How to Install n8n on Ubuntu 24.04

Why Install n8n on Ubuntu?

n8n is one of the most powerful open-source workflow automation platforms out there — think of it as a self-hosted Zapier that gives you full control over your data, infrastructure, and costs. With native AI/LLM nodes, you can build agentic workflows that connect your entire tech stack.

Running it on Ubuntu 24.04 is the sweet spot: you get the long-term support of a stable OS, Docker's portability, and full ownership of your automation data. No per-execution fees, no rate limits, no vendor lock-in.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 24.04 server (LTS)
• At least 2 CPU cores, 4GB RAM (8GB recommended for heavy workflows)
• 20GB+ free disk space
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Port 5678 available (n8n default)
• A domain name pointing to your server (recommended for HTTPS)

Step 1: Install Docker (if not already installed)

Ubuntu 24.04 makes Docker installation straightforward. Run these commands:

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker prerequisites
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

# Add Docker's official GPG key
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

# Verify installation
sudo docker --version
sudo docker compose version

Add your user to the docker group to run Docker without sudo:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in for this to take effect

Step 2: Deploy n8n with Docker Compose

Create a directory and a docker-compose.yml file. This is the most maintainable way to run n8n in production:

mkdir -p ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n
nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this configuration:

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    container_name: n8n
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com
      - DB_TYPE=sqlite
      - DB_SQLITE_DATABASE=/home/node/.n8n/database.sqlite
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-strong-encryption-key-here
      - N8N_METRICS=true
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168
    volumes:
      - ./n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
      - ./local_files:/files

🔐 Important: Replace your-strong-encryption-key-here with a random 32-character string. This key encrypts your credentials in the database — lose it and you lose access to all connected services.

Start n8n:

docker compose up -d

Check if it's running:

docker compose logs -f    # Watch startup logs
docker compose ps          # Should show "Up" status

Your n8n instance is now live at http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:5678.

Step 3: Set Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy (for HTTPS)

Exposing n8n directly on port 5678 works for testing, but for production you need HTTPS. Here's the Nginx configuration:

sudo apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

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

Add this configuration:

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

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5678;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        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 $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
        proxy_buffering off;
    }
}

Enable the site and get an SSL certificate:

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

# Get Let's Encrypt SSL certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d n8n.yourdomain.com

That's it — your n8n instance is now accessible securely at https://n8n.yourdomain.com.

Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

n8n has dozens of configuration options. Here are the most important ones for production:

Variable	Purpose	Example
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY	Encrypts stored credentials	32-char random string
N8N_METRICS	Enables Prometheus metrics endpoint	true
EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE	Auto-delete old execution data	true
EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE	Keep execution history (hours)	168 (7 days)
N8N_PAYLOAD_SIZE_MAX	Max webhook payload (MB)	16
N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_DEFAULT_METRICS	Include default metrics	true

Step 5: Automatic Backups

Your n8n data (workflows, credentials, execution history) is stored in the ./n8n_data directory. Set up a cron job for daily backups:

# Create backup script
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/backup-n8n.sh

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/n8n"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Stop n8n briefly for a consistent backup
docker stop n8n

# Backup the data
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/n8n_backup_$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz" -C ~/n8n n8n_data/

# Restart n8n
docker start n8n

# Keep only the last 30 backups
ls -t $BACKUP_DIR/*.tar.gz | tail -n +31 | xargs -r rm

echo "Backup saved: n8n_backup_$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/backup-n8n.sh

# Add to crontab — runs daily at 3 AM
(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "0 3 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup-n8n.sh") | crontab -

Step 6: Updating n8n

n8n releases updates frequently. Here's how to update safely:

cd ~/n8n

# Pull latest image
docker compose pull

# Recreate container with new image
docker compose up -d

# Verify it's running
docker compose logs -f --tail=20

Always check the n8n changelog before major version updates — some releases include breaking changes or database migrations that need manual steps.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

❌ Container exits immediately

Check logs with docker compose logs. The most common cause is a missing or invalid N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY. Make sure it's at least 32 characters long.

❌ Webhooks not working

Make sure WEBHOOK_URL and N8N_HOST are set correctly in your environment. Without these, n8n generates webhook URLs with localhost which external services can't reach.

❌ 502 Bad Gateway behind Nginx

Check that the proxy_pass port matches your n8n port. The WebSocket headers (Upgrade, Connection) are essential for the n8n editor to work behind a reverse proxy.

❌ Slow workflow execution

Increase your server's RAM. n8n keeps workflows in memory during execution, and complex workflows with 100+ nodes can consume 2-4GB each.

Conclusion

Installing n8n on Ubuntu 24.04 gives you a production-ready workflow automation platform that runs entirely on your infrastructure. With Docker Compose, Nginx reverse proxy, and automatic backups, you have a setup that scales from personal automation to team workflows.

The best part? No per-execution costs, no monthly subscription tiers, no data leaving your server. Just pure workflow automation with over 400+ integrations out of the box.