 sudo npm install -g [email protected]

sudo npm install -g n8n

So it will take a while to install, my Node Version and NPM Versions are below, i have shared screenshot

You might need to update the version of npm, look for the latest version and update that as below

Now your n8n installation is compelted and you can even run and test it now ;

n8n

It will run n8n on port 4578 in my scenario it is

http://10.11.12.116:5678 your ip and port 5678 on http

Setup up a Database (postgreSQL) – Optional

By default, n8n uses SQLite. For production, you can configure a database recommended by n8n is PostgreSQL. For this tutorial we will isntall database on same server.

Use below to Install Database

sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib

Now create database, user and password, you can use commands one by one. Make sure to use your own password instead of your_password.

sudo -u postgres psql

CREATE DATABASE n8n;

CREATE USER n8n_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE n8n TO n8n_user;

\q

Environment variables for the database are explained Production Setep.

Running n8n for Production Environment

Though you can use n8n to start as service automatically when system reboots, but in case you want to monitor the performance and ensure the applicaiton keeps running then i recommend using PM2. However, if you are using only one applicaiton then you can go with systemd which I have explained at end. For recommended setting use below;

Install Nginx and configure n8n in production

First we will ensure n8n runs automatically when the server starts, so we will create n8n as service and we will ensure it workds automatically.

Step1 : Ensure DNS Points to Your Server

Once you have configured, ensure that it is correctly pointing to the correct server

nslookup example.syncbricks.com

Step2 : Configure Reverse Proxy (Nginx)

Reverse Proxy and SSL Certificate

For SSL and Reverse Proxy you can use nginx proxy manager , however, if this is your public server you can install nginx on same server as below

sudo apt install -y nginx

Set up a reverse proxy and configure SSL with Let’s Encrypt:

Step3 : Create an enable Nginx Configuration for n8n:

Now create the configuration file for n8n in nginx.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n

In below example replace the dns with correct dns, for n8n websocket support must be enabled

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name lms.syncbricks.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost: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;

        # WebSocket headers
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

Now Now enable the configuration and restart nginx

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Great now nginx is configured and your site will be now working, but wait, we need to now configure ssl certificate.

Step4 : Secure with SSL ( Recommended):

Install Certbot to configure Let’s Encrypt SSL:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d lms.syncbricks.com

Certbot will automatically update the Nginx configuration to use HTTPS.

Now your site is ready on production environment.

Step 5 : Verify SSL Renewal Setup

Check the timer using this command

sudo systemctl list-timers | grep certbot

You should see the following

certbot.timer Thu 2024-12-28 10:00:00 UTC 12h left certbot.service

You can also test the renewal process

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Or you can manually renew as below

sudo certbot renew

Running N8N Automatically Using PM2 :

Install PM2: To Automatically Run n8n

PM2 can keep applications running, reload them without downtime, and perform other DevOps tasks. It also has a built-in load balancer and can run multiple instances of an application. 

sudo npm install -g pm2

Start n8n with PM2:

sudo pm2 start n8n

Save the Process Configuration:

sudo pm2 save

Start PM2 on System Boot:

pm2 startup

Script for Startup

Now it will generate the script

sudo env PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin pm2 startup systemd -u ubuntu --hp /home/ubuntu

Run above command to save script and use below command to save the configuration for startup.

sudo pm2 save

Now reboot the server

sudo reboot

Now check the service the pm2 list, n8n will be running

pm2 list

n8n Envrionment Variable Configuration

nano ~/.n8n/.env

Secure Your n8n Installation and if you are using database as mentioned above in you can also change the envrinoment variables accordingly. Make sure to use your own password instead of your_password the one you used in setting up database.

N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=your_username
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=your_password
DB_TYPE=postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=localhost
DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=your_password

Save and exist above.

Change WEBHOOK_URL

This step is essential for various authentication, webhooks and so on, ensure to update it based on the domain name that you have configured or your installation. Let us edit the environment variable again.

nano ~/.n8n/.env

Update the following variables:

WEBHOOK_URL=https://lms.syncbricks.com
WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL=https://lms.syncbricks.com
N8N_HOST=0.0.0.0
N8N_PORT=5678

Export Environment Variables

Now Export the Environment variables;

export $(cat ~/.n8n/.env | xargs)

Running n8n as System Service

In case you don’t want to install pm2, and you only want to run n8n as serivce you can use this option. But if you follow above you will not need to use service.

Create n8n Service

 sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/n8n.service

Now simply copy below data and paste in this new file and ensure to change the name of the the ubuntu user , if you have done installation using root then you can mention root. In below example my user is amjid

[Unit]
Description=n8n Automation Service
After=network.target

[Service]
# Replace "your_username" with your actual username
User=amjid

# Specify the working directory for n8n
WorkingDirectory=/home/amjid/.n8n

# Load environment variables from .env
EnvironmentFile=/home/amjid/.n8n/.env

# Command to start n8n
ExecStart=/usr/bin/n8n

# Restart service on failure
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Now save the file and exit

Now enable the service by typing below command

sudo systemctl enable n8n

Now Start the service

sudo systemctl start n8n

Additional Considerations

• Security:
  • Use a strong password for the n8n user.
  • Consider using a reverse proxy like Nginx or Apache to enhance n8n’s security.
  • Keep n8n and its dependencies updated to address security vulnerabilities.
• Database:
  • For larger-scale installations, consider using a database like PostgreSQL or MySQL.
  • Configure n8n to connect to your chosen database.
• Monitoring:
  • Leverage PM2’s monitoring features to track n8n’s performance and resource usage.
  • Implement alerts for critical issues to proactively address potential problems.
• Backup:
  • Regularly back up your n8n data and configuration files to safeguard against data loss.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully self-hosted n8n on your Ubuntu 24.04 server. You’re now empowered to harness n8n’s robust automation capabilities to streamline your workflows and boost productivity. Remember to keep n8n updated and secure to ensure optimal performance and reliability.