n8n Docker Setup

This project provides a complete Docker Compose setup for running n8n with PostgreSQL and Redis.

Features

• 🚀 n8n - Latest version with web interface
• 🐘 PostgreSQL - Persistent database for workflows and data
• 🔴 Redis - Caching and session storage
• 📁 Persistent volumes - Data survives container restarts
• 🔐 Basic authentication - Secure access to n8n
• 🌐 Custom networking - Isolated container communication

Quick Start

1. Clone and setup:

   cd c:\dev\n8n
   cp .env.example .env

2. Edit the .env file with your preferred settings:

   • Change the default password
   • Set your timezone
   • Configure database credentials
   • Add email settings (optional)

3. Start the services:

   docker-compose up -d

4. Access n8n:

   • Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:5678
   • Login with the credentials from your .env file

Commands

Start services

docker-compose up -d

Stop services

docker-compose down

View logs

docker-compose logs -f n8n

Update n8n

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Backup data

docker-compose exec postgres pg_dump -U n8n n8n > backup.sql

Restore data

docker-compose exec -T postgres psql -U n8n n8n < backup.sql

Project Structure

c:\dev\n8n\
├── docker-compose.yml    # Main Docker Compose configuration
├── .env.example         # Environment variables template
├── .env                 # Your environment variables (create from .env.example)
├── .gitignore          # Git ignore file
├── README.md           # This file
├── custom/             # Custom n8n nodes and configurations
├── backups/            # Database backups
└── logs/               # Application logs

Configuration

Environment Variables

Key variables you should customize in .env:

• N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER - Your admin username
• N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD - Your admin password
• DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD - Database password
• N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY - Encryption key for sensitive data
• GENERIC_TIMEZONE - Your timezone

Custom Nodes

Place custom n8n nodes in the custom/ directory. They will be automatically loaded by n8n.

Troubleshooting

Port conflicts

If port 5678 is already in use, change it in docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "8080:5678"  # Use port 8080 instead

Database connection issues

Check if PostgreSQL is running:

docker-compose logs postgres

Reset everything

To start fresh (⚠️ this will delete all data):

docker-compose down -v
docker-compose up -d

Security Notes

• Change default passwords before production use
• Use HTTPS in production (consider adding a reverse proxy)
• Regularly backup your database
• Keep Docker images updated

Support

• n8n Documentation
• n8n Community Forum
• Docker Compose Documentation