Self-Hosting n8n on a VPS with PostgreSQL, Docker, and SSL

5/10/2025•Qorvinus
Automationn8nDevOpsDockerVPSPostgreSQLDatabases

Why I Self-Hosted n8n

n8n is awesome — it lets you build automations visually, like Zapier but open-source. The hosted version is great, but I wanted:

  • Unlimited executions without hitting a paywall
  • Full control over data and privacy
  • A setup that could scale beyond just one user

So I spun it up on my own VPS. Cheap, fast, and totally mine.

The Setup I Went With

The default local setup for n8n uses SQLite, which is fine for one-person experiments. But I wanted multi-user support, so I wired it up to PostgreSQL from the start. That gives a more solid foundation — better for teams and more resilient in general.

Deployment-wise, I went with Docker. A single docker-compose.yml, a couple of environment tweaks, and it was live. It’s lightweight enough that even a modest VPS handles it comfortably.

Clean URL and SSL

To make it feel production-grade, I set it up under a subdomain using Nginx as a reverse proxy. Then added a free SSL cert via Certbot..

Cost Savings vs. Maintenance Tradeoffs

Hosting n8n myself saves real money — no per-execution billing, no platform tax. But the flip side? You’re the sysadmin now.

Luckily, updates are dead simple. A docker pull and docker-compose up -d refreshes the whole thing with near-zero downtime. It’s not totally “set and forget,” but it’s close.

Tools I Used

  • n8n – the open-source automation engine
  • Docker & Docker Compose – for deployment and updates
  • PostgreSQL – to enable multi-user support
  • Nginx – reverse proxy to serve over a custom subdomain
  • Certbot – free SSL for HTTPS
  • Ubuntu VPS – lightweight server, cost-effective

What I’d Improve Next Time

  • Add basic monitoring/logging (maybe via Grafana or Uptime Kuma)
  • Set up automatic backups for PostgreSQL (just in case)