n8n Automated Deployment

This repository contains an automated deployment system for n8n with workflow import capabilities. Deploy n8n on Azure or AWS with a single command, including automatic workflow import!

🤔 What is n8n?

n8n is a workflow automation platform that helps you connect different apps and services together. Think of it like Zapier or Make.com, but:

• ✅ Self-hosted (you own your data)
• ✅ Free (no monthly subscription fees)
• ✅ More powerful (custom code, complex logic)
• ✅ Privacy-focused (everything runs on your servers)

Example: Automatically save Gmail attachments to Google Drive, send Slack notifications when someone fills out a form, or sync data between different databases.

🎯 What This Project Does

This project automatically deploys n8n to the cloud with just one command!

Perfect for:

• 🏢 Businesses wanting to automate workflows
• 👨‍💻 Developers building automation solutions
• 🔄 Teams migrating from Zapier/Make.com
• 📊 Anyone needing workflow automation with custom hosting

✨ Features

• 🚀 One-Command Deployment: Deploy complete n8n infrastructure with a single command
• 🔄 Automatic Workflow Import: Import all your workflows automatically during deployment
• ☁️ Multi-Cloud Support: Deploy on Azure Virtual Machines or AWS EC2 instances
• 🔒 SSL Certificates: Automatic SSL certificate generation with Let's Encrypt
• 📊 Comprehensive Monitoring: Built-in logging and status monitoring
• 🛡️ Security Best Practices: Secure configurations and network access controls

📁 Project Structure

techdome-n8n/
├── deploy.sh                    # 🚀 Main deployment script (all-in-one)
├── import_workflows.py          # 📥 Workflow import script
├── workflows/                   # 📋 Place your workflow files here
│   ├── 0001_Telegram_Schedule_Automation_Scheduled.json
│   ├── 0002_Manual_Totp_Automation_Triggered.json
│   └── ... (your workflow files)
├── environments/                # 🌍 Environment configurations
│   ├── dev/                    # Development environment
│   │   ├── azure/              # Azure development settings
│   │   └── aws/                # AWS development settings
│   └── prod/                   # Production environment
│       ├── azure/              # Azure production settings
│       └── aws/                # AWS production settings
└── modules/                    # 🔧 Reusable Terraform modules
    ├── n8n/                    # Common n8n configuration
    ├── azure-vm/               # Azure VM infrastructure
    └── aws-ec2/                # AWS EC2 infrastructure

Prerequisites

For Azure Deployment

1. Azure CLI: Install and configure Azure CLI

   curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash
   az login

2. Service Principal: Create a service principal with Contributor role

   az ad sp create-for-rbac --name "terraform-sp" --role="Contributor" --scopes="/subscriptions/YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"

3. SSH Key Pair: Generate SSH key pair for VM access

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/azure_n8n_key

For AWS Deployment

1. AWS CLI: Install and configure AWS CLI

   curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
   unzip awscliv2.zip
   sudo ./aws/install
   aws configure

2. IAM User: Create IAM user with appropriate permissions

   • EC2 Full Access
   • VPC Full Access
   • CloudWatch Full Access

3. Key Pair: Create EC2 key pair

   aws ec2 create-key-pair --key-name n8n-dev-key --query 'KeyMaterial' --output text > ~/.ssh/n8n-dev-key.pem
   chmod 400 ~/.ssh/n8n-dev-key.pem

🚀 Quick Start Deployment

Step 1: Add Your Workflows (Optional)

Place your n8n workflow JSON files in the workflows/ directory:

# Copy your workflow files to the workflows directory
cp my-workflow.json workflows/

Step 2: Run the Deployment Script

# Deploy n8n with automatic workflow import
./deploy.sh

That's it! The script will guide you through the deployment process with simple questions.

