n8n Deployment for CORDE (Secure, High Availability, On-Prem)

This repo contains everything needed to deploy a secure, production-ready, high-availability instance of n8n inside CORDE’s infrastructure.

🌐 Public Access: https://n8n.corde.nz

This setup supports:

• Azure AD Single Sign-On (SSO)
• TLS (HTTPS) via Let's Encrypt
• Redis-based queue mode for HA
• PostgreSQL for data storage
• Microsoft 365 SMTP for email
• Docker-based stack

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🔧 Setup Instructions

1. Requirements

• Ubuntu 20.04 or later (root access required)
• Docker and Docker Compose (installed automatically)
• DNS entry for n8n.corde.nz pointing to your public IP
• Ports 80 and 443 open in firewall

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2. Deploy via Bootstrap Script

Run these commands on your server:

cd /opt && git clone https://github.com/Balerman2/N8NDeploymentCORDE.git n8n && cd n8n
sudo bash bootstrap-n8n.sh

This will:

• Install Docker and Compose
• Create folder structure
• Drop in .env.template, docker-compose.yml, and Traefik config

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3. Fill in Secrets

cd /opt/n8n
cp .env.template .env
nano .env

Fill in all REPLACE_* values:

• Azure AD tenant/client info
• Encryption key (openssl rand -hex 32)
• PostgreSQL password
• SMTP password (App Password from Microsoft 365)

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4. Start the Stack

docker compose up -d

Wait ~1 minute, then visit:

https://n8n.corde.nz

You’ll be redirected to Microsoft login.

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📦 Files

File	Purpose
.env.template	Config template with all needed settings
bootstrap-n8n.sh	Full install and setup script
docker-compose.yml	Runs n8n, Redis, Postgres, Traefik
traefik/acme.json	Stores TLS certs (auto-created)
backup.sh	Daily PostgreSQL backup (30-day retention)
healthcheck.sh	Lightweight HTTP healthcheck endpoint
.gitignore	Prevents secrets/backups from being committed

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🔐 Security Notes

• Traefik handles HTTPS using Let’s Encrypt (HTTP challenge)
• n8n secured behind Azure AD login
• Credentials and env variables encrypted with N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY
• PostgreSQL and Redis are internal-only

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🛠 Maintenance Tips

Restart n8n:

cd /opt/n8n && docker compose restart

View Logs:

docker compose logs -f

Backup DB:

/opt/n8n/backup.sh

Backups are stored in /opt/n8n/backups/ and auto-cleaned after 30 days.

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🩺 Healthcheck Endpoint (optional)

If you want uptime monitoring:

• Create a new workflow in n8n with a Webhook node at /healthz
• Add a simple Set node returning { "status": "ok" }
• Use this URL in your monitoring tool:

https://n8n.corde.nz/webhook/healthz

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📬 Email Setup (Microsoft 365)

Use a mailbox like noreply@corde.nz. Set up an App Password (if MFA is enabled) and paste it into .env.

SMTP Settings:

Host: smtp.office365.com
Port: 587
TLS: Yes

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✅ Done!

You now have a secure, production-grade, HA n8n instance running with minimal effort. For support, raise a GitHub issue or contact the IT team.

Thanks!

Originally developed by Jack Gillians for internal CORDE use. Maintained by the CORDE IT team.