n8n
Overview
N8N is the workflow automation platform for the homelab. It connects services together through visual, node-based workflows — handling tasks such as document pipeline automation, audio transcription orchestration (Minuspod), API integrations, scheduled jobs, and webhook-triggered processing.
N8N is the glue layer that ties together Whisper, Ollama, Paperless, and external APIs into end-to-end automated pipelines.
Access
| Type | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | https://n8n.home.local |
LAN access via Step-CA TLS — basic auth |
No external (internet-facing) Traefik route. Remote access via Tailscale.
Webhooks are received at https://n8n.home.local/webhook/... — internal and
Tailscale-reachable only.
Configuration
Image: n8nio/n8n:latest
Compose project: Standalone (managed via Portainer)
Ports
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
5678 |
TCP | N8N web UI and API (host-bound) |
Traefik Labels
traefik.enable: "true"
traefik.docker.network: traefik-net
traefik.http.routers.n8n.rule: Host(`n8n.home.local`)
traefik.http.routers.n8n.entrypoints: websecure
traefik.http.routers.n8n.tls.certresolver: step-ca
traefik.http.services.n8n.loadbalancer.server.port: 5678
Internal-only route.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Value / Notes |
|---|---|
N8N_HOST |
n8n.home.local |
N8N_PROTOCOL |
https |
N8N_PORT |
5678 |
N8N_EDITOR_BASE_URL |
https://n8n.home.local |
WEBHOOK_URL |
https://n8n.home.local |
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE |
true |
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER |
jeeves |
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD |
REDACTED |
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY |
REDACTED — encrypts stored credentials |
N8N_PAYLOAD_SIZE_MAX |
16 (MB) |
EXECUTIONS_PROCESS |
main |
GENERIC_TIMEZONE |
America/Toronto |
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY encrypts all stored credentials (API keys, passwords) in the
N8N database. This key must remain constant — changing it invalidates all stored
credentials and they must be re-entered.
Volumes / Bind Mounts
| Host Path | Container Path | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
/home/jeeves/docker/n8n/data |
/home/node/.n8n |
Workflows, credentials, execution history |
All workflow definitions, credentials, and execution logs are stored in this bind-mounted directory. Back up before upgrades.
Networks
| Network | Purpose |
|---|---|
traefik-net |
Exposes N8N UI and webhook endpoint |
N8N calls other services by hostname (e.g. http://ollama.home.local:11434,
https://whisper.home.local) — it must be on traefik-net or have DNS
resolution for these names.
Dependencies
- AdGuard Home for
*.home.localDNS resolution (N8N calls other services by name) - Step-CA / Traefik for the
n8n.home.localroute - Services called by workflows: Ollama, Faster-Whisper, Paperless-NGX, external APIs
Notes / Gotchas
- N8N stores all credentials encrypted with
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY. If this key is lost or rotated, all stored API keys and passwords must be re-entered manually. EXECUTIONS_PROCESS=mainruns workflow executions in the main process. For high concurrency, considerEXECUTIONS_PROCESS=ownwith worker processes, but this requires additional setup.- Webhook URLs are internal only (
https://n8n.home.local/webhook/...). External webhooks (e.g. from GitHub, Stripe) will not reach N8N unless a Tailscale exit node or Traefik external route is configured. N8N_PAYLOAD_SIZE_MAX=16limits incoming webhook payload size to 16 MB. Increase this if processing large audio or document payloads via webhook.- The
latesttag may introduce breaking changes between workflow schema versions. Pin to a specific N8N version before any significant workflow investments.
Last Updated: 2026-06-16