📋 Deployment Questions Guide

When you run ./deploy.sh, you'll be asked these simple questions:

1. Cloud Provider Selection

Available cloud providers:
1. Azure (Azure Virtual Machines)
2. AWS (Amazon EC2)

Select cloud provider (1 for Azure, 2 for AWS): 1

What to choose:

• Choose 1 for Azure if you want to deploy on Microsoft Azure
• Choose 2 for AWS if you want to deploy on Amazon Web Services

2. Environment Selection

Available environments:
1. Development (dev) - Smaller instances, basic storage
2. Production (prod) - Larger instances, premium storage, restricted access

Select environment (1 for dev, 2 for prod): 1

What to choose:

• Choose 1 for development/testing (cheaper, smaller resources)
• Choose 2 for production use (more powerful, more expensive)

3. Domain Configuration

Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com): yourdomain.com

What to enter: Your domain name (e.g., techdome.ai, mycompany.com)

4. Subdomain Configuration

Enter subdomain for n8n (default: n8n): dev-n8n

What to enter: A subdomain for your n8n instance (e.g., n8n, dev-n8n, workflows) Final URL will be: https://dev-n8n.yourdomain.com

5. Email for SSL Certificate

Enter your email for SSL certificate (e.g., admin@example.com): admin@yourdomain.com

What to enter: Your email address for Let's Encrypt SSL certificate notifications

6. Timezone Configuration

Enter timezone (default: Asia/Kolkata): Asia/Kolkata

What to enter: Your timezone (e.g., America/New_York, Europe/London, Asia/Tokyo)

7. SSH Key Configuration (Azure only)

Do you have an SSH key pair ready? (y/N): n

What to choose:

• Choose y if you already have an SSH key pair
• Choose n to generate a new SSH key pair automatically

8. Action Selection

Available actions:
1. Plan - Show what will be created/changed (safe, no changes made)
2. Apply - Create/update the infrastructure
3. Destroy - Remove all created infrastructure

Select action (1 for plan, 2 for apply, 3 for destroy): 2

What to choose:

• Choose 1 to see what will be created (preview only)
• Choose 2 to actually deploy n8n
• Choose 3 to remove/destroy existing deployment

9. Final Confirmation

Do you want to proceed with the current configuration? (y/N): y

What to choose: Type y to start the deployment

🎯 What Happens During Deployment

The deployment process automatically:

1. 🏗️ Creates Infrastructure (~5-8 minutes)

   • Virtual Machine/Instance
   • Network security groups
   • Storage accounts
   • Public IP address

2. 🐳 Installs n8n (~3-5 minutes)

   • Docker and Docker Compose
   • n8n with PostgreSQL database
   • Traefik reverse proxy
   • SSL certificate setup

3. 📥 Imports Workflows (~30 seconds)

   • Copies workflow files to the server
   • Imports each workflow into n8n
   • Shows import status for each file

4. ✅ Completes Deployment

   • Provides access URLs
   • Shows SSH connection details
   • Displays next steps

📊 Example Deployment Output

🚀 Starting import of 5 workflows...
============================================================

[1/5] Processing: 0001_Telegram_Schedule_Automation_Scheduled.json
✅ Imported: 0001_Telegram_Schedule_Automation_Scheduled.json

[2/5] Processing: 0002_Manual_Totp_Automation_Triggered.json
✅ Imported: 0002_Manual_Totp_Automation_Triggered.json

...

📊 Import Summary:
✅ Successfully imported: 5
❌ Failed imports: 0
📁 Total files processed: 5

🎉 All workflows imported successfully!

✅ After Deployment

1. Point Your Domain to the Server

After deployment, you'll see output like:

🌐 n8n URL: https://dev-n8n.yourdomain.com
🖥️  VM IP: 172.191.57.45

What to do:

• Log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.)
• Add an A record: dev-n8n → 172.191.57.45
• Wait 5-10 minutes for DNS to propagate

2. Access Your n8n Instance

• URL: https://dev-n8n.yourdomain.com (SSL certificate is automatic!)
• First Time: You'll be prompted to create an admin account
• Workflows: Your imported workflows will be available immediately

3. Verify Everything Works

• ✅ n8n web interface loads
• ✅ All imported workflows are visible
• ✅ SSL certificate is active (green lock icon)
• ✅ Database is working (create a test workflow)

