🚀 How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

If you want full control over your automations without paying monthly subscription fees, self-hosting n8n is one of the best options.

In this guide, you'll learn how to deploy n8n on your own VPS using Docker Compose and Caddy as a reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS certificates.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a production-ready n8n instance running securely on your own domain.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

A VPS (Ubuntu 22.04 or newer recommended)
A registered domain name
Root SSH access
Basic Linux knowledge

Architecture

Internet
     │
     ▼
 Cloudflare (Optional)
     │
     ▼
   Caddy (HTTPS)
     │
     ▼
     n8n
     │
 Docker Volume

Step 1 — Create a VPS

You can use any cloud provider as you wish.

A VPS with the following specifications is sufficient for most personal projects:

1 vCPU
2 GB RAM
20 GB SSD
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Step 2 — Configure DNS

Create an A Record for your subdomain.

Example:

Type	Name	Value
A	n8n	YOUR_VPS_IP

Your domain should now resolve to:

n8n.example.com

DNS propagation may take a few minutes.

Step 3 — Connect to Your VPS

SSH into your server.

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

Update the system packages.

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 4 — Install Docker

The fastest method is Docker's official installation script.

curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Verify the installation.

docker --version
docker compose version

Example output:

Docker version 28.x.x
Docker Compose version v2.x.x

If both commands return version numbers, Docker is installed correctly.

Step 5 — Create the Project Directory

Create a directory for your deployment.

mkdir -p ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n

Step 6 — Create docker-compose.yml

Create the compose file.

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following configuration.

version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    container_name: n8n
    restart: always

    ports:
      - "5678:5678"

    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com

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

  caddy:
    image: caddy:latest
    container_name: caddy
    restart: unless-stopped

    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"

    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:

Save the file.

Step 7 — Create the Caddy Configuration

Create a Caddyfile.

nano Caddyfile

Paste:

n8n.yourdomain.com {

    reverse_proxy n8n:5678

    encode gzip

    header {
        Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000;"
        X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
        X-Frame-Options SAMEORIGIN
        Referrer-Policy no-referrer-when-downgrade
    }
}

Replace:

n8n.yourdomain.com

with your own domain.

Caddy will automatically request and renew HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt.

Step 8 — Start the Containers

Run:

docker compose up -d

Docker will automatically download the required images.

You can verify everything is running:

docker ps

Expected output:

n8n
caddy

Step 9 — Open n8n

Visit:

https://n8n.yourdomain.com

The first time you open it, n8n will ask you to create an owner account.

After that, you're ready to build automations.

Updating n8n

Whenever a new version is available:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Docker will download the latest image while preserving your workflows.

View Logs

View all logs:

docker compose logs -f

View only n8n logs:

docker logs -f n8n

View Caddy logs:

docker logs -f caddy

Stop the Services

docker compose down

Your data will remain safe because it is stored in Docker volumes.

Backup Your Data

Your workflows are stored inside the Docker volume:

n8n_data

You can back it up with:

docker run --rm \
-v n8n_data:/volume \
-v $(pwd):/backup \
busybox \
tar czf /backup/n8n-backup.tar.gz /volume

Regular backups are highly recommended before upgrading.

Security Recommendations

For production deployments:

Use HTTPS (handled automatically by Caddy)
Keep Docker updated
Enable your VPS firewall
Disable password-based SSH login
Use SSH keys
Use strong credentials for your n8n owner account
Back up your workflows regularly
Keep Ubuntu updated

Troubleshooting

Domain isn't opening

Check your DNS:

ping n8n.yourdomain.com

Verify that it points to your VPS IP.

HTTPS certificate isn't generated

Ensure:

Port 80 is open
Port 443 is open
DNS has propagated
Your domain points to the correct server

Container isn't starting

Check logs:

docker compose logs

Check Running Containers

docker ps

Restart Everything

docker compose restart

Why Use Docker?

Docker makes managing n8n incredibly simple.

Benefits include:

Easy upgrades
Easy backups
Isolated environment
Portable deployment
Quick disaster recovery

Final Thoughts

Self-hosting n8n gives you complete control over your automation workflows without relying on third-party cloud services. With Docker and Caddy, deployment is straightforward, secure, and easy to maintain.

Once your instance is running, you can automate tasks across hundreds of integrations, connect APIs, build AI-powered workflows, and customize everything to fit your needs.

Whether you're a developer, freelancer, or business owner, hosting n8n on your own VPS is a reliable and cost-effective way to build powerful automation infrastructure.

🚀 How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

If you want full control over your automations without paying monthly subscription fees, self-hosting n8n is one of the best options.

In this guide, you'll learn how to deploy n8n on your own VPS using Docker Compose and Caddy as a reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS certificates.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a production-ready n8n instance running securely on your own domain.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

A VPS (Ubuntu 22.04 or newer recommended)
A registered domain name
Root SSH access
Basic Linux knowledge

Architecture

Internet
     │
     ▼
 Cloudflare (Optional)
     │
     ▼
   Caddy (HTTPS)
     │
     ▼
     n8n
     │
 Docker Volume

Step 1 — Create a VPS

You can use any cloud provider as you wish.

