Hosting n8n on a Home Server Using Docker

Hosting n8n on Home Server

This guide outlines the steps to host n8n on a home server using Docker. It includes prerequisites like setting up DNS and port forwarding, installing and configuring Docker, securing the server with UFW firewall rules, and setting up Nginx as a reverse proxy. It also covers obtaining an SSL certificate with Certbot for HTTPS support, ensuring secure access to your self-hosted n8n instance.

Prerequisites

• Installed Linux on the server machine.
• In your domain provider, add a DNS record:
  • Type: A
  • Domain: your-domain.com
  • IP: your router's static IP (WAN IP)

1. Update the Package Index

sudo apt update

2. Install Docker

sudo apt install docker.io

3. Start Docker

sudo systemctl start docker

4. Enable Docker to Start at Boot

sudo systemctl enable docker

5. Set Up Port Forwarding and Firewall Rules

Port Forwarding Configuration for ASUS AX5400 Router

1. Go to WAN > Virtual Server / Port Forwarding tab in your router settings
2. Enable port forwarding:
   • Service Name: Your preferred name
   • Protocol: TCP
   • External Port: 443 (use 443 for HTTPS, 80 for HTTP, or 5678 for n8n directly with the built-in Apache2 of Debian)
   • Internal Port: Same as the external port (443, 80, or 5678)
   • Internal IP Address: The internal IP of your home server (use ifconfig to check)
   • Source IP: Empty

Set Up Firewall Rules

To configure your firewall to allow only traffic on port 443 (HTTPS) using UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) on a Debian server:

Initial Setup

Deny all incoming connections by default:

Deny All Incoming Connections (if not already set): This ensures that all incoming connections are blocked by default, except those explicitly allowed.

Note: If you're using SSH (usually on port 22), make sure to allow this port as well or skip this step if you only need access through the port defined in the previous step.

sudo ufw default deny incoming

Allow Outgoing Connections (if not already set): Allows all outgoing connections (usually the default setting).

sudo ufw default allow outgoing

Allow HTTPS Traffic on Port 443: Allow incoming traffic on port 443 for HTTPS.

sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

Remove Existing Rules for Port 80 (if necessary): If you previously allowed port 80 (HTTP) and want to block it, you can remove that rule:

sudo ufw delete allow 80/tcp

Enable UFW (if it’s not already enabled):

sudo ufw enable

Check UFW Status: Verify the firewall rules with:

sudo ufw status verbose

Ensure that only port 443 is allowed.

Remove Other Incoming Rules (if needed): If other ports like 5678 are still allowed, you can remove them:

sudo ufw delete allow 5678/tcp

6. Run the Docker Container

To run n8n with Docker, use the following command:

sudo docker run -d --restart unless-stopped -it \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -e N8N_HOST="your-domain.com" \
  -e WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL="https://your-domain.com/" \
  -e WEBHOOK_URL="https://your-domain.com/" \
  -v ~/.n8n:/root/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

7. Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx

8. Create a New Nginx Configuration File

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

Add the following configuration for Nginx:

Important: If you're using HTTPS, the port forwarding must be set to 443 for HTTPS, 80 for HTTP, or 5678 for n8n using the built-in Apache2 server in Debian.

server {
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5678;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        chunked_transfer_encoding off;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_cache off;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

9. Enable the Configuration

Create a symbolic link to enable the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

10. Test the Nginx Configuration and Restart

Test the Nginx configuration for errors:

sudo nginx -t

Restart Nginx to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

If you encounter an error related to missing configuration files, follow these steps to remove existing configuration files:

sudo rm -rf /etc/nginx/sites-available/*
sudo rm -rf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*

Then, repeat the Nginx configuration steps.

If Port 80 is Already in Use (by Apache2)

If you receive an error indicating that port 80 is already in use, check if Apache2 is using the port:

sudo netstat -tulpn | grep ':80'

If Apache2 is running, stop it:

sudo systemctl stop apache2

11. Install Certbot and the Nginx Plugin

Install Certbot and the necessary Nginx plugin:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

12. Obtain an SSL Certificate To obtain an SSL certificate for your domain:

sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

To check the certificate, you can use SSL Labs