n8n on Clever Cloud

Overview

This repository provides a complete guide for deploying n8n - a powerful workflow automation tool - on Clever Cloud, a European PaaS provider.

n8n allows you to build workflows that connect various services and automate tasks without writing code. By deploying on Clever Cloud, you get a reliable, scalable hosting solution with minimal maintenance overhead.

Prerequisites

• A Clever Cloud account
• Clever Tools CLI installed and configured
• Basic familiarity with command line operations
• A domain name (optional, but recommended for production use)

Deployment Guide

Before You Begin

Before starting the deployment process, you'll need to decide on:

• Application Name: Choose a unique name for your n8n application (e.g., my-n8n-app)
• Domain Name: Optionally, choose a domain name for your application

You'll use these values throughout the deployment process. In the commands below, replace:

• <APP_NAME> with your chosen application name
• <YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME> with your domain name (if applicable)

Using Clever Tools CLI

Follow these steps to deploy n8n on Clever Cloud using the command line:

# Step 1: Create a Node.js application
clever create --type node <APP_NAME>

# Step 2: Add your domain (optional but recommended)
clever domain add <YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME>

# Step 3: Create required add-ons
# - File system bucket for persistent storage
clever addon create fs-bucket --plan s <APP_NAME>-fs
# - PostgreSQL database for workflow storage (minimum XXS plan required, XS or higher recommended)
clever addon create postgresql-addon --plan xs_sml <APP_NAME>-pg

# Step 4: Link add-ons to your application
clever service link-addon <APP_NAME>-pg
clever service link-addon <APP_NAME>-fs

# Step 5: Configure environment variables
# Basic configuration
clever env set N8N_PORT 8080
clever env set N8N_PROTOCOL https
clever env set N8N_HOST <YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME>
clever env set WEBHOOK_URL "https://<YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME>/"
clever env set VUE_APP_URL_BASE_APP https://<YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME>/

clever env set N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED true

# Security settings (IMPORTANT: use strong, unique values)
clever env set N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY '<YOUR_SUPER_SECRET_ENCRYPTION_KEY>'

# Execution data settings
clever env set EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_MANUAL_EXECUTIONS true
clever env set EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_ON_ERROR all
clever env set EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_ON_SUCCESS all
clever env set DATA_FOLDER /app/data/

# Database configuration (automatically set from PostgreSQL add-on)
clever env set DB_TYPE postgresdb
clever env set DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE `clever env | awk -F = '/POSTGRESQL_ADDON_DB/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`
clever env set DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST `clever env | awk -F = '/POSTGRESQL_ADDON_HOST/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`
clever env set DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT `clever env | awk -F = '/POSTGRESQL_ADDON_PORT/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`
clever env set DB_POSTGRESDB_USER `clever env | awk -F = '/POSTGRESQL_ADDON_USER/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`
clever env set DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD `clever env | awk -F = '/POSTGRESQL_ADDON_PASSWORD/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`

# Mount the filesystem bucket
clever env set CC_FS_BUCKET /data:`clever env | awk -F = '/BUCKET_HOST/ { gsub(/"/, "", $2); print $2}'`

Deployment

After configuring all the environment variables, deploy your application:

# Push your code to Clever Cloud
clever deploy

Post-Deployment

1. Once deployed, access your n8n instance at https://<YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME>/
2. Follow the setup wizard to create your owner account
3. Start creating your workflows!

Important Notes

• Database Requirements: For n8n to function properly on Clever Cloud, your PostgreSQL database must use a minimum of XXS plan. For production environments and better performance, XS plan or larger is strongly recommended.
• Scaling: The configuration above is suitable for small to medium workloads. For higher demands, consider upgrading your PostgreSQL plan
• Backups: Regular backups of your PostgreSQL database are recommended

User Authentication

Since n8n version 1.0, basic authentication has been deprecated in favor of the built-in user management system:

1. First-time setup:

   • When you first access your n8n instance, you'll be prompted to create an owner account
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your username, email, and password

2. Managing users:

   • After initial setup, you can manage additional users through the n8n UI
   • Navigate to Settings > Users to add or modify user accounts

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the application logs: clever logs
2. Verify all environment variables are correctly set: clever env
3. Ensure the add-ons are properly linked: clever service status

Contributing

Contributions to improve this deployment example are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for any enhancements or bug fixes.

License

This example is provided under the terms of the MIT license.