Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker and HTTPS

Short answer: self-hosting n8n takes a Linux VPS with 2 GB RAM ($6.50 a month), a domain pointing at it, and a short Docker Compose file with n8n and Caddy. Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate on its own. You end up with your own n8n at https://n8n.yourdomain.com, no execution limits, and your credentials on a server only you control.

n8n's cloud plans charge by executions. The self-hosted Community Edition is free to run on your own server for your own workflows; check n8n's Sustainable Use License if you plan to offer n8n to others as a service.

01Which Server

The 1 GB plan is too tight once Docker, n8n and a few workflows with data are running.

02Before You Start

• A domain or subdomain with an A record pointing to your server's IP, for example n8n.example.com. DNS changes can take a few minutes.
• Ports 80 and 443 reachable. If you use the firewall on your server page, allow both; Caddy needs port 80 to get the certificate.
• Docker: on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 12 server, as root: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

03The Compose File

Create a folder /opt/n8n with two files. First docker-compose.yml:

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Europe/Berlin
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin
      - N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    expose:
      - "5678"

  caddy:
    image: caddy:2
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - caddy_data:/data

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  caddy_data:

Then the Caddyfile:

n8n.example.com {
    reverse_proxy n8n:5678
}

Replace n8n.example.com and the time zone with yours, then start it:

cd /opt/n8n
docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f

After a few seconds Caddy has the certificate. Open https://n8n.example.com and create the owner account; the first account you create is the admin.

04Settings That Matter

05Updates and Backups

Update:

cd /opt/n8n
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Read the release notes before major versions; workflows occasionally need changes.

Back up the data volume (workflows, credentials, execution history in SQLite):

docker run --rm -v n8n_n8n_data:/data -v /root:/backup alpine \
  tar czf /backup/n8n-$(date +%F).tar.gz -C /data .

Docker names the volume after the folder, so it's n8n_n8n_data for /opt/n8n; docker volume ls shows the exact name. Copy the archive off the server: we don't make backups for you. For a busy instance, switch n8n to Postgres; the n8n docs describe the variables.

06Keep It Safe

• Strong owner password and two-factor login in n8n's personal settings.
• SSH only from your IP, with the firewall on your server page.
• Watch what workflows can reach. An Execute Command or Code node runs with the container's rights; only give n8n accounts to people you trust.