This guide will help you install n8n on a Linux server (Ubuntu) using Docker. You do not need advanced technical knowledge. Just follow the steps one by one.

What You Need

• A Linux VPS (Ubuntu 22.04 or newer)
• SSH access to your server
• Basic ability to copy and paste commands

Step 1: Connect to Your Server

Open your terminal and connect using SSH:

ssh youruser@your_server_ip

Step 2: Update Your Server

Always update first:

sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade

Step 3: Install Docker

Docker is required to run n8n.

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo $VERSION_CODENAME) stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Check if Docker works:

docker --version
docker compose version

Step 4: Create n8n Folder

sudo mkdir -p /opt/n8n
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/n8n
cd /opt/n8n

Step 5: Create Environment File

Create a file that stores settings:

cat > .env << 'EOF'
POSTGRES_DB=n8n
POSTGRES_USER=n8n
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=replace_with_strong_password

N8N_HOST=localhost
N8N_PORT=5678
N8N_PROTOCOL=http
WEBHOOK_URL=http://localhost:5678/

TZ=Europe/Amsterdam
EOF

Important: Replace replace_with_strong_password with a secure password.

Step 6: Create Docker Compose File

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      TZ: ${TZ}
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      DB_TYPE: postgresdb
      DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST: postgres
      DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT: 5432
      DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE: ${POSTGRES_DB}
      DB_POSTGRESDB_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
      DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}

      N8N_HOST: ${N8N_HOST}
      N8N_PORT: ${N8N_PORT}
      N8N_PROTOCOL: ${N8N_PROTOCOL}
      WEBHOOK_URL: ${WEBHOOK_URL}
      TZ: ${TZ}

    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - postgres

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  postgres_data:
EOF

Step 7: Start n8n

docker compose up -d

Check if everything is running:

docker compose ps

Step 8: Open n8n in Your Browser

Go to:

http://your_server_ip:5678

You will see the n8n setup screen. Create your admin account and you are ready.

How to Update n8n Later

cd /opt/n8n
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Important (Production Use)

If you want to use n8n professionally:

• Use a domain name
• Install SSL (HTTPS)
• Use a reverse proxy (like Nginx Proxy Manager)
• Do not leave port 5678 open publicly

Done

You now have a working n8n installation with database and persistent storage.