n8n Local Setup for NERV Systems

Local n8n instance for developing and testing NERV integrations.

Quick Start

# Start n8n
./start.sh

# Stop n8n
./stop.sh

# Start with tunnel (for webhook testing)
./start-with-tunnel.sh

First Time Setup

1. Copy and configure environment:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your settings

2. Start n8n:

   ./start.sh

3. Access n8n at http://localhost:5678

4. Create your admin account

5. Start building workflows!

Architecture

• Database: SQLite (default) - suitable for dev/testing
• Port: 5678
• Network: nerv-n8n-network for Docker container communication
• Volumes:
  • n8n_data: Persistent n8n data and credentials
  • ./workflows: Workflow backup directory
  • ./backup: General backup directory

Development with Webhooks

For testing webhooks from external services:

./start-with-tunnel.sh

⚠️ WARNING: Tunnel exposes your local n8n to the internet. Use only for development!

NERV Integration

The setup includes:

• Dedicated Docker network for NERV services communication
• Environment variables for NERV API endpoints
• Volume mounts for workflow sharing

Connecting NERV to n8n

1. Ensure NERV services are on the same Docker network:

   networks:
     - nerv-n8n-network

2. Use internal Docker hostname:

   • From NERV → n8n: http://n8n:5678
   • From n8n → NERV: Configure in workflow nodes

Switching to PostgreSQL

For production or higher volume:

1. Uncomment PostgreSQL section in docker-compose.yml
2. Update .env with PostgreSQL settings
3. Restart services

Backup

Workflows and credentials are persisted in Docker volumes. To backup:

docker run --rm -v n8n_data:/data -v $(pwd)/backup:/backup alpine tar czf /backup/n8n-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data .

Troubleshooting

• Check logs: docker-compose logs -f
• Verify n8n health: curl http://localhost:5678/healthz
• Reset data: docker volume rm n8n_data (⚠️ deletes all data!)

Security Notes

• Never use tunnel in production
• Keep .env file secure and out of version control
• Regularly backup your encryption key from .env
• Lost encryption key = lost access to all credentials