How to self-host n8n on a VPS with one command
Install n8n on your own VPS with a domain, HTTPS and working webhooks. How much RAM it needs, where its data lives, and what this setup does not do.
n8n is the automation tool people most want to self-host, because its workflows hold the credentials to every other service you use. This guide goes from a blank VPS to n8n running on your own domain.
What the server needs
- Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04.
- n8n alone needs at least 1 GB of RAM. Pick a 2 GB VPS if other apps run next to it.
- Ports 80 and 443 open to the internet, or pair with Keenrig Cloud to go through a tunnel.
Step 1: install Keenrig
curl -fsSL https://get.keenrig.com | sudo shThe installer prints the admin address (http://<server-ip>/) and how to get the setup token for the first sign-in. You do not need a domain at this point.
Step 2: install n8n from the catalog
In the admin panel, open Catalog, pick n8n and press Install. The domain is filled in as n8n.<your domain>; change it before installing if you like. Keenrig sets WEBHOOK_URL to the app’s first domain, so the webhook links n8n shows can be called from outside.
Where the data lives
Workflows, credentials and the encryption key n8n generates on first boot live in an embedded SQLite database inside a single volume. A per-app backup therefore captures all of n8n. Keep that backup safe: losing the encryption key means losing the ability to read stored credentials.
What this setup does not do
- No queue mode with Postgres and Redis — right for personal and small-team use, not thousands of executions a minute.
- No single sign-on: n8n’s SSO sits in n8n’s paid plans, so n8n keeps its own accounts.
The free Starter plan runs up to 3 apps, so n8n and two more apps cost nothing.