How to self-host n8n on Contabo

The quick math

n8n's community edition is free to self-host for your own business under its Sustainable Use License — unlimited workflows, no per-user fee. The only cost is the server. Contabo's base Cloud VPS is about $5/mofor 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM and NVMe — which happens to be n8n's recommended production spec, not just its minimum. So the whole setup is roughly a tenth of an entry n8n Cloud plan, with no execution caps.

What you need

• · A Contabo Cloud VPS — the base tier (4 vCPU / 8 GB / NVMe) is plenty for a single-tenant n8n.
• · A domain (or subdomain) you can point at the server — required for a real SSL certificate and for OAuth logins.
• · About 30 minutes.

Get a Contabo VPS →

Path A — Contabo's free 1-click n8n image (easiest)

Contabo runs a free 1-Click Apps program that includes n8n. The image is Ubuntu 24.04 with Docker, a Caddy reverse proxy and automatic Let's Encrypt SSL already wired together — so you skip installing any of that by hand. It's the fastest route if you just want a working, HTTPS-secured n8n.

1. 1. When ordering the VPS (or later, from the Contabo control panel), choose n8n under 1-Click Apps.
2. 2. Pick a location and set your admin password.
3. 3. Wait ~30 minutes — Contabo emails you the access details. Caddy has already issued the SSL certificate.
4. 4. Open the URL, log in, and you're in the n8n editor.

The catch: you get Contabo's chosen stack (likely SQLite-backed by default, which is fine for light use but not ideal at volume). If you want PostgreSQL and full control of the compose file, use Path B instead.

Path B — plain VPS + Docker (more control)

Install n8n yourself with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL, behind a reverse proxy for HTTPS. More steps, but you own the whole stack and get a production database.

1. 1. Point your domain — add an A record for e.g. n8n.example.com to the VPS IP.
2. 2. Install Docker and the Compose plugin on the server.
3. 3. Create a docker-compose.yml — n8n + PostgreSQL, with the data volumes persisted so upgrades don't wipe your workflows:

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
      - N8N_WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com
      - N8N_PROXY_HOPS=1
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=db
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=change-me
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: always
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=n8n
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me
      - POSTGRES_DB=n8n
    volumes:
      - pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  pg_data:

4. 4. Put a reverse proxy in front for HTTPS — nginx, Caddy or Traefik terminates TLS on port 443 and proxies to n8n on 127.0.0.1:5678. Caddy is the least effort (automatic Let's Encrypt); nginx + certbot works too.
5. 5. Bring it up with docker compose up -d, then open https://n8n.example.com and create the owner account.

Gotchas worth knowing before you start

Is it really free? (licensing)

The software is free to self-host for your own internal business or personal use under n8n's Sustainable Use License — unlimited workflows, no per-seat charge. You'd only need a commercial license if you white-label n8n as a paid product, offer it as a hosted service to your customers, or let end-users connect their own accounts to build workflows (multi-tenant SaaS). Building your own internal automations — even for clients — is fine.

Self-hosted vs n8n Cloud

One line: Cloud buys convenience and managed reliability; self-hosting buys flat cost, unlimited executions and data ownership at the price of doing your own ops. If you're comfortable on a Linux box, self-hosting on Contabo is the value pick.

Frequently asked