n8n is a workflow automation tool. It allows you to create workflows that can be triggered by events, or simply run on a schedule.
Installation
The installation process is the same as for Gitea or Syncthing - and for any other future service. What’s required is:
- an Ansible playbook
- a corresponding Ansible role (which generates the docker compose file)
- an entry in the
vault.ymlfile for the service domain - and finally, a routing configuration for Traefik
The DNS and HTTPS configuration happens automatically, since we are utilising a wildcard domain setup (*.l4n.io).
Add a new entry to the service domain list:
# Service domains
vault_service_domains:
traefik: "traefik.l4n.io"
portainer: "portainer.l4n.io"
homepage: "home.l4n.io"
gitea: "git.l4n.io"
syncthing: "sync.l4n.io"
n8n: "n8n.l4n.io"n8n requires a few initial configuration settings, also in the vault.yml file:
# HTTP Basic Auth credentials for n8n web interface
vault_n8n_basic_auth_user: "<YOUR-USERNAME>"
vault_n8n_basic_auth_password: "<YOUR-PASSWORD>"
# Encryption key for n8n credential storage (must be exactly 32 characters)
vault_n8n_encryption_key: "<YOUR-ENCRYPTION-KEY>"Once you have added the entries to the vault.yml file, let Ansible run. If all goes well, you should see the n8n container running on the server.
Initial configuration
What I recommend is to get an activation key from n8n. It’s free, and it will unlock features like workflow history, advanced debugging, and execution search.
…and that’s it!
Where to go from here?
Well, at this point you have a pretty solid foundation to do almost anything in your homelab:
- access the homelab from anywhere: Twingate
- keep personal code repositories nearby: Gitea
- sync files between devices: Syncthing
- automate workflows: n8n
The extension possibilities are endless - I’m planning to go with the following services:
- Vaultwarden
- Uptime Kuma
- Pi-hole
To follow along, please regularly check the akora/homelab repository on GitHub for the latest updates.