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Short answer: on a VPS, install a supported Node.js release, install n8n globally with npm install n8n -g, and start it with n8n or n8n start. The current n8n npm guide supports Node.js 20.19 through 24.x, inclusive. Put a reverse proxy or equivalent front end in front of the process for HTTPS, and plan for the fact that npm-based installs are deprecated from n8n 3.0. The one-line setup guide schedules n8n 3.0 for October 2026, so Docker is the documented direction for new deployments.
Before you choose npm
An npm installation is a direct way to run n8n on a Linux VPS, but it is now a transitional choice. n8n’s official npm installation guide says npm-based installs are deprecated from n8n 3.0. Existing npm installations are expected to keep working temporarily, while the one-line setup guidance directs new installations toward Docker as n8n 3.0 approaches. Because the current date is October 14, 2026, check the current n8n release notes and installation guide immediately before deploying a new server.
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What the VPS operator is responsible for
With npm on a VPS, n8n is only one process in a server that you administer. You—not n8n’s hosted service—own the following layers:
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- The Linux operating system, security updates, users, and SSH access.
- The Node.js runtime and npm installation.
- The n8n package, its upgrades, and the process that keeps it running.
- Firewall rules, DNS, the public domain, and the network path to the VPS.
- TLS termination through a reverse proxy or another front-end load-balancing component.
- Persistent storage, backups of n8n data and credentials, and protection of the encryption material used to protect them.
The official material does not publish a universal CPU, memory, storage, or traffic requirement. Resource sizing therefore depends on workflow volume, execution history, binary data, database choice, concurrency, and the rest of the software on your VPS. Start with a server appropriate to your workload and monitor it rather than treating an unverified “minimum VPS” figure as a guarantee.
npm and Docker: which installation path fits?
The choice matters more than the install command. npm places Node.js and n8n directly on the VPS; Docker packages the application and its runtime in a container-oriented deployment. The following comparison uses the positions in the current n8n documentation and the operational consequences of each method.
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| Decision area | npm on the VPS | Docker on the VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Documented lifecycle | npm installs are deprecated from n8n 3.0; existing installations continue temporarily. | Docker is the documented direction for new installations as n8n 3.0 approaches. |
| Node.js dependency | You install and maintain a supported Node.js release on the host. | The container image supplies the application runtime; host Node.js is not the normal dependency. |
| Upgrade path | Upgrade the globally installed package and verify that the host runtime remains supported; timing is more sensitive while npm is being deprecated. | Pull and run the image version selected for your deployment, while preserving its persistent data and configuration. |
| Isolation | n8n shares the host’s Node.js installation and process environment. | n8n runs in a container boundary with its own image and process environment. |
| Reverse proxy and TLS | You still need a reverse proxy or equivalent front end to terminate HTTPS. | You still need a reverse proxy or equivalent front end to terminate HTTPS. |
| Backups | Back up the VPS data used by n8n, credentials, and encryption material. | Back up the mounted n8n data, credentials, and encryption material; a container alone is not a backup. |
| Best fit for a fresh n8n 3.0 deployment | Not the preferred direction in the current documentation. | The documented direction for new deployments. |
If you need the npm commands specifically, continue with the procedure below. If you are choosing a method for a new production server, evaluate Docker first and verify the release-specific guidance before provisioning the VPS.
Prerequisites for an npm installation
Provision a Linux VPS
Choose a Linux VPS you can administer over SSH. Create a non-root administrative account and use that account for routine work. Keep root access for controlled administration only. The exact VPS provider, distribution, disk layout, and firewall interface vary by environment, so follow the provider’s current instructions for creating the account and enabling SSH keys.
Prepare a name and network plan
Decide which domain name will point to n8n and which public port the reverse proxy will expose. Your DNS record must resolve to the VPS before you request a certificate or test the public URL. Keep n8n itself bound to an internal interface or otherwise inaccessible from the public internet when your chosen proxy design permits it; the public entry point should be the TLS-terminating front end.
Install a supported Node.js release
Use the Linux distribution’s supported package method or an installation method maintained by the Node.js project. Select a release in the range required by the current n8n npm guide: Node.js 20.19 through 24.x, inclusive. Do not assume that the distribution’s default package is current enough; verify the result before installing n8n.
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Confirm the tools
After connecting through SSH, check that both the runtime and package manager resolve for the administrative user that will install and run n8n:
node --version
npm --versionThe first command should report a Node.js release in the supported range. The second should print npm’s installed version. If either command is missing, fix the Node.js installation before continuing. If the version is outside the supported range, replace or adjust the runtime rather than forcing the n8n package to install.
Install n8n globally with npm
Once Node.js and npm are available, install n8n as a global package:
npm install n8n -gThe global installation makes the n8n executable available to the user environment in which npm placed global binaries. If the shell cannot find the command after installation, inspect npm’s global binary path and the account’s PATH; do not switch to an arbitrary root installation simply to hide a path problem.
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Start n8n and verify the local process
Launch n8n with either documented form:
n8n
# or
n8n startRun it first in the foreground so that startup messages and errors remain visible. From the VPS itself, verify that the process reaches its local listening state using the local address and port shown by the running instance. Then test a request through your intended reverse proxy from a separate machine. If the local process starts but the public URL fails, investigate DNS, firewall rules, proxy routing, and TLS separately rather than reinstalling n8n.
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Keep n8n running after SSH disconnects
A foreground command is tied to your terminal session. Closing SSH, losing the connection, or ending the shell can stop the process. A production VPS therefore needs a supervisor that starts n8n at boot, restarts it after an unexpected exit, and records logs independently of the SSH session.
The exact service definition depends on the Linux distribution, the user that owns the installation, the global npm binary path, environment variables, and the data directory. The supplied n8n installation guidance does not prescribe one universal service-manager file, so do not copy a unit written for a different account or distribution without adapting those values. Whichever supervisor you choose, verify all of the following:
- It runs n8n as the intended non-root user.
- It uses the same Node.js and npm installation that passed the version checks.
- It loads required environment variables and points to persistent storage.
- It starts after networking is available and restarts on failure according to a deliberate policy.
- Its logs are retained and rotated so that a failed upgrade or workflow error can be diagnosed.
For a temporary test, a terminal multiplexer can keep a process attached to a detachable session, but that is not a substitute for a boot-time service with monitoring and restart behavior.
Put n8n behind a reverse proxy and HTTPS
n8n’s security guidance requires self-hosters to encrypt data in transit by placing a reverse proxy in front of the n8n instance to handle TLS. The SSL guidance names Traefik or a network load balancer as examples; Nginx and Caddy are also common reverse-proxy choices when configured correctly.
Request flow
- A user opens the HTTPS URL for your n8n domain.
- The reverse proxy presents and renews the certificate, then accepts the encrypted connection.
- The proxy forwards the request over the private VPS network to the n8n process.
- n8n returns the response through the proxy to the client.
Configuration checklist
- Create a DNS record for the n8n hostname and confirm it resolves to the VPS.
- Allow only the ports needed for SSH and the public HTTPS entry point in the VPS firewall; avoid exposing the internal n8n listener directly.
- Configure the proxy’s upstream address and port to match the running n8n process.
- Enable WebSocket or upgrade-header forwarding if your proxy configuration requires it for the n8n interface and executions.
- Obtain a certificate for the exact hostname, configure automatic renewal, and test renewal before relying on it.
- Forward the original host and protocol information so n8n can generate correct links and callbacks.
- Test both the login page and an actual workflow execution through the HTTPS hostname, not only by connecting to localhost.
Do not interpret a working HTTP connection to the VPS as a secure deployment. The requirement is encryption in transit at the public boundary; a firewall rule by itself does not provide TLS.
Firewall, domain, and exposure decisions
Keep the network design simple: SSH for administration, HTTPS for users, and a private path between the proxy and n8n. If your hosting environment includes a network security group as well as an operating-system firewall, apply the restriction at both layers. Remove temporary test rules after the proxy works.
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Never publish an unprotected n8n listener merely because the local command responds. Anyone who can reach an unauthenticated or weakly protected automation endpoint may be able to inspect credentials, trigger workflows, or consume server resources. Use n8n’s authentication controls and follow its current security guidance in addition to TLS.
Data, credentials, and encryption-material backups
Backups must cover more than the npm package. Identify where this deployment stores workflow data, execution history, credentials, and the encryption material that protects sensitive values. Back up those items on a schedule appropriate to the business impact of losing them, keep copies away from the VPS, and restrict access to the backup location.
- Document the n8n data directory and any external database or storage used by the deployment.
- Back up before upgrades and before changing the Node.js runtime.
- Protect encryption material separately and test that a restore has the matching key; a database dump without the key may not recover usable credentials.
- Periodically perform a test restore on an isolated system rather than assuming that a completed backup job is valid.
