n8n on Phala Cloud

Deploy n8n workflow automation platform on Phala Cloud's secure, TEE-protected infrastructure.

What is n8n?

n8n is a powerful workflow automation tool that allows you to connect different services and automate tasks. With n8n, you can:

Create complex workflows with a visual interface
Connect to 400+ services and APIs
Process data, send notifications, and automate business processes
Self-host with full control over your data

Why Deploy on Phala Cloud?

Confidential Computing: Your workflows run in secure TEE environments
Data Privacy: Sensitive API keys and data are protected by hardware-level encryption
Always On: Reliable cloud infrastructure with automatic scaling
Easy Deployment: One-click deployment with Phala CLI

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Phala CLI installed
Phala Cloud account with API key
Docker installed (for local development)

Deploy to Phala Cloud

Clone this template

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/phala-n8n-template.git
cd phala-n8n-template

Configure environment variables

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

Deploy with Phala CLI

# Login to Phala Cloud
phala auth login

# Deploy n8n
phala cvms create --name my-n8n --compose docker-compose.yml --env-file .env

Access your n8n instance
- Your n8n URL will be provided after deployment
- Login with the credentials from your .env file
- Start building workflows!

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
`N8N_USER`	Admin username	Yes
`N8N_PASSWORD`	Admin password	Yes
`N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY`	Encryption key for credentials	Yes
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	OpenAI API key for AI workflows	No
`GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID`	Google OAuth client ID	No
`GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET`	Google OAuth client secret	No

OAuth Setup (Google/Gmail)

For Gmail integration:

Go to Google Cloud Console
Create OAuth 2.0 credentials

Add your n8n URL as authorized redirect URI:

https://your-instance-domain.dstack-prod10.phala.network/rest/oauth2-credential/callback

Add the client ID and secret to your .env file

Management Commands

# List deployments
phala cvms list

# Get deployment details
phala cvms get your-app-id

# Update deployment
phala cvms upgrade your-app-id --compose docker-compose.yml --env-file .env

# Stop deployment
phala cvms stop your-app-id

# Start deployment
phala cvms start your-app-id

# Delete deployment
phala cvms delete your-app-id

Common Use Cases

Email Automation

Gmail lead detection and CRM integration
Automated email responses
Email parsing and data extraction

Communication

Slack/Discord notifications
Telegram bots
SMS alerts via Twilio

Data Processing

API data synchronization
File processing and conversion
Database operations

AI Workflows

OpenAI integration for content generation
Document analysis and summarization
Automated decision making

Security Features

TEE Protection

Your n8n instance runs in Phala Cloud's Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), providing:

Hardware-level encryption of sensitive data
Isolated execution environment
Tamper-proof workflow execution

Credential Security

API keys encrypted with TEE protection
Secure credential storage in n8n vault
No plain-text secrets in logs or memory dumps

Troubleshooting

OAuth Issues

If OAuth callbacks fail:

Verify the redirect URI in your OAuth provider
Ensure it matches your Phala Cloud domain exactly
Check that DSTACK_GATEWAY_DOMAIN is properly set

Workflow Execution Issues

Check the execution logs in n8n UI
Verify API credentials are correctly configured
Ensure required environment variables are set

Performance Optimization

Use webhooks instead of polling when possible
Implement proper error handling in workflows
Monitor execution times and optimize bottlenecks

Support

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve this template:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Submit a pull request

License

This template is released under the MIT License.

n8n Workflow Automation