How to Set Up an Amazon EC2 Instance for Your Personal n8n Workspace

Prerequisites

Before we start, ensure you have:

• An AWS account and an EC2 instance launched (Amazon Linux 2 recommended).
• Basic familiarity with Linux commands and SSH.
• A public IP or domain name assigned to your EC2 instance.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by ensuring your EC2 instance is up-to-date. Connect to your instance via SSH and run:

1sudo yum update -y

This command updates all installed packages, keeping your system secure and stable.

Step 2: Install Node.js and npm

n8n is built on Node.js, so install the Long-Term Support (LTS) version (Node.js 18.x at the time of writing):

1curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo bash -
2sudo yum install -y nodejs

Verify the installation:

1node -v
2npm -v

You should see the versions of Node.js and npm displayed.

Step 3: Install n8n

With Node.js ready, install n8n globally using npm:

1sudo npm install -g n8n

Confirm it is installed:

1n8n --version

This should return the installed n8n version.

Step 4: Run n8n

To test n8n, start it with:

1n8n

By default, n8n runs on port 5678. Open your browser and navigate to:

1http://<Instance_Public_IP>:5678

Replace <Instance_Public_IP> with your EC2 instance public IP.

Configure Security Group

For external access, go to your EC2 instance’s security group in the AWS Management Console and add an inbound rule:

• Type: Custom TCP
• Port Range: 5678
• Source: 0.0.0.0/0 (or restrict to your IP for better security)

Save the rule and refresh your browser.

Step 5: Set Up n8n as a Background Service

Running n8n in the foreground is fine for testing, but for production, run it as a Systemd service.

Create a Service File

Create a new service file:

1sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/n8n.service

Add this content, replacing <your-user> with your Linux username (for example ec2-user on Amazon Linux):

1[Unit]
2Description=n8n workflow automation tool
3After=network.target
4
5[Service]
6ExecStart=/usr/bin/n8n
7Restart=always
8User=<your-user>
9Environment=HOME=/home/<your-user>
10Environment=DATA_FOLDER=/home/<your-user>/.n8n
11
12[Install]
13WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and Start the Service

Reload Systemd and start n8n:

1sudo systemctl daemon-reload
2sudo systemctl enable n8n
3sudo systemctl start n8n

Check status:

1sudo systemctl status n8n

If it shows active (running), access n8n again at http://<Instance_Public_IP>:5678.

Step 6: Secure n8n with HTTPS

For stronger security, enable HTTPS using self-signed SSL certificates with OpenSSL.

Install OpenSSL and Generate Certificates

Install OpenSSL:

1sudo yum install openssl -y

Create a directory for certificates:

1sudo mkdir /etc/n8n-certs

Generate a self-signed certificate and key:

1sudo openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout /etc/n8n-certs/n8n-key.pem -out /etc/n8n-certs/n8n-cert.pem -days 365 -nodes

Verify files:

1ls /etc/n8n-certs
2ls -l /etc/n8n-certs

Set ownership to EC2 user:

1sudo chown ec2-user:ec2-user /etc/n8n-certs/n8n-key.pem
2sudo chown ec2-user:ec2-user /etc/n8n-certs/n8n-cert.pem

Step 7: Update the Service for HTTPS

Modify the service file:

1sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/n8n.service

Replace with:

1[Unit]
2Description=n8n service
3After=network.target
4
5[Service]
6Type=simple
7User=ec2-user
8ExecStart=/usr/bin/n8n
9Environment=N8N_HOST=<your_public_ip_address>
10Environment=N8N_PORT=5678
11Environment=N8N_PROTOCOL=https
12Environment=N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
13Environment=N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=<your_username>
14Environment=N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=<your_password>
15Environment=N8N_SSL_KEY=/etc/n8n-certs/n8n-key.pem
16Environment=N8N_SSL_CERT=/etc/n8n-certs/n8n-cert.pem
17Restart=always
18
19[Install]
20WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace:

• <your_public_ip_address> with your EC2 public IP
• <your_username> with your preferred username
• <your_password> with a strong password

Restart the Service

Apply changes:

1sudo systemctl daemon-reload
2sudo systemctl restart n8n
3sudo systemctl status n8n

Now access n8n securely at:

1https://<Instance_Public_IP>:5678

Final Notes

Your personal n8n workspace is now running on EC2 with background process management and HTTPS enabled. For production-ready security, consider using a domain name with a trusted TLS certificate (for example Let’s Encrypt) and tighter security group rules.