How to Install n8n with Docker: Complete Step-by-Step Guide with SSL & Custom Domain

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

A server with Docker and Docker Compose installed
Domain name henrybroadway.com pointing to your server's IP address
SSH access to your server
Root or sudo privileges

Vps Provider With Port 25 Open
dartnode
rarecloud
Contabo.
Ultahost
Servebyte.
OVH.
Alexhost
Knownhost
Racknerd
Turnkey internet.
Vpsbg
Hostwinds

Step 1: Install Docker and Docker Compose

If not already installed:

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

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

# Add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Install Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Logout and login again to apply group changes

Step 2: Create Project Directory

# Create directory for n8n
mkdir ~/n8n-docker
cd ~/n8n-docker

Step 3: Create Docker Compose File

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'

services:
  traefik:
    image: traefik:v2.9
    restart: always
    command:
      - --api=true
      - --api.insecure=true
      - --providers.docker=true
      - --providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false
      - --entrypoints.websecure.address=:443
      - --entrypoints.web.address=:80
      - --certificatesresolvers.mytlschallenge.acme.tlschallenge=true
      - --certificatesresolvers.mytlschallenge.acme.email=${ACME_EMAIL}
      - --certificatesresolvers.mytlschallenge.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json
      # Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
      - --entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure
      - --entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ${PWD}/letsencrypt:/letsencrypt
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro

  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=henrybroadway.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://henrybroadway.com/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=UTC
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD}
    labels:
      - traefik.enable=true
      - traefik.http.routers.n8n.rule=Host(`henrybroadway.com`)
      - traefik.http.routers.n8n.tls=true
      - traefik.http.routers.n8n.entrypoints=websecure
      - traefik.http.routers.n8n.tls.certresolver=mytlschallenge
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.SSLRedirect=true
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.STSSeconds=315360000
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.browserXSSFilter=true
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.contentTypeNosniff=true
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.forceSTSHeader=true
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.SSLHost=henrybroadway.com
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.STSIncludeSubdomains=true
      - traefik.http.middlewares.n8n.headers.STSPreload=true
      - traefik.http.routers.n8n.middlewares=n8n@docker
    volumes:
      - ${PWD}/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - traefik

Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

Create .env file:

# Replace with your actual email
[email protected]
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=MySecure123Pass!

Step 5: Create Required Directories

# Create directories for persistent data
mkdir -p .n8n
mkdir -p letsencrypt

# Set proper permissions
chmod 600 letsencrypt

# Fix permissions
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 .n8n/
sudo chmod -R 755 .n8n/

Step 6: Verify DNS Configuration

Ensure your domain points to your server:

# Check DNS resolution
nslookup henrybroadway.com
dig henrybroadway.com

# Should return your server's IP address

Step 7: Start the Services

# Start all services
docker-compose up -d

# Check if containers are running
docker-compose ps

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

Step 8: Verify Installation

Check container status: docker-compose ps
Monitor logs: # Watch all logs docker-compose logs -f # Watch only n8n logs docker-compose logs -f n8n
Test SSL certificate: curl -I https://henrybroadway.com

Step 9: Access n8n

Open your browser and navigate to: https://henrybroadway.com
You'll be prompted for basic authentication (if configured)
Complete the n8n setup wizard

Post-Installation Configuration

Security Hardening

Change default passwords in .env file
Configure firewall:

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw allow 5678/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw enable
ufw reload
ufw status

Backup Configuration

Create a backup script backup.sh:

#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
tar -czf "n8n_backup_$DATE.tar.gz" .n8n/
echo "Backup created: n8n_backup_$DATE.tar.gz"

Useful Management Commands

# Stop services
docker-compose down

# Update n8n to latest version
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

# View real-time logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Access n8n container shell
docker-compose exec n8n /bin/sh

# Restart specific service
docker-compose restart n8n

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

SSL Certificate Issues: # Check certificate status docker-compose logs traefik | grep certificate # Restart traefik docker-compose restart traefik
Permission Issues: # Fix n8n data permissions sudo chown -R 1000:1000 .n8n/
Port Conflicts: # Check what's using port 80/443 sudo netstat -tulnp | grep :80 sudo netstat -tulnp | grep :443
DNS Issues: # Verify DNS propagation dig henrybroadway.com @8.8.8.8

Log Locations

Traefik logs: docker-compose logs traefik
n8n logs: docker-compose logs n8n
Let's Encrypt certificates: ./letsencrypt/acme.json

Next Steps

Once n8n is running:

Complete the initial setup wizard
Configure your first workflow
Set up regular backups
Consider setting up monitoring
Review security settings

Your n8n installation should now be accessible at https://henrybroadway.com with automatic SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt!