Run n8n on your own server

If you’re a beginner looking to set up n8n, the powerful workflow automation tool, this blog post is made for you. We’ll walk you through the complete setup on a Bitnami Linux server, with all the commands included—just copy and paste.

System Requirements & Prerequisites

• Bitnami server with LAMP stack (Ubuntu/Debian)

• Domain name pointed to server IP

• SSL certificate (Let’s Encrypt or Bitnami bncert-tool)

• SSH access (e.g., using PuTTY)

• Node.js and npm

Install Node.js

Check if Node.js is already installed:
node -v
npm -v

If not installed:
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash –
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Install n8n and PM2

Install n8n:
sudo npm install -g n8n

Install PM2:
sudo npm install -g pm2

Verify PM2 installation:
pm2 –version

Configure Apache (Proxy + SSL)

Edit Apache config file:
sudo nano /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf

Inside <VirtualHost *:443>, add:

SetEnvIf X-Forwarded-Proto https HTTPS=on
<VirtualHost :443>
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
SSLEngine on
SSLCertificateFile “/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/your-domain.crt”
SSLCertificateKeyFile “/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/your-domain.key”
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyRequests Off
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} =websocket [NC]
RewriteRule /(.) ws://127.0.0.1:5678/$1 [P,L]
ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:5678/
ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:5678/
ErrorLog “/opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/error_log”
CustomLog “/opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/access_log” combined
</VirtualHost>

Set Up .env File for n8n

Create or edit the .env file:

nano ~/.n8n/.env

Example content:
DB_TYPE=sqlite
DB_SQLITE_DATABASE=/home/bitnami/.n8n/database.sqlite
N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_DISABLED=False
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin@example.com
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=Admin@123
N8N_PORT=5678
N8N_PROTOCOL=https
N8N_HOST=yourdomain.com
WEBHOOK_URL=https://yourdomain.com/
N8N_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0

Start n8n with PM2

Start n8n:
pm2 start “bash -c ‘source ~/.n8n/.env && n8n start'” –name n8n

Enable auto-start on boot:
pm2 startup
pm2 save

Apache Server Management Commands

Check Apache status:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh status

Start Apache:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start apache

Restart Apache:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache

Stop Apache:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop apache

Find Apache PID:
ps aux | grep apache
cat /opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/httpd.pid

Force stop Apache:
sudo kill -9 <PID>

Reset MySQL Root Password (Optional)

Stop MySQL:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop mysql

Start in safe mode:
sudo /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables –skip-networking &

Access MySQL:
mysql -u root

Reset password inside MySQL:
USE mysql;
UPDATE user SET authentication_string=PASSWORD(‘NewPassword’) WHERE User=’root’;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Restart MySQL:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop mysql
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start mysql

Login to test:
mysql -u root -p

Fix OAuth Redirect Issue (localhost:5678)

Ensure your .env contains:
N8N_PROTOCOL=https
N8N_HOST=yourdomain.com
WEBHOOK_URL=https://yourdomain.com/

Create a startup script:
nano ~/n8n-start.sh

Paste this:

#!/bin/bash
export $(cat /home/bitnami/.n8n/.env | grep -v ‘^#’ | xargs)
n8n

Make it executable:
chmod +x ~/n8n-start.sh

Restart n8n via PM2:
pm2 delete n8n
pm2 start ~/n8n-start.sh –name n8n
pm2 save

Enable on reboot:
pm2 startup
pm2 save

Common Errors & Solutions

1. ENOENT Error – Check .env and SSL paths

2. WebSocket Connection Lost – Add Rewrite rules in Apache

3. Index of / – Remove or comment out , <Directory> block

4. SSL Protocol Error – Add listen 443 to httpd.conf

5. PM2 Multiple Instances – Use pm2 delete all and restart clean

6. OAuth URL showing localhost – Fix .env with correct protocol and host

7. MySQL Password Not Visible – PuTTY hides input (normal)

8. Reset MySQL Password – Use safe mode commands

9. Apache Not Starting – Kill PID manually using ps sux | grep apache

10. .env Not Loading on Reboot – Use shell script to export vars

 Additional Notes

• Linux terminal hides typed password (expected)

• Back up your Apache and .env files before changes

• Restart Apache after any config edit

Conclusion

You now have a fully running n8n instance on your own server!
Tested and deployed by Kuvira Cybernetics.
Need assistance? Email us at info@kuviracybernetics.com