How to Self-Host n8n on Ubuntu with Docker and Nginx

Building your own automation server is easier than you think.
In this tutorial, we’ll deploy n8n — a powerful open-source automation tool — on an Ubuntu 22.04 server using Docker, Nginx, and Let’s Encrypt SSL, complete with WebSocket support and production-ready configuration.

🧭 n8n Self-Hosting Guide (Ubuntu Server)

Server Specs: 1 GB RAM | 1 Core | 40 GB SSD
OS: Ubuntu 22.04 +

🚀 1. Update Server and Install Docker

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y docker.io docker-compose nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

📁 2. Create Project Directory

mkdir -p ~/n8n/data
cd ~/n8n

🧩 3. Create docker-compose.yml

version: "3.3"

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    container_name: n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/node/.n8n
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Kolkata
      - TZ=Asia/Kolkata
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.in
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.in/
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=my_pass
      - N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true
      - DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE=2
      - N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true
      - N8N_BLOCK_ENV_ACCESS_IN_NODE=false
      - N8N_GIT_NODE_DISABLE_BARE_REPOS=true
      - N8N_PROXY_HOPS=1
      - N8N_TRUSTED_PROXIES=loopback,linklocal,uniquelocal
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=--KEY--GENERATED-BY-USER---
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=90
    logging:
      driver: "json-file"
      options:
        max-size: "10m"
        max-file: "3"

Save → Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X.

🔐 4. Fix Folder Permissions

cd ~/n8n
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 data
sudo chmod -R 755 data

▶️ 5. Start n8n Container

sudo docker-compose up -d

Verify:

sudo docker ps

Expected output:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE         STATUS         PORTS                   NAMES
xxxxxx         n8nio/n8n     Up 10 seconds  0.0.0.0:5678->5678/tcp  n8n

🌐 6. Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy (With WebSocket Support)

Create file:

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

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name n8n.yourdomain.in;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678/;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        # --- WebSocket Support ---
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";

        # --- Standard Headers ---
        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 $scheme;

        # --- Timeouts for long workflows ---
        proxy_read_timeout 600s;
        proxy_send_timeout 600s;
        proxy_connect_timeout 600s;

        # --- Disable buffering ---
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_cache off;
    }
}

Enable and reload:

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

🔒 7. Enable HTTPS (SSL via Let’s Encrypt)

sudo certbot --nginx -d n8n.yourdomain.in
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Now visit 👉 https://n8n.yourdomain.in

⚙️ 8. Manage Container

sudo docker-compose restart    # Restart
sudo docker-compose down       # Stop
sudo docker logs n8n --tail 50 # View logs

🧱 9. Auto-Start on Reboot

sudo systemctl enable docker

✅ 10. Verification Checklist

🧾 11. Summary

💡 Notes

• Keep N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY secret — it secures stored credentials.
• Back up ~/n8n/data regularly.
• Avoid sharing passwords or logs publicly.
• If you deploy more apps, give each a unique domain + port.

Hosting n8n yourself gives you full control over your automation stack — no vendor limits, no API throttling, and complete privacy. With Docker + Nginx + Let’s Encrypt, you’re now running a production-grade, SSL-secured, WebSocket-enabled n8n instance that can scale effortlessly on any VPS or cloud server.