n8n self-deployment express tutorial (Dokploy version)
July 28, 2025 ・0 comments ・Topic： n8n
n8n is a powerful open source workflow automation tool that can help you connect various applications and services to automate business processes. Compared with paid tools such as Zapier, n8n is completely free and can be deployed by yourself, giving you full control over your data.
This tutorial will teach you how to use Dokploy to quickly deploy your own n8n instance in a few minutes, so that you can have a permanently free and fully functional workflow automation platform.
Recommended configuration: VPS server with 2C2G or above, supporting Docker environment
Table of contentsIntroduction to n8nWhat is n8n
Introduction to DokployWhat is Dokploy
Install DokployNormal installation (recommended)
Domestic server installation
Install n8nInstall using template
Configure access domain name
n8n registration and useRegister an account
Activate License
Get Started
What is n8n
n8n is an open source workflow automation tool that allows you to connect different applications and services in a visual way to automate task processing.
In simple terms, n8n is like a "digital butler" that can help you automatically complete repetitive tasks. For example:When someone fills out a form on your website, automatically send an email notification and save it to the database
Regularly crawl data from different websites and organize them into reports
Monitor social media mentions and automatically reply or forward to team chats
Synchronize data from different platforms, such as synchronizing new order information to the financial system
Advantages of n8n:Completely free and open source : you can deploy it yourself and have full control over your data
Visual operation : drag-and-drop interface, no need for complex programming
Rich integration : supports 400+ applications and service connections
Flexible extension : You can write custom logic in JavaScript
Unlike AI platforms such as Dify and Coze, n8n focuses on workflow automation and system integration rather than AI dialogue or agent building, and is more suitable for processing data flow and business process automation.
What is Dokploy
Dokploy is an open source application deployment solution that provides one-stop project, data management and system monitoring.
Dokploy comes with a variety of one-click deployment templates. You can deploy websites and applications on your own servers like Vercel, and you can also deploy various databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, etc.), Docker Compose services, and popular open source tools such as n8n, Supabase, Grafana, etc. Most importantly, all of these can be easily managed through a visual interface without complicated command line operations.
Install Dokploy
Normal installation
If your server can directly access Dockerhub and pull the Docker image directly, for example, the server is an overseas regional server of domestic cloud server vendors such as Alibaba Cloud/Tencent Cloud, or a foreign cloud server vendor such as Hostinger, then you can directly use the official installation scriptcurl -sSL https://dokploy.com/install.sh | sh
If you haven't bought a server yet, or have no requirements for the server area, then I would recommend that you directly purchase a foreign cloud server. The installation process and subsequent maintenance are more convenient, avoiding many potential problems.
I bought a Hostinger VPS server myself, 2C8G configuration, 100GB storage space, 8T bandwidth, usually sold for $6.99 a month, often there are promotions for two years for only more than 800 RMB, in comparison, it is still very affordable. This configuration is also enough for personal projects, and deploying multiple applications is not a problem.
And the hostinger server comes with a variety of system templates. I just choose the Ubuntu system with dokploy and install it. There is no need to manually install and configure dokploy .
For dokploy related configurations such as access domain name after installation, you can refer to my previous article, which will not be expanded here.
Domestic server installation
If you must use domestic server deployment due to personal needs, you can also refer to my previous articles.
Install n8n
Install
Enter the dokploy backend, select Project - Create Project - Create Service - Template - select n8n template
Configure access domain name
Deploy the n8n service, and a traefik domain name will be automatically assigned to you, and then you can access n8n through this domain name. You can see the specific domain name by clicking Domains. If you want to add your own domain name, you can also configure it in Domains.
To add your own domain name, you also need to change the environment variables in Environment Settings in Environment, N8N_HOSTchange it to your domain name, save it, and deploy it again. N8N_PORTThe port of this service is also configured in the domain name in Domains Container port.
n8n registration and use
Visit the domain name configured earlier, or the domain name of traefik, and then register according to the prompts.
Then a window will pop up prompting you to obtain a license key. After clicking send, you will receive an n8n license key in your registered email address. Fill it in to unlock the permanent free use of n8n.
Then congratulations, you have successfully installed and configured n8n and can use it happily!
The official website provides a lot of workflow templates for use. You can directly click the template in the lower left corner to access and use them. Later, I will also write a tutorial on how to use n8n and various practical tips. Welcome to continue to pay attention.
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