4. Monitor and Troubleshoot (if needed)

SSH into your server to check logs:

# Connect to your server
ssh azureuser@172.191.57.45   # (use your actual IP)

# Check if all services are running
cd /opt/n8n
sudo docker compose ps

# View n8n logs
sudo docker compose logs -f n8n

Customization

Environment-Specific Changes

• Development: Uses smaller instance sizes and less restrictive security settings
• Production: Uses larger instances, premium storage (Azure), and restrictive security groups

Module Customization

• n8n Module: Modify modules/n8n/user-data.sh to change the deployment script
• Azure Module: Modify modules/azure-vm/main.tf to change Azure-specific settings
• AWS Module: Modify modules/aws-ec2/main.tf to change AWS-specific settings

Adding New Environments

1. Create new environment directory (e.g., terraform/environments/staging/azure)
2. Copy and modify configuration files from existing environments
3. Update terraform.tfvars with environment-specific values

Security Considerations

1. SSH Access: Restrict SSH access to specific IP addresses
2. Database Password: Use strong, unique passwords for each environment
3. Network Security: Configure appropriate security groups/NSGs
4. SSL/TLS: Let's Encrypt certificates are automatically configured
5. Regular Updates: Keep the n8n Docker image updated

🔧 Common Issues & Solutions

❌ "Can't access n8n website"

Problem: You deployed successfully but can't access https://dev-n8n.yourdomain.com

Solutions:

1. Check DNS: Make sure you added the A record correctly
2. Wait for DNS: DNS can take 5-30 minutes to propagate
3. Check IP: Verify you're using the correct public IP from deployment output
4. Try HTTP: Temporarily try http://dev-n8n.yourdomain.com (will redirect to HTTPS)

❌ "SSL Certificate Error"

Problem: Browser shows "Not Secure" or certificate warnings

Solutions:

1. Wait: SSL certificates take 2-5 minutes to generate after DNS propagates
2. Check DNS: Ensure DNS is pointing to the correct server
3. Restart Services: SSH to server and run sudo docker compose restart traefik

❌ "Deployment Failed"

Problem: The deployment script shows errors

Solutions:

1. Check Prerequisites: Ensure Azure CLI or AWS CLI is installed and configured
2. Check Permissions: Verify your account has permission to create resources
3. Try Again: Sometimes cloud providers have temporary issues, try running ./deploy.sh again
4. Check Logs: Look at the error messages for specific guidance

❌ "SSH Connection Refused"

Problem: Can't SSH to the server

Solutions:

1. Wait: Server might still be starting up (wait 2-3 minutes)
2. Check IP: Use the correct public IP from deployment output
3. Check Key: Ensure you're using the correct SSH key path
4. Network: Check if your IP is allowed in security groups

❌ "Workflows Not Imported"

Problem: Workflows didn't import during deployment

Solutions:

1. Check Files: Ensure workflow files are valid JSON in the workflows/ directory
2. Manual Import: SSH to server and run python3 ~/import_workflows.py
3. Check Logs: Look for import errors in the deployment output
4. Verify Format: Ensure workflow files have required fields (name, id, nodes, connections)

🆘 Get Help

If you're still having issues:

1. Check Logs: SSH to your server and run:

   cd /opt/n8n
   sudo docker compose logs -f

2. Check Status: Verify all services are running:

   sudo docker compose ps

3. Restart Services: Try restarting everything:

   sudo docker compose restart

🧹 Cleanup / Remove Deployment

To remove your n8n deployment and clean up all resources:

# Run the deployment script and select "destroy"
./deploy.sh

When prompted, select:

• Your cloud provider (Azure/AWS)
• Your environment (dev/prod)
• Action: Choose 3 (Destroy)

This will safely remove all created resources including:

• Virtual machines/instances
• Storage accounts
• Network security groups
• Public IP addresses
• All associated resources

⚠️ Warning: This will permanently delete your n8n instance and all data. Make sure to export any important workflows first!

Contributing

1. Follow the existing module structure
2. Update documentation for any changes
3. Test changes in development environment before production
4. Use appropriate variable validation and descriptions

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.