- Record the n8n version, Node.js version, environment variables, proxy configuration, and service-manager settings needed to rebuild the VPS.
Containerizing the process later does not remove these obligations. Persistent data and secrets still require an explicit backup and recovery plan.
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Because npm installs are being deprecated from n8n 3.0, treat upgrades as a migration concern, not only a package-management task. Before changing versions:
- Read the current n8n release notes and installation guidance, especially if the target version is 3.0 or later.
- Confirm that the target release still supports the Node.js version installed on the VPS.
- Take and verify backups of n8n data, credentials, and encryption material.
- Record the currently running n8n and Node.js versions and capture service and proxy configuration.
- Schedule a maintenance window, stop or quiesce executions as appropriate, and retain a rollback path.
- Upgrade in a test or staging environment first when the workflows are business-critical.
- After the change, test login, credential access, scheduled triggers, webhooks, queue or worker behavior if used, and a representative workflow through the public HTTPS URL.
An npm package update cannot by itself convert the deployment to Docker. If the release guidance requires a different installation method, plan a migration with persistent-data export, secret handling, DNS or proxy cutover, and a tested rollback.
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node or npm is not found
The runtime is not installed for the current user, or its binary directory is not on PATH. Reconnect using the intended administrative account, check the Node.js installation method, and repeat the two version commands before running the n8n installer.
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The Node.js version is unsupported
Do not bypass the compatibility check. Install a release in the supported range and confirm it in the same shell that will run n8n. Multiple Node.js installations are a common cause of an apparently correct version check followed by a different runtime under the service manager.
The install succeeds but n8n is not found
The global npm binary directory is probably absent from the account’s PATH. Find npm’s configured global prefix, add its binary directory for the intended user and service environment, and retry. Installing a second copy as root can create conflicting versions and permissions.
The process works over localhost but not through the domain
Check the chain in order: DNS resolution, VPS and provider firewall rules, proxy listener, proxy-to-n8n upstream address, and certificate configuration. Confirm that the proxy forwards the host and protocol headers and that the n8n process is actually running under its supervisor.
The browser reports an insecure connection
The certificate may be missing, expired, issued for another hostname, or not being served by the public proxy. Test the exact domain, inspect the certificate presented on the HTTPS port, and verify automatic renewal. A plain HTTP listener is not a replacement for TLS.
n8n stops when SSH closes
The process is still attached to the interactive shell. Move it under a boot-time service supervisor and confirm that the supervisor uses the correct user, executable path, environment, working directory, restart policy, and log destination.
An upgrade breaks workflows or credentials
Stop further changes, preserve logs, and use the tested backup and rollback plan. Verify that the encryption material matches the restored data, then compare the n8n and Node.js versions with the release’s compatibility requirements. Do not delete the old data directory until recovery is confirmed.
When to stop and use Docker instead
Use the npm procedure when you are deliberately maintaining an existing npm deployment or need a short-lived test that matches the documented command path. For a new production VPS, the deprecation notice changes the decision: Docker is the documented direction for n8n 3.0-era installations and avoids making the host’s Node.js lifecycle part of the application runtime.
Regardless of the method, HTTPS, firewalling, persistent storage, backups, credential protection, monitoring, and upgrades remain your responsibility as the VPS operator. The installation command is the smallest part of a reliable deployment.
Final verification checklist
- SSH works for a non-root administrative user.
- The installed Node.js release is within the current n8n-supported range.
npm --versionsucceeds for the installation and runtime user.npm install n8n -gcompleted without permission or dependency errors.n8norn8n startlaunches the expected version.- A service supervisor keeps the process running after logout and reboot.
- DNS points the chosen hostname to the VPS.
- The firewall exposes only the intended administration and HTTPS paths.
- A reverse proxy terminates TLS and forwards traffic to n8n.
- Login, a representative workflow, and any webhook or scheduled trigger work through the public HTTPS URL.
- Backups include n8n data, credentials, encryption material, and the configuration needed to rebuild the host.
- The deployment plan accounts for npm deprecation and has a migration path if n8n 3.0 guidance requires Docker.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The npm installation is npm install n8n -g, followed by n8n or n8n start, on a VPS running a supported Node.js release. For a secure, durable deployment, add a supervised process, firewall and DNS configuration, a TLS-terminating reverse proxy, and tested backups. Since npm installs are deprecated from n8n 3.0, verify the current release guidance and consider Docker first for any new production VPS.
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