You can install n8n on a Hostinger VPS in about ten minutes using the one-click “Ubuntu 24.04 with n8n” template in hPanel — no manual Docker setup, no dependency hunting. This guide walks through every step, from applying the template to creating your owner account, securing the instance, and backing up the one key you must never lose.
What you need before you start
Three things, and you probably have two of them already:
- A Hostinger VPS. Any KVM plan works, but KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM) is the sweet spot for n8n — see which VPS size fits your workload if you are unsure.
- Your hPanel login. Everything happens inside Hostinger’s control panel; you never have to touch a terminal for the basic install.
- (Optional) A domain name. Not required, but serving n8n over HTTPS on your own domain is the right way to run it long-term. You can add one later.
Step 1 — Apply the n8n one-click template
Hostinger ships a ready-made OS template that installs Ubuntu 24.04 with n8n preinstalled in Docker. Here is the exact click path, matching Hostinger’s own n8n tutorial (hostinger.com/tutorials/how-to-self-host-n8n):
1. Go to VPS → Manage
Log in to hPanel, open the VPS section in the left-hand menu, find your server, and click Manage.
2. Open OS & Panel → Operating System
Inside the VPS dashboard, expand the OS & Panel menu on the left and choose Operating System. This is where Hostinger keeps its application templates.
3. Search for n8n and select the template
In the Change OS panel, type n8n into the search bar and select the “Ubuntu 24.04 with n8n” template. There is also a queue-mode template for heavier setups — start with the standard one unless you already know you need workers.
4. Confirm the OS change
A dialog warns that your VPS will be overwritten and all files deleted. Tick the acknowledgement checkbox and click Next, then confirm. Again: this erases everything on the server, so be sure.
5. Wait for provisioning to finish
The install takes a few minutes. You can watch the progress in the VPS dashboard; when it completes, Docker, the n8n container, and persistent storage are all configured for you.
Step 2 — Open n8n and create the owner account
Find your access address
Once provisioning is done, note your VPS’s public IP address from the VPS Overview page. Open it in your browser on n8n’s port (the template’s documentation in hPanel shows the exact address format). You should see n8n’s setup screen.
Create the owner account
The first screen asks you to set up the owner account: email, first and last name, and a strong password. This account has full admin rights, so use a password you do not reuse anywhere else. After that, n8n drops you into the workflow editor — you are live.
Step 3 — Lock it down: HTTPS and a strong password
An automation server that can touch your email, databases, and APIs should never sit on plain HTTP. The practical minimum:
- Point a domain at the server with an A record to your VPS IP, then serve n8n over HTTPS from day one.
- Use a strong, unique password for the owner account and enable any extra login protections n8n offers.
- Keep the n8n container updated. Hostinger’s Docker manager lets you update the n8n project from the panel — check for updates regularly, because self-hosting means security updates are your job.
If HTTPS setup sounds intimidating, Hostinger’s n8n tutorial (hostinger.com/tutorials/how-to-self-host-n8n) covers the deployment details step by step.
Step 4 — Back up your encryption key
This is the step almost everyone skips, and it is the most important one in this guide. n8n encrypts every stored credential — API keys, passwords, tokens — with a key called N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY. Lose that key and your credentials become unreadable, even if you restore a perfect backup of the data.
- Copy the encryption key from your n8n configuration and store it somewhere safe off the server (a password manager works).
- Export your workflows separately from time to time — Hostinger’s weekly server backups cover the whole machine, but a portable workflow export is cheap insurance.
- Take a manual snapshot in hPanel before any major change, so you can roll the whole server back.
Which VPS size should you pick for n8n?
Short version: KVM 2 for real use. It covers comfortable everyday workloads with headroom, which is why Hostinger’s own tutorial calls it “more than enough” to get started. Use KVM 1 for testing only, and step up to KVM 4 when you run n8n in queue mode with separate workers or process high execution volumes. Our full guide to n8n hosting on Hostinger breaks down the sizing math and compares self-hosting against n8n Cloud.
FAQ
Will changing the OS delete my files?
Yes — completely and irreversibly. The template reinstalls the operating system from scratch. Only apply it to a fresh VPS or one you have fully backed up.
Do I need a domain name to run n8n?
No, n8n works fine on the server IP for testing. But for anything real, put it behind a domain with HTTPS — credentials and API keys flow through this server.
How do I update n8n later?
Through Hostinger’s Docker project manager in the VPS panel: pull the latest n8n image and restart the container. Take a snapshot first, and skim n8n’s release notes before major version jumps.
Do I need a license key?
No. The template installs n8n’s Community Edition, which needs no license key. (Paid n8n features are a separate product from n8n’s own cloud offering — irrelevant to this self-hosted setup.)
What if one container is not enough anymore?
Switch to the queue-mode template, which hands work to separate worker containers, and move to a larger VPS (KVM 4) to feed them. That is the standard growth path — no migration to a different platform required.
Can I run other apps on the same VPS?
Technically yes, since you have full root access, but keep production n8n on its own server. Resource contention between apps is the classic cause of mysterious 502 errors and out-of-memory crashes.
Is n8n free to self-host?
Yes. n8n is free to self-host under its fair-code license, with no cap on workflows or executions. You only pay for the server it runs on, so check the current price of the VPS plan you choose on the plan page.
What VPS specs do I need to run n8n?
For personal use, 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM is the comfortable sweet spot, especially once you add AI nodes or larger payloads. A 1–2 GB plan works as a sandbox for light testing, but it will struggle under real production load.
Is self-hosted n8n secure?
It is as secure as you configure it to be. Serve it over HTTPS, set a strong admin password and the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY, keep the instance updated, and expose only the ports you need. An instance left open on its default port without authentication is the most common way self-hosted setups get compromised.
Is self-hosting n8n cheaper than n8n Cloud?
For steady, high-volume automation it usually is, because a flat-rate VPS has no per-execution pricing and no workflow caps. If you only run a handful of workflows a month, the managed cloud version may be simpler — note that n8n Cloud bills in EUR and publishes no USD price list. Weigh your monthly execution volume before deciding.
Do I need Docker to run n8n on a Hostinger VPS?
No. Hostinger’s one-click n8n template installs everything for you without touching Docker. Docker is the most popular manual method because it simplifies updates and keeps data in persistent volumes, but an npm install works too.
Can I move my workflows from n8n Cloud to self-hosted?
Yes. Export each workflow as JSON from your cloud account and import it into the self-hosted instance. Credentials do not export for security reasons, so plan time to recreate them on the new server.
Next steps
With n8n installed, secured, and your encryption key backed up, build one small workflow end to end — something like “new email → log to a spreadsheet” — to prove the plumbing works before you automate anything important. Then read our n8n hosting guide for sizing, queue mode, and the honest failure modes (502s, memory limits, SQLite vs Postgres) so your first real automation does not become your first outage.