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docs: Update docker readme (#13268)
This commit is contained in:
Nick Veitch
GitHub
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# n8n - Workflow automation tool
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# n8n - Secure Workflow Automation for Technical Teams
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n8n is an extendable workflow automation tool. With a [fair-code](https://faircode.io) distribution model, n8n will always have visible source code, be available to self-host, and allow you to add your own custom functions, logic and apps. n8n's node-based approach makes it highly versatile, enabling you to connect anything to everything.
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n8n is a workflow automation platform that gives technical teams the flexibility of code with the speed of no-code. With 400+ integrations, native AI capabilities, and a fair-code license, n8n lets you build powerful automations while maintaining full control over your data and deployments.
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<a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/n8n-io/n8n/master/assets/n8n-screenshot.png"><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/n8n-io/n8n/master/assets/n8n-screenshot.png" alt="n8n.io - Screenshot"></a>
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## Key Capabilities
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- **Code When You Need It**: Write JavaScript/Python, add npm packages, or use the visual interface
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- **AI-Native Platform**: Build AI agent workflows based on LangChain with your own data and models
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- **Full Control**: Self-host with our fair-code license or use our [cloud offering](https://app.n8n.cloud/login)
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- **Enterprise-Ready**: Advanced permissions, SSO, and air-gapped deployments
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- **Active Community**: 400+ integrations and 900+ ready-to-use [templates](https://n8n.io/workflows)
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## Contents
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- [n8n - Workflow automation tool](#n8n---workflow-automation-tool)
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- [Contents](#contents)
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- [Demo](#demo)
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- [Available integrations](#available-integrations)
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- [Documentation](#documentation)
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- [Start n8n in Docker](#start-n8n-in-docker)
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- [Start with tunnel](#start-with-tunnel)
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- [Persist data](#persist-data)
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- [Start with other Database](#start-with-other-database)
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- [Use with PostgresDB](#use-with-postgresdb)
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- [Passing Sensitive Data via File](#passing-sensitive-data-via-file)
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- [Example Setup with Lets Encrypt](#example-setup-with-lets-encrypt)
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- [Updating a running docker-compose instance](#updating-a-running-docker-compose-instance)
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- [Setting Timezone](#setting-timezone)
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- [Build Docker-Image](#build-docker-image)
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- [What does n8n mean and how do you pronounce it?](#what-does-n8n-mean-and-how-do-you-pronounce-it)
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- [Support](#support)
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- [Jobs](#jobs)
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- [Upgrading](#upgrading)
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- [License](#license)
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- [Key Capabilities](#key-capabilities)
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- [Contents](#contents)
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- [Demo](#demo)
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- [Available integrations](#available-integrations)
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- [Documentation](#documentation)
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- [Start n8n in Docker](#start-n8n-in-docker)
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- [Start n8n with tunnel](#start-n8n-with-tunnel)
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- [Use with PostgreSQL](#use-with-postgresql)
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- [Passing sensitive data using files](#passing-sensitive-data-using-files)
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- [Example server setups](#example-server-setups)
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- [Updating](#updating)
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- [Pull latest (stable) version](#pull-latest-stable-version)
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- [Pull specific version](#pull-specific-version)
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- [Pull next (unstable) version](#pull-next-unstable-version)
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- [Updating with Docker Compose](#updating-with-docker-compose)
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- [Setting Timezone](#setting-the-timezone)
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- [Build Docker-Image](#build-docker-image)
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- [What does n8n mean and how do you pronounce it?](#what-does-n8n-mean-and-how-do-you-pronounce-it)
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- [Support](#support)
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- [Jobs](#jobs)
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- [License](#license)
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## Demo
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[:tv: A short video (< 4 min)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpjQTGKm-ok) that goes over key concepts of creating workflows in n8n.
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This [:tv: short video (< 4 min)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpjQTGKm-ok) goes over key concepts of creating workflows in n8n.
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## Available integrations
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n8n has 200+ different nodes to automate workflows. The list can be found on: [https://n8n.io/nodes](https://n8n.io/nodes)
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n8n has 200+ different nodes to automate workflows. A full list can be found at [https://n8n.io/integrations](https://n8n.io/integrations).
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## Documentation
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The official n8n documentation can be found under: [https://docs.n8n.io](https://docs.n8n.io)
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The official n8n documentation can be found at [https://docs.n8n.io](https://docs.n8n.io).
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Additional information and example workflows on the n8n.io website: [https://n8n.io](https://n8n.io)
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Additional information and example workflows are available on the website at [https://n8n.io](https://n8n.io).
