claude-home/productivity/n8n

n8n Workflow Automation - Quick Reference

Self-hosted n8n instance at https://n8n.manticorum.com/

Quick Links

• Web UI: https://n8n.manticorum.com/
• Documentation: CONTEXT.md - Complete technical documentation
• Troubleshooting: troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions
• Examples: examples/ - Configuration templates

At a Glance

Property	Value
URL	https://n8n.manticorum.com/
Internal IP	10.10.0.210
Container	LXC 210 (docker-n8n-lxc)
Resources	4 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB disk
Database	PostgreSQL 15
Deployment	2025-11-13

Quick Commands

# SSH into n8n host
ssh -i ~/.ssh/homelab_rsa root@10.10.0.210

# View logs
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose logs -f n8n"

# Restart n8n
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose restart n8n"

# Backup database
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose exec -T postgres pg_dump -U n8n n8n > /root/n8n-backup-\$(date +%Y%m%d).sql"

# Update to latest version
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d"

# Check status
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose ps"

File Locations

Path	Description
/opt/n8n/docker-compose.yml	Container configuration
/opt/n8n/.env	Environment variables and secrets
n8n_data volume	Workflows, credentials, settings
n8n_postgres_data volume	PostgreSQL database

Access Credentials

Location: /opt/n8n/.env on LXC 210

View current credentials:

ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cat /opt/n8n/.env | grep BASIC_AUTH"

Common Tasks

Create a New Workflow

1. Login to https://n8n.manticorum.com/
2. Click "Add workflow"
3. Add nodes by clicking "+"
4. Connect nodes by dragging
5. Test with "Execute Workflow"
6. Activate with toggle switch

Setup a Webhook

1. Add "Webhook" node to workflow
2. Choose HTTP Method (GET, POST, etc.)
3. Set Path (e.g., my-webhook)
4. Activate workflow
5. Use URL: https://n8n.manticorum.com/webhook/my-webhook

Backup Workflows

# Backup database (includes all workflows and credentials)
ssh root@10.10.0.210 "cd /opt/n8n && docker compose exec -T postgres pg_dump -U n8n n8n" > n8n-backup.sql

# Download locally
scp -i ~/.ssh/homelab_rsa root@10.10.0.210:/root/n8n-backup-*.sql ~/backups/n8n/

View Execution History

1. Login to n8n UI
2. Click "Executions" in top nav
3. Filter by workflow, status, or date
4. Click execution to view details

Architecture

Internet
  ↓
Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM)
  ↓ HTTPS/SSL
https://n8n.manticorum.com
  ↓ HTTP (internal)
LXC 210 (10.10.0.210:5678)
  ├─ n8n Container
  │  └─ Workflow Engine
  └─ PostgreSQL Container
     └─ Database (workflows, credentials, history)

Integration Examples

Discord Notifications

1. Webhook node → Discord Webhook URL
2. Message node → Format notification
3. Trigger: Manual, Schedule, or Webhook

Homelab Monitoring

1. HTTP Request → Check service health
2. IF node → Check response code
3. Discord/Email → Send alert if down
4. Schedule Trigger → Run every 5 minutes

Automated Backups

1. Execute Command → Run backup script
2. HTTP Request → Upload to cloud storage
3. Discord → Send completion notification
4. Schedule Trigger → Daily at 2 AM

API Data Collection

1. HTTP Request → Fetch data from API
2. Set node → Transform data
3. PostgreSQL → Store in database
4. Schedule Trigger → Hourly

Security Best Practices

• ✅ Basic authentication enabled
• ✅ HTTPS via NPM with Let's Encrypt
• ✅ Internal network only (no direct internet exposure)
• ✅ Credentials encrypted with N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY
• ⚠️ Never share encryption key
• ⚠️ Regularly rotate admin password
• ⚠️ Review workflow permissions

Troubleshooting Quick Checks

Issue	Quick Check
Can't access n8n.manticorum.com	curl http://10.10.0.210:5678
Login fails	Check .env file for correct credentials
Webhook not working	Verify workflow is Active (green toggle)
Slow performance	ssh root@10.10.0.210 "docker stats n8n"
Database errors	ssh root@10.10.0.210 "docker compose logs postgres"

See troubleshooting.md for detailed solutions.

Resources

• Official Docs: https://docs.n8n.io/
• Community Forum: https://community.n8n.io/
• Workflow Templates: https://n8n.io/workflows/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/n8n

Maintenance Schedule

Weekly:

• Review failed executions
• Check disk space
• Monitor container health

Monthly:

• Backup database
• Update n8n version
• Clean up old execution data
• Review and archive unused workflows

Quarterly:

• Test disaster recovery
• Audit credentials
• Review webhook security
• Performance optimization

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check troubleshooting.md
2. Review CONTEXT.md for configuration details
3. Search n8n community forum
4. Check n8n documentation

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Last Updated: 2025-11-13 Deployed By: Claude Code automation Maintained By: Cal Corum