1. Overview

I came across n8n through a recommendation from a coworker. It is a workflow-based automation tool that works great for connecting various services—especially AI—and automating them. In this post, we will look at how to install and run n8n on a Raspberry Pi.

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2. How to Install n8n on a Raspberry Pi

2.1 Prerequisites

Update Installed Packages

Run the following command to keep the Raspberry Pi's packages up to date.

> sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Node.js and Check the Version

Since n8n runs on Node.js, you need to install the latest version of Node.js.

> curl -fsSL <https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x> | sudo -E bash -
> sudo apt install -y nodejs

Check the installed Node.js version to confirm it was installed correctly.

> node -v

Install n8n

Now, use npm to install n8n globally.

> sudo npm install -g n8n

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2.2 Configuring the system service file for n8n

Registering n8n as a system service makes it start automatically when the Raspberry Pi boots.

Create the Service File

sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/n8n.service

Add the following content.

[Unit]
Description=n8n Automation Tool
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/n8n
Restart=always
User=pi
Environment=PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin
Environment=NODE_ENV=production
Environment=N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=true
Environment=N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=false
Environment=N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false
Environment=N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY=ba0ffeb7...omitted
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

• PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin → Sets the executable binary path to ensure n8n can run
• NODE_ENV=production → Configures n8n to run in a production environment
• N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ALLOW_TOOL_USAGE=true → Allows community-provided packages to be used
• N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=false → Disables basic authentication so anyone can access it (change to true if you need security)
• N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false → Disables the secure cookie feature (it is common to leave this false if you are not in an HTTPS environment)
• N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY → The license activation key for n8n (required when using a paid plan)

2.3 Enabling and Starting the Service

Register and enable the service.

> sudo systemctl daemon-reload
> sudo systemctl enable n8n
> sudo systemctl start n8n

Check whether it is running correctly.

> sudo systemctl status n8n

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2.4 Connecting to n8n

Once n8n is running correctly, you can access it from a web browser at http://localhost:5678 to verify.

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3. Conclusion

We successfully installed n8n on the Raspberry Pi and registered it as a system service so it can run reliably. With this, you can build and make use of automated workflows. Additionally, if you need security, it is a good idea to enable basic authentication and consider setting up HTTPS.

Personally, since I wanted to access and work on it from outside as well, I set up port forwarding on my home iptime router and have been using it that way.