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## Start n8n in Docker
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In the terminal, enter the following:
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```bash
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docker volume create n8n_data
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docker run -it --rm \
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--name n8n \
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-p 5678:5678 \
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-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
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-v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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This command will download the required n8n image and start your container.
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You can then access n8n by opening:
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[http://localhost:5678](http://localhost:5678)
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## Start with tunnel
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To save your work between container restarts, it also mounts a docker volume, `n8n_data`. The workflow data gets saved in an SQLite database in the user folder (`/home/node/.n8n`). This folder also contains important data like the webhook URL and the encryption key used for securing credentials.
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> **WARNING**: This is only meant for local development and testing. Should not be used in production!
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If this data can't be found at startup n8n automatically creates a new key and any existing credentials can no longer be decrypted.
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To be able to use webhooks which all triggers of external services like Github
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rely on n8n has to be reachable from the web. To make that easy n8n has a
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special tunnel service (uses this code: [https://github.com/n8n-io/localtunnel](https://github.com/n8n-io/localtunnel)) which redirects requests from our servers to your local
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n8n instance.
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## Start n8n with tunnel
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> **WARNING**: This is only meant for local development and testing and should **NOT** be used in production!
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n8n must be reachable from the internet to make use of webhooks - essential for triggering workflows from external web-based services such as GitHub. To make this easier, n8n has a special tunnel service which redirects requests from our servers to your local n8n instance. You can inspect the code running this service here: [https://github.com/n8n-io/localtunnel](https://github.com/n8n-io/localtunnel)
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To use it simply start n8n with `--tunnel`
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```bash
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docker volume create n8n_data
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docker run -it --rm \
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--name n8n \
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-p 5678:5678 \
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-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
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-v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n \
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start --tunnel
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```
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## Persist data
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## Use with PostgreSQL
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The workflow data gets by default saved in an SQLite database in the user
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folder (`/home/node/.n8n`). That folder also additionally contains the
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settings like webhook URL and encryption key.
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Note that the folder needs to be writable by user with UID/GID 1000.
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By default, n8n uses SQLite to save credentials, past executions and workflows. However, n8n also supports using PostgreSQL.
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> **WARNING**: Even when using a different database, it is still important to
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persist the `/home/node/.n8n` folder, which also contains essential n8n
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user data including the encryption key for the credentials.
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In the following commands, replace the placeholders (depicted within angled brackets, e.g. `<POSTGRES_USER>`) with the actual data:
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```bash
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docker run -it --rm \
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--name n8n \
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-p 5678:5678 \
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-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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docker volume create n8n_data
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### Start with other Database
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By default n8n uses SQLite to save credentials, past executions and workflows.
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n8n however also supports PostgresDB.
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It is important to still persist the data in the `/home/node/.n8n` folder. The reason
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is that it contains n8n user data. That is the name of the webhook
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(in case) the n8n tunnel gets used and even more important the encryption key
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for the credentials. If none gets found n8n creates automatically one on
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startup. In case credentials are already saved with a different encryption key
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it can not be used anymore as encrypting it is not possible anymore.
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#### Use with PostgresDB
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Replace the following placeholders with the actual data:
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- POSTGRES_DATABASE
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- POSTGRES_HOST
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- POSTGRES_PASSWORD
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- POSTGRES_PORT
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- POSTGRES_USER
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- POSTGRES_SCHEMA
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```bash
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docker run -it --rm \
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--name n8n \
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-p 5678:5678 \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=<POSTGRES_USER> \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=<POSTGRES_SCHEMA> \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=<POSTGRES_PASSWORD> \
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-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
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-v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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A full working setup with docker-compose can be found [here](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n-hosting/blob/main/docker-compose/withPostgres/README.md)
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A full working setup with docker-compose can be found [here](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n-hosting/blob/main/docker-compose/withPostgres/README.md).
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## Passing Sensitive Data via File
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## Passing sensitive data using files
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To avoid passing sensitive information via environment variables "\_FILE" may be
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appended to some environment variables. It will then load the data from a file
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with the given name. That makes it possible to load data easily from
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Docker and Kubernetes secrets.
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To avoid passing sensitive information via environment variables, "\_FILE" may be appended to some environment variable names. n8n will then load the data from a file with the given name. This makes it possible to load data easily from Docker and Kubernetes secrets.
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The following environment variables support file input:
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_USER_FILE
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA_FILE
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## Example Setup with Lets Encrypt
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## Example server setups
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A basic step by step example setup of n8n with docker-compose and Lets Encrypt is available on the
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[Server Setup](https://docs.n8n.io/#/server-setup) page.
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Example server setups for a range of cloud providers and scenarios can be found in the [Server Setup documentation](https://docs.n8n.io/hosting/installation/server-setups/).
