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Self-Host n8n with Docker

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool for connecting apps and services. There's a cloud-hosted option, but self-hosting gives you full control over your data — for free. Here's how to get it running locally with Docker and PostgreSQL.

I'm on macOS with Docker Desktop, but these steps work on Windows too.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker Desktop installed
  • Comfortable running terminal commands
  • Stable internet connection (to pull Docker images)

Steps​

These steps use Docker Compose, which manages multiple containers from a single YAML file (docker-compose.yml). New to Docker? See the official docs.

1. Create a Project Directory​

mkdir n8n-docker
cd n8n-docker

2. Create the Docker Compose File​

docker-compose.yml
services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=${POSTGRES_DB}
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - ./n8n_storage:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - postgres

  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      - POSTGRES_DB=${POSTGRES_DB}
    volumes:
      - ./postgres_storage:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  n8n_storage:
  postgres_storage:

Notes:

  • n8n maps port 5678 to the host.
  • PostgreSQL credentials come from the .env file.
  • volumes persist data across restarts.
  • More options in the n8n docs.

3. Create the .env File​

.env
POSTGRES_USER=your_username
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_password
POSTGRES_DB=your_n8n_database

4. Start the Services​

docker compose up -d

5. Open n8n​

Go to http://localhost:5678. You should see the setup page.

Enter your email, name, and password to create an account. Save these credentials — self-hosted n8n doesn't have "forgot password" by default. Losing them means resetting via the database or setting up an email service.

n8n setup page

6. Stop the Services​

docker compose down

That's it — n8n is up and running locally.

n8n Workflow Home