This guide provides step-by-step instructions to self-host n8n, a free and open-source workflow automation tool, on a Linux server using Docker, Nginx, and Certbot for SSL with a custom domain name.

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
   
   

Run the following command to start n8n in Docker. Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain name:

    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

Or if you are using a subdomain, it should look like this:

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

This command does the following:

• Downloads and runs the n8n Docker image.
• Exposes n8n on port 5678.
• Sets environment variables for the n8n host and webhook tunnel URL.
• Mounts the n8n data directory for persistent storage.
• After executing the command, n8n will be accessible on your-domain.com:5678.

Nginx is used as a reverse proxy to forward requests to n8n and handle SSL termination.

1. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install nginx
   

Configure Nginx to reverse proxy the n8n web interface:

1. Create a New Nginx Configuration File:

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

2. Paste the Following Configuration:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name your-domain.com; // subdomain.your-domain.com if you have a subdomain
   
       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";
       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 https;
       proxy_read_timeout 86400;
       }
   }

   Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain.

3. Enable the Configuration:

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

4. Test the Nginx Configuration and Restart:

   sudo nginx -t
   sudo systemctl restart nginx

Certbot will obtain and install an SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.

1. Install Certbot and the Nginx Plugin:

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
   

2. Obtain an SSL Certificate:

   sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com
   // If you have a subdomain then it will be subdomain.your-domain.com
   

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the SSL setup. Once completed, n8n will be accessible securely over HTTPS at your-domain.com.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you follow the above steps in order. Step 5 will modify your /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n.conf file to something like this:

By using Nginx and Certbot, you ensure that your n8n instance is securely accessible over the internet with HTTPS.