How I Deployed and Self-Hosted n8n on Ubuntu 24.04 🚀

Roshan Sharma — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:03:39 +0000

I recently wanted to experiment with automating tasks across different apps without relying on third-party platforms. That’s when I came across n8n — an open-source workflow automation tool. In this post, I’ll show you how I set it up from scratch on an Ubuntu 24.04 server using Docker.

This guide assumes you're starting fresh with a new server.

✅ What You’ll Need

A cloud VPS or server with Ubuntu 24.04 installed
SSH access to the server
Basic Linux knowledge (though I’ll guide you through everything)
A domain name (optional, but recommended for production setups)

Step 1 — Connect to Your Server

If you don’t already have a server, you can create one using providers like DigitalOcean, AWS Lightsail, or Vultr. After that, you can connect using SSH like this:

ssh username@your-server-ip

Once connected, you’re ready to start!

Step 2 — Update the Server Packages

It's always a good practice to update your server before installing anything.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This updates your package lists and installs the latest versions.

Step 3 — Install Docker

n8n works best with Docker, so let's install Docker first.

Install Docker Engine

sudo apt install docker.io -y

Enable and start Docker:

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Verify Docker is installed:

docker --version

You should see something like Docker version 20.xx.x.

Allow Docker Without `sudo` (Optional)

If you don't want to type sudo every time, you can add your user to the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Then log out and log back in to apply the changes.

Step 4 — Install Docker Compose

Docker Compose makes it easier to define and run multi-container Docker applications.

sudo apt install docker-compose -y

Check the version:

docker-compose --version

Step 5 — Set Up n8n with Docker Compose

Create a Folder for n8n

mkdir ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n

Create the `docker-compose.yml` File

You can create and edit the file using nano or any text editor:

nano docker-compose.yml

Then paste the following content:

version: "3"

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=yourpassword
      - N8N_HOST=your-server-ip
      - WEBHOOK_URL=http://your-server-ip:5678/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Kolkata
    volumes:
      - ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n

✅ Important:

Replace yourpassword with a strong password
Replace your-server-ip with your server’s public IP address

Save the file and exit (Ctrl + X, Y, Enter).

Step 6 — Start n8n

Run the following command to start the container:

docker-compose up -d

This will download the required image and start the container in detached mode.

Check if it’s running:

docker ps

You should see the n8n container listed.

Step 7 — Access n8n in Your Browser

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://your-server-ip:5678

You’ll see the n8n login page. Use:

Username: admin
Password: the password you set in the docker-compose.yml file

Step 8 — Start Automating!

You can now create workflows that connect different apps and services without writing a lot of code. It’s a great tool for testing, personal projects, or even lightweight automation for your business.

Bonus — Next Steps

Here are some things you can consider next:

✔ Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy
✔ Secure your instance with SSL certificates using Let’s Encrypt
✔ Automate backups of your workflows
✔ Explore advanced workflows connecting APIs, messaging platforms, or databases

Final Thoughts

Setting up n8n from scratch on Ubuntu 24.04 was smooth and super rewarding. It’s powerful, flexible, and helps automate tasks in a way that’s easy to manage. If you’re exploring automation tools, I highly recommend giving n8n a try.

I actually learned how to set this up by following the documentation on docs.vultr.com
— huge thanks to them for making the process easy to understand!

Feel free to share your workflows or ask if you want tips on securing or scaling your instance!

Happy automating! 🚀

Top 10 Linux Commands I Use Daily as a Developer

Roshan Sharma — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:44:44 +0000

I spend a lot of time working with Linux (mostly Ubuntu/Debian), and over time, I’ve noticed that there are a handful of commands I end up using almost every single day. Some are simple, some are a bit more advanced, but together they make my workflow faster and less frustrating.
Here’s my personal list, maybe it’ll help someone who’s just starting out.

1. ls -lh
Checking what’s in a directory with human-readable sizes. I use -lh almost by muscle memory now.

2. grep
Searching through logs or config files quickly. Example:
grep "error" /var/log/syslog
Super useful when debugging.

3. htop
For monitoring processes and system resources. It’s much nicer than plain top.

4. df -h
To check free disk space. I’ve avoided full disks many times thanks to this.

*5. du -sh **
When I want to know which folder is eating all my storage.

6. tar -czvf backup.tar.gz folder/
For quick backups of folders before I make changes. I always prefer having a safe copy.

7. ssh user@server
Nothing fancy here, but since I work with servers a lot, this is basically daily usage.

8. systemctl status
For checking if a service is running (MySQL, Docker, etc.). Saves time compared to digging through logs.

9. chmod and chown
Permissions can be annoying, but knowing how to quickly fix them is a lifesaver.

10. curl
For testing APIs or checking if a web service is responding. Example:
curl -I https://example.com

This list isn’t exhaustive, but these 10 commands cover most of my daily Linux tasks as a developer. The more I use them, the more I realize how powerful the command line is.

What about you? Which Linux commands do you find yourself using every single day?

DEV Community: Roshan Sharma