How to install n8n with Docker
n8n is a powerful, open-source workflow automation tool that allows you to connect different applications and services to create complex automations. It's a self-hosted alternative to services like Zapier or Make. The recommended way to install n8n is by using Docker.
Prerequisites:
- A server running a modern Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04).
- Docker and Docker Compose installed. You can find the official guide here: Install Docker Engine on Ubuntu.
- A domain name pointing to your server's IP address (recommended for production use).
Installation Steps
First, log into your server via SSH. Create a directory for your n8n project, and inside it, create a docker-compose.yml file and a .env file for your configuration variables.
Create Directory and Files
mkdir n8n
cd n8n
touch docker-compose.yml
touch .env
nano docker-compose.yml
Paste the following content into the docker-compose.yml file:
docker-compose.yml
version: '3'
services:
n8n:
image: n8nio/n8n
restart: always
ports:
- '127.0.0.1:5678:5678'
environment:
- N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
- N8N_PORT=5678
- N8N_PROTOCOL=http
- NODE_ENV=production
- WEBHOOK_URL=${WEBHOOK_URL}
- GENERIC_TIMEZONE=${GENERIC_TIMEZONE}
volumes:
- ./n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n