If you’ve ever wanted to automate your workflow — from sending emails to integrating APIs — n8n is one of the most powerful open-source automation tools out there. It’s like Zapier or Make.com, but completely free to host yourself!
In this guide, you’ll learn how to host n8n on Hostinger VPS for free (or almost free) — with a simple Docker setup that runs 24/7.
👉 🎁 Get 20% OFF Hostinger VPS here and start hosting n8n affordably today!
🚀 What is n8n?
n8n (Node-to-Node) is a workflow automation tool that lets you connect apps, APIs, and services through a visual editor.
Think of it as your personal automation engine. You can:
- Auto-post your YouTube videos to X (Twitter)
- Send data to Google Sheets automatically
- Receive Telegram messages and trigger actions
- Automate e-commerce tasks using Shopify or Stripe
It’s open-source, self-hosted, and privacy-friendly — no monthly task limits!
💡 Why Use Hostinger VPS?
Hostinger VPS is fast, secure, and beginner-friendly — perfect for self-hosting tools like n8n.
Even the smallest VPS plan (KVM 1 or 2) is powerful enough to run n8n 24/7.
Advantages:
- 100% control over your automations
- No per-task or per-minute cost
- Always-on private workflows
- Free SSL and backups support
🧩 Prerequisites
Before you start:
- Hostinger VPS with Ubuntu 22.04
- SSH access (via Hostinger Panel or local terminal)
- Basic command-line knowledge
- Optional: your domain/subdomain for SSL
⚙️ Step 1: Connect to Your VP
⚙️ Step 2: Update System Packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y🐳 Step 3: Install Docker and Docker Compose
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker
docker --version
⚙️ Step 4: Create n8n Docker Folder
mkdir ~/n8n && cd ~/n8n
nano docker-compose.yml
Paste the following configuration:
version: '3'
services:
n8n:
image: n8nio/n8n
restart: always
ports:
- "5678:5678"
environment:
- GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/Vancouver
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=yourpassword
- WEBHOOK_TUNNEL_URL=https://yourdomain.com/
volumes:
- ./n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
Save and exit with Ctrl+O → Enter → Ctrl+X.
🧠 Step 5: Run n8n
docker-compose up -d
docker ps
Now open: http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:5678 — you’ll see the n8n dashboard 🎉
🌐 Step 6: (Optional) Add Free HTTPS with Nginx + Cloudflare
- Add an A Record in Cloudflare:
n8n.yourdomain.com → YOUR_SERVER_IP - Install Nginx:
sudo apt install nginx -y - Install Certbot for SSL:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y - Configure reverse proxy:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n.conf
Paste this inside:
server {
server_name n8n.yourdomain.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:5678/;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}
}
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d n8n.yourdomain.com
Now your n8n instance is live at https://n8n.yourdomain.com 🔒
🪄 Step 7: Keep It Free
You can run n8n almost free by:
- Using Hostinger KVM 2 VPS (cheap & reliable)
- Running workflows only when needed
- Using Cloudflare for SSL and caching
- Storing backups to Google Drive or Dropbox via n8n
🧩 Step 8: Start Building Automations
Inside n8n, try connecting these:
- Telegram Bot
- Google Sheets / Gmail
- HTTP Request (custom APIs)
- Shopify / WordPress / OpenAI
Once configured, your n8n VPS can automate your entire digital workflow.
✅ Conclusion
By hosting n8n on Hostinger VPS, you get:
- Full control of your automation system
- Unlimited workflows and integrations
- 24/7 private automation server
With this setup, you’ve built your own Zapier Pro — for free!
🎁 Click here to get 20% OFF Hostinger VPS Hosting and start your free n8n server today.
✨ Pro Tips
- Use
ufwfirewall for security - Enable automatic backups for
/n8n_data - Try n8n community workflows to learn faster
- Integrate with OpenAI for AI-powered automations
🚀 Build. Automate. Repeat.
