n8n

n8n support is available starting from Zylon 1.52

n8n Integration

n8n is a workflow automation tool now integrated into Zylon, enabling you to create flows by connecting different services and systems. The deployment and configuration of n8n are automatically managed by Zylon, requiring minimal user setup.

Important Considerations

Version management: Zylon manages the deployed n8n version to ensure compatibility with the rest of the system. Manual n8n updates are not available.
Access: n8n is available at its own subdomain (for default: https://n8n.your-zylon-instance.com)
User management: User management in n8n is independent from Zylon users. Users must be created and managed directly within the n8n interface.

Configuration

To enable n8n in your environment, you only need to modify the corresponding option in the /etc/zylon/zylon-conf.yaml file:

n8n:
  enabled: true  # Set to false to disable n8n
  host: ""  # Specify a custom host if needed.
  publicApi:
    enabled: false  # Enable n8n's public REST API
  externalConnection:
    enabled: false  # Allow outbound connections to n8n services
  license:
    key: ""  # n8n license key
    type: ""  # License type (community or enterprise)

n8n’s public API allows you to manage workflows, executions, credentials, and other resources programmatically through REST endpoints (API Documentation)

The license fields only apply when externalConnection.enabled is set to true and an internet connection is available.

In Semi/Full AirGap, externalConnection.enabled will always be false regardless of the configured value.

SSL Certificates Configuration (Optional)

This section is only necessary if you are not using Let’s Encrypt certificates

If your Zylon installation uses manual SSL certificates (not Let’s Encrypt), you will need to create an additional Kubernetes secret specifically for n8n.

Create a Secret for n8n

Once you have your certificate files ready (tls.crt and tls.key), create a secret in the Kubernetes cluster specifically for n8n:

# Create the n8n SSL secret
sudo k0s kubectl create secret tls zylon-tls-n8n --key tls.key --cert tls.crt -n zylon

# Verify the secret was created correctly
sudo k0s kubectl describe secret zylon-tls-n8n -n zylon

After creating the secret, reload the configuration:

sudo zylon-cli sync

Your n8n instance will now use HTTPS with the configured SSL certificates.

External Connections

When external connections are disabled, certain n8n functionalities are automatically deactivated:

Community packages: Installation of packages from the NPM registry is disabled
Workflow templates: Community workflow templates are disabled
License activation: Licenses are not validated and will not work in this mode

These restrictions ensure that n8n operates without external dependencies.

Proxy Configuration

n8n uses Zylon’s global proxy configuration. The system automatically manages proxy certificates and endpoints, so no additional n8n-specific configuration is required. If your organization uses a proxy, configure it following the proxy configuration guide.

Troubleshooting

DNS

If you experience DNS resolution problems with n8n (e.g., slow or failing lookups for internal services), you may need to adjust the dnsConfig.options.ndots setting. To apply custom DNS settings, add the following to your configuration:

n8n:
  dnsConfig:
    options:
      - name: ndots
        value: "1" # Default is 5

After making changes, run sudo zylon-cli sync to apply them.

Certificate rejection

If you have a custom certificate n8n may reject it. To avoid TLS verification on internal calls you can set up the following flag

n8n:
  tlsRejectUnauthorized: 0  # Default is 1

After making changes, run sudo zylon-cli sync to apply them.

Backup Management

n8n uses PostgreSQL as its database, which means all n8n information is automatically included in Zylon’s standard database backups. For more information about backup management, see the Zylon backup documentation. For specific use cases involving workflow migration or transfer between environments, see the Workflow Import and Export section.

Apply Configuration

After modifying the configuration file, apply the changes:

sudo zylon-cli sync

Workflow Import and Export

n8n provides CLI commands that allow selective export and import of entities. These commands are especially useful for:

Migration from other environments: If you want to migrate n8n information to Zylon from another existing environment
Selective import: Export specific workflows from other environments and import them into Zylon without needing to migrate the entire instance

For more information about CLI commands, see the official n8n documentation.

Basic Export Commands

Export all workflows:

n8n export:workflow --all --output=/home/node/.n8n/workflows.json

Export a specific workflow:

n8n export:workflow --id=42 --output=/home/node/.n8n/workflow-42.json

Export credentials:

n8n export:credentials --all --output=/home/node/.n8n/credentials.json

Export decrypted credentials:

n8n export:credentials --all --output=/home/node/.n8n/credentials.json --decrypted

Use the --decrypted option when migrating between instances with different encryption keys.

Export complete instance:

n8n export:entities --outputDir=./outputs --includeExecutionHistoryDataTables=true

Basic Import Commands

Import workflows:

n8n import:workflow --input=/home/node/.n8n/workflows.json

Import a specific workflow:

n8n import:workflow --input=/home/node/.n8n/workflow-42.json

Import credentials:

n8n import:credentials --input=/home/node/.n8n/credentials.json

Import all instance:

Only works if the export database type matches the target database type. Zylon n8n uses PostgreSQL.

Import complete instance:

n8n import:entities --inputDir ./outputs --truncateTables true

Transfer Files from Your Local Machine

If you need to import workflows, credentials or other files located on your local machine, you must first transfer them to the n8n pod:

1. Get the Persistent Volume ID

# Get the n8n Persistent Volume ID
N8N_PV_ID=$(kubectl get pvc zylon-n8n-data -o jsonpath='{.spec.volumeName}' -n zylon)

# Build the directory path
N8N_PV_DIR="/var/zylon/data/$N8N_PV_ID"

# View the result
echo $N8N_PV_DIR

2. Copy Files to the Volume

# Copy file from your local machine
sudo cp /local/path/workflows.json $N8N_PV_DIR/

3. Access the Pod and Verify the File

kubectl exec -it deployment/zylon-n8n -n zylon -- /bin/sh
# Inside the pod, verify the file is available
ls /home/node/.n8n/

Important Notes

Exported entities retain their original IDs, so importing them will overwrite existing entities with the same ID.

Export files must be located in an accessible directory within the pod, typically /home/node/.n8n/.

Getting Started

Installation

Maintenance & Operations

Backoffice

Configuration

Troubleshooting

Security

Auditability & AI Governance

n8n Integration

Important Considerations

Configuration

SSL Certificates Configuration (Optional)

Create a Secret for n8n

External Connections

Proxy Configuration

Troubleshooting

DNS

Certificate rejection

Backup Management

Apply Configuration

Workflow Import and Export

Basic Export Commands

Basic Import Commands

Transfer Files from Your Local Machine

1. Get the Persistent Volume ID

2. Copy Files to the Volume

3. Access the Pod and Verify the File

Important Notes

​n8n Integration

​Important Considerations

​Configuration

​SSL Certificates Configuration (Optional)

​Create a Secret for n8n

​External Connections

​Proxy Configuration

​Troubleshooting

​DNS

​Certificate rejection

​Backup Management

​Apply Configuration

​Workflow Import and Export

​Basic Export Commands

​Basic Import Commands

​Transfer Files from Your Local Machine

​1. Get the Persistent Volume ID

​2. Copy Files to the Volume

​3. Access the Pod and Verify the File

​Important Notes

n8n Integration

Important Considerations

Configuration

SSL Certificates Configuration (Optional)

Create a Secret for n8n

External Connections

Proxy Configuration

Troubleshooting

DNS

Certificate rejection

Backup Management

Apply Configuration

Workflow Import and Export

Basic Export Commands

Basic Import Commands

Transfer Files from Your Local Machine

1. Get the Persistent Volume ID

2. Copy Files to the Volume

3. Access the Pod and Verify the File

Important Notes