n8n-hully-stack Production Docker Template

This repository provides a production-ready template for deploying n8n - a workflow automation tool - using Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Traefik as a reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS.

📊 Architecture

                                   ┌─────────────┐
                                   │             │
                        ┌─────────►│   Redis     │
                        │          │             │
                        │          └─────────────┘
                        │
┌────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│            │    │             │    │             │
│  Traefik   ├────►    n8n      ├────►  PostgreSQL │
│            │    │             │    │             │
└────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘
      │
      │
      ▼
 HTTPS with
Let's Encrypt

Components:

• Traefik : Manages routing and automatic HTTPS certificate setup
• n8n : Workflow automation engine
• PostgreSQL : Database for storing workflows and executions
• Redis : Caching and performance enhancement

All data is persisted in volumes on the host machine in the ./data directory.

🚀 Quick Start

Requirements

• Server with Ubuntu 22.04 (recommended 2 CPU, 4GB RAM)
• Domain name pointing to your server's IP address
• Docker and Docker Compose (will be automatically installed if missing)

One-Command Installation

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rabbittoly/n8n-hully-stack/main/quickstart.sh | bash

Manual Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/rabbittoly/n8n-hully-stack.git
   cd n8n-docker-template

2. Run the installation:

   make install

   This will:

   • Install Docker if needed
   • Set up directories
   • Create a .env file (and prompt for your domain)
   • Generate secure random passwords

3. Deploy n8n:

   make deploy

4. Access your n8n instance:

   https://your-domain.com
   

   Log in with the admin username/password shown during installation.

🔧 Configuration

All configuration is managed through the .env file. See: .env.example Here are the main settings:

Variable	Description
N8N_DOMAIN	Your domain for accessing n8n
ACME_EMAIL	Email for Let's Encrypt notifications
POSTGRES_*	PostgreSQL database settings
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY	Secret key for credentials encryption
SMTP_*	Settings for sending emails
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_*	Basic authentication credentials

📋 Commands

Use the Makefile for main operations:

make help      # Show all available commands
make install   # Set up the environment
make deploy    # Initial deployment
make start     # Start all services
make stop      # Stop all services
make restart   # Restart all services
make status    # Check container status
make logs      # View logs
make backup    # Create a backup
make update    # Update to the latest n8n version
make clean     # Remove everything (CAUTION!)

🛡️ Cloudflare Setup (optional)

If you use Cloudflare to manage your domain's DNS, follow these instructions for proper operation with Let's Encrypt:

For HTTP-01 challenge mode (default):

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Go to the DNS section for your domain
3. Create a new A record:
   • Name: your subdomain (e.g., n8n)
   • IP address: your server's IP address
   • Important : Turn off "Proxy status" (gray cloud instead of orange)
4. In the SSL/TLS section, set the mode to "Full" or "Full (strict)"

For DNS-01 challenge mode (automatically configured by the script if Cloudflare is selected):

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Go to the "API Tokens" section (https://dash.cloudflare.com/profile/api-tokens)
3. Copy your Global API Key
4. Enter this key and your Cloudflare email when running the installation script

Note : When using DNS-01 challenge, you can leave "Proxy status" enabled (orange cloud).

💾 Backup and Restore

Creating a backup

make backup

This will create a backup archive in the current directory containing:

• PostgreSQL database dump
• n8n data (workflows, credentials)
• Configuration files

Restoring from backup

1. Copy the backup archive to the server

2. Extract it:

   tar -xzf n8n_backup_YYYY-MM-DD.tar.gz

3. Stop the services:

   make stop

4. Restore PostgreSQL database docker-compose up -d postgres docker exec -i n8n-postgres pg_restore -U n8n -d n8n < backups/YYYY-MM-DD/n8n_postgres.dump

5. Restore n8n data rm -rf ./data/n8n/* tar -xzf backups/YYYY-MM-DD/n8n_data.tar.gz -C ./data/n8n

6. Optionally restore configuration cp backups/YYYY-MM-DD/.env.backup .env

7. Restart the services:

   make restart

🔄 Updating

To update n8n to the latest version:

make update

This will:

1. Create a backup
2. Pull the latest Docker images
3. Restart the services

🔍 Troubleshooting

Checking logs

make logs

Add -f service_name to view logs for a specific service:

docker-compose logs -f n8n

Common issues

1. Cannot access n8n : Make sure your domain correctly points to your server's IP address.
2. HTTPS certificate issues : Make sure ports 80 and 443 are open in your server's firewall.
3. Database connection issues : Check PostgreSQL logs and verify credentials in the .env file.

🔒 Security Recommendations

• Change default passwords in the .env file
• Enable a firewall (UFW)
• Set up regular backups and store copies off-server
• Keep your system up to date

🌐 Resource Requirements

The setup is optimized for a server with:

• 2 CPU cores
• 4 GB RAM
• 20+ GB storage (depends on your workflow usage)

📜 License

This template is provided under the MIT License.

n8n is licensed under the Sustainable Use License.