feat(video): Self-Host Your Own Automation Platform with n8n + Docker

Author: timothystewart6

_posts/2025-07-11-n8n-self-hosted.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Self-Host Your Own Automation Platform with n8n + Docker"
+date: 2025-07-11 08:00:00 -0500
+categories: self-hosted
+tags: homelab n8n self-hosted workflow automation
+image:
+ path: /assets/img/headers/n8n-self-hosted-hero.webp
+ lqip: data:image/jpeg;base64,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
+---
+
+n8n is a powerful self-hosted workflow automation tool.  In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to self-host n8n on Linux using Docker. You’ll learn how to set up the environment, configure it with a .env file, and build workflows that connect to services like Google Sheets and Discord.
+
+We’ll start with a simple manual trigger, then create a scheduled workflow, and move on to a more advanced automation that pulls in data from external services and processes it through n8n’s visual workflow editor. Whether you’re just exploring n8n or ready to start building, this guide will help you get up and running with a flexible, powerful automation platform.
+
+{% include embed/youtube.html id='gyn8bcOLdcA' %}
+📺 [Watch Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyn8bcOLdcA)
+
+## Info
+
+For this setup, I’ll be using **Docker Compose on Ubuntu Linux**—specifically the latest Ubuntu LTS and the latest version of Docker with Compose support. This makes the setup clean, consistent, and easy to repeat.
+
+To to learn more about n8n, [check out the GitHub repo](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n)
+
+## Install Docker
+
+To install docker, see [this post](/posts/docker-compose-install/)
+
+## Setting Up
+
+Let’s walk through the initial setup.
+
+### Check Docker Installation
+
+First, make sure Docker is installed and working by running:
+
+```shell
+docker -v
+```
+
+If that returns a version, you're good to go.
+
+### Create the Project Folder
+
+I like to keep things organized under `/opt/stacks`, but you can adjust this to fit your structure:
+
+```shell
+sudo mkdir -p /opt/stacks/n8n
+sudo chown serveradmin:serveradmin -R /opt/stacks
+cd /opt/stacks/n8n
+```
+
+### Create the Docker Compose File
+
+Create the file:
+
+```shell
+nano compose.yaml
+```
+
+Paste in the following yaml:
+
+```yaml
+services:
+  n8n:
+    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
+    restart: always
+    ports:
+      - "5678:5678"
+    env_file:
+      - .env
+    volumes:
+      - ./data:/home/node/.n8n
+      - ./files:/files
+    depends_on:
+      - postgres
+    # labels:
+      # - "traefik.enable=true"
+      # - "traefik.http.routers.${TRAEFIK_ROUTER_NAME}.rule=Host(`${TRAEFIK_DOMAIN}`)"
+      # - "traefik.http.routers.${TRAEFIK_ROUTER_NAME}.entrypoints=websecure"
+      # - "traefik.http.routers.${TRAEFIK_ROUTER_NAME}.tls.certresolver=${TRAEFIK_CERT_RESOLVER}"
+      # - "traefik.http.services.${TRAEFIK_ROUTER_NAME}.loadbalancer.server.port=5678"
+
+  # If you're running your own external PostgreSQL instance, you can comment out this service
+  postgres:
+    image: postgres:15
+    restart: always
+    env_file:
+      - .env
+    volumes:
+      - ./postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+```
+
+This gives us a working setup using Docker Compose, with support for environment variables, volumes for persistence, and optional Traefik labels if you want to enable TLS down the line.
+
+## Create the `.env` File
+
+Create and edit the environment file:
+
+```shell
+nano .env
+```
+
+Paste in your values:
+
+```shell
+# n8n Settings
+DOMAIN_NAME=example.com
+SUBDOMAIN=n8n
+GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/New_York
+N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
+N8N_PROTOCOL=https
+WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/
+N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false
+
+# Traefik (optional)
+TRAEFIK_ROUTER_NAME=n8n
+TRAEFIK_DOMAIN=n8n.example.com
+TRAEFIK_CERT_RESOLVER=mytlschallenge
+
+# PostgreSQL
+POSTGRES_DB=n8n
+POSTGRES_USER=n8n
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme123
+```
+
+This file lets us easily manage settings, especially if you're running multiple stacks. If you’re using Traefik, the optional labels in `compose.yaml` will pull values from here automatically.
+
+## Starting the Stack
+
+Navigate to your project directory:
+
+```shell
+cd /opt/stacks/n8n
+```
+
+Then bring everything up in the background:
+
+```shell
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+Docker will pull the required images and spin up your containers. Once that’s done, n8n should be up and running—by default on port **5678**, or at the domain you configured if you're using a reverse proxy like Traefik.
+
+## Confirm It’s Running
+
+To confirm everything started correctly, run:
+
+```shell
+docker ps
+```
+
+You should see both the `n8n` and `postgres` containers listed and running. If not, check the logs with:
+
+```shell
+docker compose logs
+```
+
+This can help troubleshoot any startup issues.
+
+## Exploring n8n
+
+With everything up and running, open your browser and go to:
+
+```
+http://localhost:5678
+```
+
+or use your domain if you’ve set up a reverse proxy. You’ll be prompted to create an admin account the first time you log in.
+
+From here, you’re ready to start building workflows.
+
+## More info
+
+If you are looking to combine this stack with an AI/LLM stack, [this post](/posts/ai-stack-tutorial/)
+
+## Links
+
+🛍️ Check out the new Merch Shop at <https://l.technotim.live/shop>
+
+⚙️ See all the hardware I recommend at <https://l.technotim.live/gear>
+
+🚀 Don't forget to check out the [🚀Launchpad repo](https://l.technotim.live/quick-start) with all of the quick start source files
+
+🤝 Support me and [help keep this site ad-free!](/sponsor)