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234 lines
8.1 KiB
Markdown
234 lines
8.1 KiB
Markdown
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# n8n - Workflow automation tool
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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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<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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## 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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## 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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## 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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## 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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Additional information and example workflows on the n8n.io website: [https://n8n.io](https://n8n.io)
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## Start n8n in Docker
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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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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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> **WARNING**: This is only meant for local development and testing. Should not be used in production!
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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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To use it simply start n8n with `--tunnel`
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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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n8n start --tunnel
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```
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## Persist data
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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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```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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### 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_TYPE=postgresdb \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=<POSTGRES_DATABASE> \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=<POSTGRES_HOST> \
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-e DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=<POSTGRES_PORT> \
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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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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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## Passing Sensitive Data via File
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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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The following environment variables support file input:
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE_FILE
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST_FILE
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD_FILE
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- DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT_FILE
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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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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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## Updating a running docker-compose instance
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1. Pull the latest version from the registry
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`docker pull docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n`
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2. Stop the current setup
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`sudo docker-compose stop`
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3. Delete it (will only delete the docker-containers, data is stored separately)
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`sudo docker-compose rm`
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4. Then start it again
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`sudo docker-compose up -d`
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## Setting Timezone
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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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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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--name n8n \
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-p 5678:5678 \
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-e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Europe/Berlin" \
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-e TZ="Europe/Berlin" \
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docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
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```
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## Build Docker-Image
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```bash
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docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 --build-arg N8N_VERSION=<VERSION> -t n8n:<VERSION> .
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# For example:
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docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 --build-arg N8N_VERSION=1.30.1 -t n8n:1.30.1 .
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```
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## What does n8n mean and how do you pronounce it?
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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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## 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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## 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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## 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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