How to Self-Host n8n (2026 Setup Guide)

I lead open-source and integration deployments at MithTech, a team of Frappe specialists in Bengaluru. n8n is the workflow layer we use when a client wants integrations, lead capture, invoice syncs and WhatsApp alerts running on infrastructure the client owns. Honestly, the install is the easy hour. The part people skip is securing the editor and proving a backup restores, and that is what bites six months later.

We have deployed n8n alongside Frappe and ERPNext programmes often enough that the same mistakes come up each time. This guide is the checklist our team follows: install cleanly, make data survive restarts, get real SSL, secure the editor, and prove the backup works. All of it uses the free Community Edition.

Is n8n free to self-host, and what is the licence?

The Community Edition has no licence fee for your own use, with unlimited workflows and executions. There are no per-execution or per-workflow charges on your own server; your cost is the infrastructure. What is easy to miss is the licence, because n8n is source-available rather than conventional open source.

n8n is published under the Sustainable Use License, which n8n calls "fair-code". It is not an OSI-approved open-source licence. In plain terms: you may use, modify and self-host n8n for your own internal business purposes, for non-commercial use, or for personal use. You may not host n8n and charge others to use it, or white-label it as your own product, without an agreement with n8n. For an organisation automating its own sales, invoicing or customer operations, that is fully allowed.

Hosted plans and the paid features are priced separately; check n8n's own pricing page, since editions and terms change. This guide stays on the free self-hosted path.

What server do you need to self-host n8n?

A small Linux VPS is enough for most workloads. A single-core, 1 GB RAM instance runs a light install, but 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM give room once you add PostgreSQL and a few concurrent workflows. Any mainstream provider works; check its own page for prices, and pick a region close to your users for lower webhook latency.

Before you install, get three things ready:

• A domain or subdomain (for example automation.yourcompany.in) pointed at the server's IP with an A record. Webhooks and OAuth callbacks need a real hostname, not an IP.
• Open firewall ports: 22 (SSH), and 80 and 443 for the reverse proxy and SSL challenges. Do not expose n8n's internal port 5678 publicly.
• Docker installed, or a platform like Coolify that manages Docker for you.

For memory-heavy automations (large data merges, PDF generation, big API payloads), add RAM before CPU. n8n is usually more memory-bound than CPU-bound.

How do you install self-hosted n8n with Docker?

Docker isolates n8n and its Node runtime from the host and makes upgrades a one-line pull. The two routes we use are a Coolify one-click deploy, for teams that want a dashboard, or a hand-written Docker Compose file, for full control. Both run the same official image.

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=automation.yourcompany.in
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://automation.yourcompany.in/
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=${N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY}
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Kolkata
      - N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=true
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

How do you make n8n data survive restarts?

This is the most common mistake. n8n stores your workflows, credentials and, by default, its encryption key inside /home/node/.n8n in the container. If that directory is not on a volume, everything disappears the moment the container is recreated during an update or reboot.

Two settings protect your data:

• Mount the data directory. The volumes block in the Compose file above maps a named Docker volume to /home/node/.n8n, which keeps workflows, execution history and the SQLite database on disk outside the container's lifecycle.
• Pin the encryption key. Set N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY yourself rather than letting n8n generate one. A generated key lives only inside the mounted directory, so if you move servers without copying that folder, your saved credentials cannot be decrypted. A fixed key you control makes migrations straightforward.

Neither replaces a backup: a volume on a failed disk is still lost.

For anything beyond a test instance, switch the database from SQLite to PostgreSQL. Add a postgres service to your Compose file and point n8n at it with DB_TYPE=postgresdb and the DB_POSTGRESDB_* variables. It is the same principle as reliable self-hosting on a low-cost VPS: state lives in a backed-up store, not inside a disposable container.

How do you add SSL and secure the n8n editor?

Never run the editor on plain HTTP: it handles credentials and webhook payloads that must be encrypted in transit. Put a reverse proxy in front of n8n that terminates TLS with a free Let's Encrypt certificate, while n8n itself listens only on localhost. n8n's docs show this reverse-proxy setup.

If you are weighing this self-hosted path against a hosted automation SaaS, the n8n vs Zapier vs Make comparison for India covers when owning the stack is worth the effort.

How do you back up a self-hosted n8n instance?

Back up two things, the database and the encryption key. Together they let you rebuild the instance on a new server. Test the restore at least once before you rely on it.

• Database dump. For PostgreSQL, run a scheduled pg_dump (or use your provider's managed snapshots). For a small SQLite instance, snapshot the whole /home/node/.n8n volume.
• Encryption key. Store N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY separately in a password manager or secrets vault. Without it, a restored database cannot decrypt credentials.
• Off-server copy. Push dumps to S3-compatible object storage or another location, not the same disk. If Coolify manages the instance, its scheduled backups can send snapshots to an S3 bucket.
• Export workflows as code. n8n workflows are JSON. Committing exports to a Git repository gives you version history and a second recovery path independent of the database.

Should you run n8n yourself, or have it run for you?

Run it yourself if someone on your team will apply n8n releases, keep the server patched, guard the encryption key and test the restore above; it is then a fair, low-cost way to self host n8n. Have it run for you if nobody owns that work, or use n8n's own hosted plans, because a workflow that stops firing is often noticed only when an invoice or a lead goes missing.

Under managed hosting we run one named server for n8n, in your cloud account or ours: nightly backups copied off it, one restored on a schedule, every upgrade tried on a copy first, and the keys stay yours. It is a monthly fee for running it plus the server, quoted in writing after a call; the self-hosting cost comparator sets that against a per-task automation bill.

Frequently asked questions

We also connect self-hosted n8n to Frappe and ERPNext and the other systems you already use, so your automations reach the records they act on.