Getting Started

From zero to a running n8n instance on your own server in three steps.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A VPS or cloud server with at least 2 GB RAM and 20 GB storage (Ubuntu 22.04 or later).
  • SSH access to the server as root or a user with sudo privileges.
  • A domain name you control, with the ability to edit DNS records.
Don't have a server yet? We recommend Hetzner — a €5–€10/month VPS is plenty for most workflows. Sign up through our link and you'll receive a €20 promo code valid on all Hetzner Cloud products (enough to cover several months of a small VPS).

Step 1 — Connect your server

  1. Sign in to the dashboard and go to Servers.
  2. Click Add Server and enter a name, the server's IP address, and your SSH credentials.
  3. We'll run a one-time setup script that installs Docker, Caddy, and our agent — you'll see the connection turn green when it's ready.

Step 2 — Deploy an n8n instance

  1. Go to Instances → Deploy Instance.
  2. Pick the server you just added, choose a name, and enter the domain you'd like to use (e.g. n8n.yourdomain.com).
  3. Create a DNS A record pointing the subdomain at your server's IP.
  4. Click Deploy. We'll pull the latest n8n image, wire up Caddy, and issue a Let's Encrypt certificate automatically.
You can watch progress in the Jobs page. Most deployments finish in under a minute.

Step 3 — Access your n8n

Once the job finishes, open the instance details page and click the Access URL. You'll be redirected to n8n's built-in setup flow where you can create your owner account.

Next steps

  • Read Custom Domains & SSL for deeper control over how your instance is exposed.
  • Check the FAQ for billing, supported providers, and support channels.