A VPS with the following specifications is sufficient for most personal projects:

1 vCPU
2 GB RAM
20 GB SSD
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Step 2 — Configure DNS

Create an A Record for your subdomain.

Example:

Type	Name	Value
A	n8n	YOUR_VPS_IP

Your domain should now resolve to:

n8n.example.com

DNS propagation may take a few minutes.

Step 3 — Connect to Your VPS

SSH into your server.

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

Update the system packages.

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 4 — Install Docker

The fastest method is Docker's official installation script.

curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Verify the installation.

docker --version
docker compose version

Example output:

Docker version 28.x.x
Docker Compose version v2.x.x

If both commands return version numbers, Docker is installed correctly.

Step 5 — Create the Project Directory

Create a directory for your deployment.

mkdir -p ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n

Step 6 — Create docker-compose.yml

Create the compose file.

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following configuration.

version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    container_name: n8n
    restart: always

    ports:
      - "5678:5678"

    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com

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

  caddy:
    image: caddy:latest
    container_name: caddy
    restart: unless-stopped

    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"

    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:

Save the file.

Step 7 — Create the Caddy Configuration

Create a Caddyfile.

nano Caddyfile

Paste:

n8n.yourdomain.com {

    reverse_proxy n8n:5678

    encode gzip

    header {
        Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000;"
        X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
        X-Frame-Options SAMEORIGIN
        Referrer-Policy no-referrer-when-downgrade
    }
}

Replace:

n8n.yourdomain.com

with your own domain.

Caddy will automatically request and renew HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt.

Step 8 — Start the Containers

Run:

docker compose up -d

Docker will automatically download the required images.

You can verify everything is running:

docker ps

Expected output:

n8n
caddy

Step 9 — Open n8n

Visit:

https://n8n.yourdomain.com

The first time you open it, n8n will ask you to create an owner account.

After that, you're ready to build automations.

Updating n8n

Whenever a new version is available:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Docker will download the latest image while preserving your workflows.

View Logs

View all logs:

docker compose logs -f

View only n8n logs:

docker logs -f n8n

View Caddy logs:

docker logs -f caddy

Stop the Services

docker compose down

Your data will remain safe because it is stored in Docker volumes.

Backup Your Data

Your workflows are stored inside the Docker volume:

n8n_data

You can back it up with:

docker run --rm \
-v n8n_data:/volume \
-v $(pwd):/backup \
busybox \
tar czf /backup/n8n-backup.tar.gz /volume

Regular backups are highly recommended before upgrading.

Security Recommendations

For production deployments:

Use HTTPS (handled automatically by Caddy)
Keep Docker updated
Enable your VPS firewall
Disable password-based SSH login
Use SSH keys
Use strong credentials for your n8n owner account
Back up your workflows regularly
Keep Ubuntu updated

Troubleshooting

Domain isn't opening

Check your DNS:

ping n8n.yourdomain.com

Verify that it points to your VPS IP.

HTTPS certificate isn't generated

Ensure:

Port 80 is open
Port 443 is open
DNS has propagated
Your domain points to the correct server

Container isn't starting

Check logs:

docker compose logs

Check Running Containers

docker ps

Restart Everything

docker compose restart

Why Use Docker?

Docker makes managing n8n incredibly simple.

Benefits include:

Easy upgrades
Easy backups
Isolated environment
Portable deployment
Quick disaster recovery

Final Thoughts

Once your instance is running, you can automate tasks across hundreds of integrations, connect APIs, build AI-powered workflows, and customize everything to fit your needs.

Whether you're a developer, freelancer, or business owner, hosting n8n on your own VPS is a reliable and cost-effective way to build powerful automation infrastructure.

How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

🚀 How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

Prerequisites

Architecture

Step 1 — Create a VPS

Step 2 — Configure DNS

Step 3 — Connect to Your VPS

Step 4 — Install Docker

Step 5 — Create the Project Directory

Step 6 — Create docker-compose.yml

Step 7 — Create the Caddy Configuration

Step 8 — Start the Containers

Step 9 — Open n8n

Updating n8n

View Logs

Stop the Services

Backup Your Data

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Domain isn't opening

HTTPS certificate isn't generated

Container isn't starting

Check Running Containers

Restart Everything

Why Use Docker?

Final Thoughts

Comments

How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

🚀 How to Self-Host n8n on a VPS with Docker & Caddy (HTTPS)

Prerequisites

Architecture

Step 1 — Create a VPS

Step 2 — Configure DNS

Step 3 — Connect to Your VPS

Step 4 — Install Docker

Step 5 — Create the Project Directory

Step 6 — Create docker-compose.yml

Step 7 — Create the Caddy Configuration

Step 8 — Start the Containers

Step 9 — Open n8n

Updating n8n

View Logs

Stop the Services

Backup Your Data

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Domain isn't opening

HTTPS certificate isn't generated

Container isn't starting

Check Running Containers

Restart Everything

Why Use Docker?

Final Thoughts

Comments