This guide explains how to deploy n8n using its official Docker image on the Jelastic Cloud platform (Infomaniak PaaS).

Introduction

• Unlike tools like Zapier or Make, n8n, a “fair-code” workflow automation tool, can be self-hosted, giving you complete control over your data while connecting hundreds of services via an intuitive visual interface.
• The official image used is n8nio/n8n.
• Using an external database (PostgreSQL) is highly recommended for stability and managing large volumes of data.
• The default internal port is 5678.

1. Creating the Jelastic Environment

Follow these steps to configure your topology:

1. Log in to the Jelastic Cloud dashboard.
2. Click on New environment.
3. In the creation wizard:
   • Go to the Docker tab.
   • Click on Select an image and search for n8nio/n8n. Specify a version (e.g., latest or a specific version like 1.75.0).
   • Load Balancer: add a node (e.g., Nginx) to manage SSL and public access.
   • Database: add a PostgreSQL node (version 14+ recommended).
4. Allocate sufficient Cloudlets (8 min. recommended for n8n in production) and name your environment.
5. Click on Create.

2. Configuring Storage and Persistence

By default, Docker data is ephemeral. It is essential to mount a volume:

1. On the n8n node, click the Configuration icon (the gear).
2. Go to the Volumes section.
3. Click on Add:
   • Local path: /home/node/.n8n
4. Save; configuration files and local encryption will now be preserved.

3. Essential Environment Variables

Access the Environment Variables section of the n8n container to define the following settings:

Connection to PostgreSQL

To use the external database, also add:

• DB_TYPE: postgresdb
• DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST: Internal IP address or DNS of the Postgres node.
• DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT: 5432
• DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE: Database name (e.g., n8n).
• DB_POSTGRESDB_USER: Your username.
• DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: Your password.

4. First access and security

1. Once the container has restarted, open the URL of your environment.
2. Account creation: n8n will ask you to create the first administrator account.
3. SSL: if you are using a custom domain, install the Let's Encrypt add-on on the Load Balancer node.

5. Post-installation check

• Create a test workflow with a Webhook node and verify that the generated URL is in https.
• Check the container logs to see if any database connection errors appear.