How to Install n8n Workflow Automation Platform on Debian 12

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n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that lets you connect apps and services using a visual interface. It’s ideal for automating repetitive tasks without complex code.

Prerequisites

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• Debian 12 server

• Domain: n8n2.domainhere.info

• Root or sudo access

• Open ports: 80, 443

Install Docker on Debian 12

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Update system,

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Install required packages,

apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg nano

Add Docker’s GPG key,

install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | \
gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Add Docker repository,

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
  signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
  https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Install Docker,

apt update
apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start and enable Docker,

systemctl enable --now docker

Verify Docker,

docker version

Output:

root@vps:~# docker version
Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           28.3.3
 API version:       1.51
 Go version:        go1.24.5
 Git commit:        980b856
 Built:             Fri Jul 25 11:34:00 2025
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
 Engine:
  Version:          28.3.3
  API version:      1.51 (minimum version 1.24)
  Go version:       go1.24.5
  Git commit:       bea959c
  Built:            Fri Jul 25 11:34:00 2025
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          1.7.27
  GitCommit:        05044ec0a9a75232cad458027ca83437aae3f4da
 runc:
  Version:          1.2.5
  GitCommit:        v1.2.5-0-g59923ef
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0

Install Nginx

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Install Nginx using below command,

apt install -y nginx

Start and enable,

systemctl enable --now nginx

Check status,

systemctl status nginx

Output:

root@vps:~# systemctl status nginx
● nginx.service - A high performance web server and a reverse proxy server
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2025-07-31 17:49:12 UTC; 31min ago
       Docs: man:nginx(8)
   Main PID: 2856 (nginx)
      Tasks: 5 (limit: 4641)
     Memory: 6.6M
        CPU: 732ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/nginx.service
             ├─2856 "nginx: master process /usr/sbin/nginx -g daemon on; master_process on;"
             ├─4196 "nginx: worker process"
             ├─4197 "nginx: worker process"
             ├─4198 "nginx: worker process"
             └─4199 "nginx: worker process"

Configure Nginx for n8n

Create config,

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n2.domainhere.info

Note: Replace n8n2.domainhere.info with actual domain name

Paste Config:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name n8n2.domainhere.info;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5678/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable site,

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n2.domainhere.info /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Note: Replace n8n2.domainhere.info with actual domain name

Test and reload,

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

Configure Firewall (if ufw is used)

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Install and allow ports:

apt install -y ufw
ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
ufw allow 5678/tcp
ufw reload

Install Certbot for SSL

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Install Certbot and Nginx plugin,

apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Run Certbot,

certbot --nginx -d n8n2.domainhere.info

Note: Replace n8n2.domainhere.info with actual domain name

Create Docker Volume & Run n8n

Create volume.

docker volume create n8n_data

Run container using below command,

docker run -it --rm --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

Access n8n UI

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Open browser:

https://n8n2.domainhere.info

Note: Replace n8n2.domainhere.info with actual domain name

Set up the admin account and start using the dashboard.

Conclusion

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Done! You’ve now successfully deployed n8n on Debian 12 with Docker, Nginx, and Let’s Encrypt SSL using n8n2.domainhere.info.