Self-host n8n

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that lets you connect APIs, services, and databases through a visual editor. It can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data and workflows.

The steps below cover deploying n8n on Railway from the official Docker image, with persistent storage and webhook configuration.

What you'll set up

• An n8n instance running from the official Docker image
• Persistent storage via a Railway Volume
• Webhook URL configuration for external triggers
• A public domain for accessing the n8n editor

One-click deploy from a template

Railway has an n8n template that provisions the full setup in one step.

Click the button below to deploy:

After deploying, you can skip ahead to Set up the webhook URL to configure webhooks for your instance.

If you prefer to set things up manually, continue with the steps below.

Deploy from a Docker image

1. Create a new project in Railway.
2. Click + New and select Docker Image.
3. Enter n8nio/n8n as the image name and press Enter.
4. Railway will pull the image and create a service.

The service will not yet be accessible from the internet. The following sections cover the configuration needed before your instance is ready.

Configure environment variables

Add the following variables to your n8n service. You can do this from the Variables tab in the service settings.

Required variables:

Variable	Value	Description
N8N_PORT	${{PORT}}	Binds n8n to Railway's injected port
N8N_PROTOCOL	https	Sets the protocol for generated URLs
WEBHOOK_URL	https://your-service.railway.app	Full public URL for webhooks (update after generating a domain)

Recommended variables:

Variable	Value	Description
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE	true	Enables basic auth on the n8n editor
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER	Your username	Username for basic auth
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD	Your password	Password for basic auth
GENERIC_TIMEZONE	e.g., America/New_York	Sets the timezone for scheduled workflows

Set N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE, N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER, and N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD to protect your instance. Without basic auth, anyone with the URL can access the editor and modify workflows.

Attach persistent storage

n8n stores workflow definitions, credentials, and execution data in /home/node/.n8n by default. Without a volume, this data is lost on every deployment.

1. Open the n8n service in your project.
2. Go to the Volumes tab.
3. Click Add Volume.
4. Set the mount path to /home/node/.n8n.
5. Choose a size appropriate for your usage (1 GB is a reasonable starting point).
6. Click Add.

This volume preserves your n8n data across deployments and restarts. For more details, see the Volumes documentation.

Set up a public domain

To access the n8n editor from your browser, generate a domain for the service:

1. Go to the Settings tab of the n8n service.
2. Under Networking, click Generate Domain.
3. Railway will assign a domain like n8n-production-xxxx.up.railway.app.

Open the domain in your browser to access the n8n editor.

Set up the webhook URL

n8n needs to know its public URL to generate correct webhook endpoints. Without this, webhook trigger nodes will produce URLs that external services cannot reach.

1. Copy the domain generated in the previous step.
2. Go to the Variables tab of the n8n service.
3. Set WEBHOOK_URL to the full URL, including the protocol:
4. Redeploy the service for the change to take effect.

After this, any webhook trigger node in n8n will generate URLs using your Railway domain.

Optional: Use Postgres instead of SQLite

By default, n8n uses SQLite and stores its database file in the volume at /home/node/.n8n. For production workloads with high execution volumes, you can switch to Postgres.

1. Add a Postgres database to your project by clicking + New and selecting Database > PostgreSQL.

2. Add the following variables to the n8n service, using reference variables from the Postgres service:

   Variable	Value
   DB_TYPE	postgresdb
   DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST	${{Postgres.PGHOST}}
   DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT	${{Postgres.PGPORT}}
   DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE	${{Postgres.PGDATABASE}}
   DB_POSTGRESDB_USER	${{Postgres.PGUSER}}
   DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD	${{Postgres.PGPASSWORD}}

3. Redeploy the n8n service.

n8n will create the required tables on first connection. The volume is still needed for storing encryption keys and other local files.

Next steps

• Manage Volumes - Resize or back up your persistent storage.
• Set up a custom domain - Use your own domain instead of the generated Railway domain.
• Monitor your app - View logs and metrics for your n8n instance.
• Add a Database Service - Explore other database options on Railway.