Local n8n

A Docker-based setup for running n8n locally with nginx as a reverse proxy and ngrok for exposing webhooks to the internet.

Description

This project provides a complete, production-ready n8n workflow automation environment:

• n8n — Workflow automation platform
• nginx — Reverse proxy in front of n8n (port 80)
• ngrok — Exposes the local instance via a public HTTPS URL for webhooks and external integrations

Data is persisted in Docker volumes, and workflows/credentials can be backed up to the n8n-data/ directory.

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Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure the following variables:

Variable	Description
NGROK_AUTHTOKEN	Your ngrok authentication token. Required for the ngrok container to tunnel traffic.
SUBDOMAIN	Your ngrok reserved domain (e.g. my-app.ngrok-free.dev). Used for the public webhook URL.
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY	Secret key used by n8n to encrypt credentials in the database. Use a strong, unique value in production.
WEBHOOK_URL	Base URL for n8n webhooks. Typically https://${SUBDOMAIN} so webhooks use your ngrok domain.

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Steps to Launch

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• An ngrok account and reserved domain (for webhooks)

1. Configure environment

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and set:

• NGROK_AUTHTOKEN — from your ngrok dashboard
• SUBDOMAIN — your ngrok domain (e.g. my-app.ngrok-free.dev)
• N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY — a strong random string

2. Start the stack

make up

This builds and starts the containers, then follows logs. Press Ctrl+C to stop following logs; containers keep running.

3. Access n8n

• Local: http://localhost
• Public (webhooks): https://your-subdomain.ngrok-free.dev

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Import and Export Data

Export (backup)

Export all workflows and credentials to n8n-data/:

make export

Creates:

• n8n-data/workflows_all.json — all workflows
• n8n-data/credentials_all.json — all credentials (encrypted with N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY)

Import (restore)

Import from the backup files in n8n-data/:

make import

Imports:

1. Workflows from n8n-data/workflows_all.json
2. Credentials from n8n-data/credentials_all.json

Note: Use the same N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY as when the credentials were exported, or decryption will fail.

Manual export/import

You can also run n8n CLI commands directly inside the container:

# Export workflows
docker compose exec n8n n8n export:workflow --all --output=/home/node/n8n-data/workflows_all.json

# Export credentials
docker compose exec n8n n8n export:credentials --all --output=/home/node/n8n-data/credentials_all.json

# Import workflows
docker compose exec n8n n8n import:workflow --input=/home/node/n8n-data/workflows_all.json

# Import credentials
docker compose exec n8n n8n import:credentials --input=/home/node/n8n-data/credentials_all.json

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Make Commands

Command	Description
make help	Show available commands
make up	Start containers and follow logs
make logs	Start containers logs
make down	Stop all containers
make downv	Stop containers and remove volumes (deletes all data)
make export	Export workflows and credentials to n8n-data/
make import	Import workflows and credentials from n8n-data/