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1. Start With a Clean Server

• Deploy a Docker Droplet from the DigitalOcean Marketplace.
• Log in as root via SSH.

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2. Update Your System (Recommended)

apt update && apt upgrade -y

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3. Create a Folder for n8n

mkdir -p /root/n8n
cd /root/n8n

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4. Create Your docker-compose.yml File

Create and edit the file:

nano /root/n8n/docker-compose.yml

Paste the following content (replace your.domain.com with your actual subdomain):

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    container_name: n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin          # Change this!
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=strongpass # Change this!
      - N8N_HOST=your.domain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://your.domain.com/
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=true
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/node/.n8n
    networks:
      - n8n_network

  caddy:
    image: caddy:alpine
    container_name: caddy
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config
    networks:
      - n8n_network

networks:
  n8n_network:

volumes:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:

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5. Create Your Caddyfile

nano /root/n8n/Caddyfile

Paste this (replace your.domain.com):

your.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy n8n:5678
}

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6. Set Permissions (for volume folder)

mkdir -p /root/n8n/data
chown -R 1000:1000 /root/n8n/data

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7. Point Your Domain DNS to the Server IP

• In your domain registrar, create an A record for your.domain.com → your server’s public IP.

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8. Start Everything Up

From /root/n8n:

docker compose up -d

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9. Open Firewall (if using UFW)

sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443
sudo ufw reload

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10. Access n8n!

• Visit https://your.domain.com in your browser.
• Log in with the username and password you set in the Compose file.

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11. Updating n8n in the Future

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

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12. Restarting After Changes (e.g., new domain in Caddyfile)

docker compose restart caddy

(or docker compose restart to restart all)

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Summary Table

Step	Command / File	Purpose
Create dir	mkdir -p /root/n8n	App folder
Compose file	nano /root/n8n/docker-compose.yml	Stack config
Caddyfile	nano /root/n8n/Caddyfile	HTTPS reverse proxy
Start stack	docker compose up -d	Run in background
Firewall	ufw allow 80; ufw allow 443	Allow web access
Update DNS	Domain → your server IP	Domain resolves

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Pro Tips

• You can change credentials and domain anytime—just update the files and restart.
• Data is stored in /root/n8n/data—back this up regularly!
• Caddy will auto-renew your free SSL certificate.
• No manual SSL setup needed!

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