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## Updating a running docker-compose instance
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## Updating
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1. Pull the latest version from the registry
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Before you upgrade to the latest version make sure to check here if there are any breaking changes which may affect you: [Breaking Changes](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/packages/cli/BREAKING-CHANGES.md)
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`docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n`
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From your Docker Desktop, navigate to the Images tab and select Pull from the context menu to download the latest n8n image.
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2. Stop the current setup
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You can also use the command line to pull the latest, or a specific version:
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`sudo docker-compose stop`
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### Pull latest (stable) version
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3. Delete it (will only delete the docker-containers, data is stored separately)
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```bash
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docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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`sudo docker-compose rm`
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### Pull specific version
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4. Then start it again
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```bash
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docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:0.220.1
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```
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`sudo docker-compose up -d`
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### Pull next (unstable) version
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## Setting Timezone
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```bash
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docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:next
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```
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To define the timezone n8n should use, the environment variable `GENERIC_TIMEZONE` can
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be set. One instance where this variable is implemented is in the Schedule node. Furthermore, the system's timezone can be set separately,
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which controls the output of certain scripts and commands such as `$ date`. The system timezone can be set via
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the environment variable `TZ`.
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Stop the container and start it again:
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Example to use the same timezone for both:
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1. Get the container ID:
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```bash
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docker ps -a
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```
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2. Stop the container with ID container_id:
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```bash
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docker stop [container_id]
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```
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3. Remove the container (this does not remove your user data) with ID container_id:
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```bash
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docker rm [container_id]
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```
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4. Start the new container:
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```bash
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docker run --name=[container_name] [options] -d docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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### Updating with Docker Compose
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If you run n8n using a Docker Compose file, follow these steps to update n8n:
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```bash
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# Pull latest version
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docker compose pull
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# Stop and remove older version
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docker compose down
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# Start the container
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docker compose up -d
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```
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## Setting the timezone
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To specify the timezone n8n should use, the environment variable `GENERIC_TIMEZONE` can
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be set. One example where this variable has an effect is the Schedule node.
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The system's timezone can be set separately with the environment variable `TZ`.
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This controls the output of certain scripts and commands such as `$ date`.
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For example, to use the same timezone for both:
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```bash
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docker run -it --rm \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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For more information on configuration and environment variables, please see the [n8n documentation](https://docs.n8n.io/hosting/configuration/environment-variables/).
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## Build Docker-Image
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```bash
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@ -201,33 +241,17 @@ docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 --build-arg N8N_VERSION=1
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**Short answer:** It means "nodemation" and it is pronounced as n-eight-n.
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**Long answer:** I get that question quite often (more often than I expected)
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so I decided it is probably best to answer it here. While looking for a
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good name for the project with a free domain I realized very quickly that all the
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good ones I could think of were already taken. So, in the end, I chose
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nodemation. "node-" in the sense that it uses a Node-View and that it uses
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Node.js and "-mation" for "automation" which is what the project is supposed to help with.
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However, I did not like how long the name was and I could not imagine writing
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something that long every time in the CLI. That is when I then ended up on
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"n8n". Sure does not work perfectly but does neither for Kubernetes (k8s) and
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did not hear anybody complain there. So I guess it should be ok.
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**Long answer:** I get that question quite often (more often than I expected) so I decided it is probably best to answer it here. While looking for a good name for the project with a free domain I realized very quickly that all the good ones I could think of were already taken. So, in the end, I chose nodemation. "node-" in the sense that it uses a Node-View and that it uses Node.js and "-mation" for "automation" which is what the project is supposed to help with.
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However, I did not like how long the name was and I could not imagine writing something that long every time in the CLI. That is when I then ended up on "n8n". Sure it does not work perfectly but neither does it for Kubernetes (k8s) and I did not hear anybody complain there. So I guess it should be ok.
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## Support
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If you have problems or questions go to our forum, we will then try to help you asap:
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[https://community.n8n.io](https://community.n8n.io)
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If you need more help with n8n, you can ask for support in the [n8n community forum](https://community.n8n.io). This is the best source of answers, as both the n8n support team and community members can help.
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## Jobs
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If you are interested in working for n8n and so shape the future of the project
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check out our [job posts](https://apply.workable.com/n8n/)
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## Upgrading
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Before you upgrade to the latest version make sure to check here if there are any breaking changes which concern you:
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[Breaking Changes](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/packages/cli/BREAKING-CHANGES.md)
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If you are interested in working for n8n and so shape the future of the project check out our [job posts](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/n8n).
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## License
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You can find the license information [here](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/README.md#license)
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You can find the license information [here](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/README.md#license).
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