Complete Guide to Hosting and Setting Up n8n on GCP Virtual Machine

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provides a reliable and scalable infrastructure to host automation tools like n8n. Deploying n8n on GCP allows users to leverage Google’s cloud services for seamless workflow automation and integration with other cloud resources.

Before deploying n8n on GCP, ensure you have the following:

• A Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account with billing enabled

• Google Cloud SDK installed and authenticated

• A Virtual Machine (VM) instance to run n8n

• (Optional) Docker for containerized deployment

   

Log in to GCP Console - Go to Google Cloud Console

Create a Virtual Machine

• Navigate to Compute Engine > VM Instances
• Click on Create Instance
• Choose a machine type (e.g., e2-medium for standard usage)
• Allow HTTP/HTTPS traffic for web access

Connect to the VM

• Open the SSH terminal from the GCP Console
• Update the system: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
• Install required dependencies: sudo apt install -y nodejs npm

Install n8n Globally

Run n8n

Access n8n in Browser

• If running locally: Open http://localhost:5678
• If hosted: Open http://<your-vm-external-ip>:5678

If you prefer using Docker:

1. Install Docker sudo apt install -y docker.io

    

2. Run n8n in a Docker Container docker run -it --rm -p 5678:5678 -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8n

    

3. Access n8n via Browser

• Visit http://<your-vm-external-ip>:5678

   

Step 4: Exposing n8n to the Public Internet

To make n8n accessible from anywhere:

• Set Up a Firewall Rule:

• Go to VPC network > Firewall rules

• Create a rule to allow traffic on port 5678

• Set Source IP ranges to 0.0.0.0/0 (or restrict to specific IPs)

• Assign a Static External IP Address:

• Go to VPC network > External IP addresses

• Reserve a new static IP and attach it to your VM

• Secure with SSL/TLS:

• Use Google Managed SSL Certificates or set up Let's Encrypt

   

Now that n8n is running, you can:

• Use Cloud Storage Nodes to fetch/store files
• Schedule workflows with n8n’s built-in Scheduler
• Integrate with Google APIs (Sheets, Drive, BigQuery)

Hosting n8n on GCP enables a powerful automation setup with scalability and flexibility. Whether using a Virtual Machine or Docker, GCP ensures seamless integration with cloud resources for workflow automation.

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