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homelab-opentofu/modules/20-services-apps/n8n/README.md
2025-07-06 16:34:24 +10:00

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# n8n Module
This module deploys [n8n](https://n8n.io/), a workflow automation tool, along with its dependencies and the [n8n-mcp](https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp) community node manager, as Docker containers in the homelab environment.
## Overview
The n8n module:
- Deploys four Docker containers:
- `n8n`: The main workflow automation server
- `n8n-postgres`: A PostgreSQL database backend
- `n8n-redis`: A Redis instance for queuing
- `n8n-mcp`: A community node management tool for n8n
- Creates a dedicated Docker network (`n8n-network`) for container communication
- Persists data to volumes on the host
- Provides service definitions for integration with networking modules
## Usage
```hcl
module "n8n" {
source = "./modules/20-services-apps/n8n"
volume_path = "/path/to/volumes/n8n"
networks = ["homelab-network"]
}
```
## Variables
| Variable | Description | Type | Default |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ---------- |
| `image_tag` | Tag of the n8n image to use | `string` | `"latest"` |
| `volume_path` | Host path for n8n, Postgres, Redis, and n8n-mcp data volumes | `string` | - |
| `networks` | List of additional networks to which n8n should be attached | `list(string)` | `[]` |
## Outputs
| Output | Description |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `service_definition` | Service definition for the n8n container |
| `n8n_mcp_service_definition` | Service definition for the n8n-mcp container |
## Service Definitions
This module outputs two service definitions that are used by the networking modules to expose the services.
### n8n
```hcl
{
name = "n8n"
primary_port = 5678
endpoint = "http://n8n:5678"
subdomains = ["n8n"]
publish_via = "tunnel"
}
```
### n8n-mcp
```hcl
{
name = "n8n-mcp"
primary_port = 3000
endpoint = "http://n8n-mcp:3000"
subdomains = ["n8n-mcp"]
publish_via = "tunnel"
}
```
## Environment Variables
The services require several environment variables to function properly. These are stored in a `.env` file in the module directory and read using the `dotenv` Terraform provider:
- **Database configuration (`n8n-postgres`)**:
- `POSTGRES_USER`: Root PostgreSQL user
- `POSTGRES_PASSWORD`: Root PostgreSQL password
- `POSTGRES_DB`: Database name for n8n
- `POSTGRES_NON_ROOT_USER`: Non-root user for n8n to connect with
- `POSTGRES_NON_ROOT_PASSWORD`: Password for the non-root user
- **n8n configuration (`n8n`)**:
- `N8N_HOST`: Host for n8n to use
- `N8N_PORT`: Port for n8n to use
- `N8N_PROTOCOL`: Protocol for n8n (http or https)
- `WEBHOOK_URL`: URL for webhooks
- `NODE_FUNCTION_ALLOW_EXTERNAL`: Whether to allow external function calls
- **n8n-mcp configuration (`n8n-mcp`)**:
- `N8N_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN`: Authentication token for n8n-mcp.
- `N8N_API_KEY`: n8n API key for n8n-mcp to interact with the n8n instance.
## Data Persistence
The services store data in several volumes:
1. **n8n application data**: `/home/node/.n8n` in the container, mapped to `${volume_path}/n8n_storage/_data` on the host
2. **PostgreSQL data**: `/var/lib/postgresql/data` in the container, mapped to `${volume_path}/db_storage/_data` on the host
3. **Redis data**: `/data` in the container, mapped to `${volume_path}/redis_data` on the host
4. **n8n-mcp data**: `/app/data` in the container, mapped to `${volume_path}/n8n_mcp_storage/_data` on the host
Additionally, an initialization script is mounted to the PostgreSQL container:
- `/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init-data.sh` in the container, from `${volume_path}/init-data.sh` on the host
## Networking
The module creates a dedicated Docker network named `n8n-network` for communication between all containers. The `n8n` and `n8n-mcp` containers are also attached to any additional networks specified in the `networks` variable, allowing them to communicate with other services in the homelab.
## Integration with Networking Modules
The services are configured to be exposed through a Cloudflare tunnel for secure remote access, set by `publish_via = "tunnel"`.
## Example Integration in Main Configuration
```hcl
module "n8n" {
source = "./modules/20-services-apps/n8n"
volume_path = module.system_globals.volume_host
networks = [module.services.homelab_docker_network_name]
}
# The service definitions are automatically included in the services output
module "services" {
source = "./modules/services"
# ...
service_definitions = [
module.n8n.service_definition,
module.n8n.n8n_mcp_service_definition,
# Other service definitions
]
}
```
## Using n8n-mcp with your IDE
To connect your IDE to the `n8n-mcp` server, you can use the following configuration in your IDE's settings. This allows the IDE to use the n8n instance as a tool provider.
Make sure to replace `<domain>` with your actual domain and populate the `AUTH_TOKEN` with the value of `N8N_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN` from your `.env` file.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"n8n-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://n8n-mcp.<domain>/mcp",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer ${AUTH_TOKEN}",
"--transport",
"http-only"
],
"env": {
"AUTH_TOKEN": "..."
}
}
}
}
```