Templates
n8n Workflow Automation

8min
﻿n8n is a free and open-source workflow automation tool, that enables teams to automate tasks across different services. 
Microtica offers a ready-to-use template to deploy an n8n application as part of our Free templates pack. You can deploy an n8n application on our demo Kubernetes cluster to get started. When ready, you can self-host n8n on your own AWS account and setup a production-ready solution in minutes.
One-click Deploy
Click Deploy with Microtica below and follow the template steps to deploy an n8n application on your AWS account.
<p style="margin: -70px 0 -40px 0">
    <a target="_blank" href="https://app.microtica.com/templates/new?template=https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fmicrotica%2Ftemplates%2Fmaster%2Fn8n%2F.microtica%2Ftemplate.yaml">
        <img src="https://microtica.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/assets/templates/logos/deploy-with-microtica.svg" alt="Deploy with Microtica" width="180px" />
    </a>
</p>
<p style="margin: -70px 0 -40px 0">
    <a target="_blank" href="https://app.microtica.com/templates/new?template=https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fmicrotica%2Ftemplates%2Fmaster%2Fn8n%2F.microtica%2Ftemplate.yaml">
        <img src="https://microtica.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/assets/templates/logos/deploy-with-microtica.svg" alt="Deploy with Microtica" width="180px" />
    </a>
</p>
﻿
Built-in environment variables
Below is a list of built-in environment variables provided in the n8n runtime.
Name
Description
Required
DatabasePassword
Password for the PostgreSQL database.
Yes
Custom environment variables
To simplify the initial setup, this template sets the default configuration for the n8n application. If you need to customize the configuration and use custom variables like N8N_SMTP_HOST, N8N_SMTP_PASS (see the full list of environment variables) you can to that in two ways.
Configure environment variables from Microtica Console
To configure environment variable from Microtica Console you need to first define the variables in the schema.json file. The input properties defined here will become available in the Microtica Console. With this approach you get consistent configuration for the application as well as strong validation rules.
JSON
{
    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
    "$id": "schema://microtica/schema.json",
    "title": "Application schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
        "inputs": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "N8N_SMTP_HOST": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "default": "smtp.sendgrid.net",
                    "description": "SMTP server host name address. Use an empty string to disable all mail sending from the server. The default value for this variable is an empty string"
                },
                "N8N_SMTP_PASS": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "sensitive": true,
                    "description": "SMTP server password (encrypted)"
                }
            },
            "required": []
        }
    },
    "additionalProperties": false
}
{
    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
    "$id": "schema://microtica/schema.json",
    "title": "Application schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
        "inputs": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "N8N_SMTP_HOST": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "default": "smtp.sendgrid.net",
                    "description": "SMTP server host name address. Use an empty string to disable all mail sending from the server. The default value for this variable is an empty string"
                },
                "N8N_SMTP_PASS": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "sensitive": true,
                    "description": "SMTP server password (encrypted)"
                }
            },
            "required": []
        }
    },
    "additionalProperties": false
}
﻿
Enhance security measures by using sensitive parameters, such as N8N_SMTP_PASS, as 'sensitive' within the schema.json file, thereby ensuring their encryption for better protection.
Next, to inject the environment variable in the application container runtime, just reference the variable using the {{ENV_VAR_NAME}} syntax.
YAML
# ...

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  namespace: "{{MIC_NAMESPACE}}"
  name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
  labels:
    app: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
    microticaService: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
spec:
  replicas: 1
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          image: "{{MIC_IMAGE}}"
          env:
            # Reference the environment variable.
            # During deployment the placeholder will be replaced with the configured value.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_HOST
              value: "{{N8N_SMTP_HOST}}"
            # ...
            # Reference the sensitive environment variable.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_PASS 
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: {{MIC_SECRET_NAME}}
                  key: N8N_SMTP_PASS

# ...
# ...

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  namespace: "{{MIC_NAMESPACE}}"
  name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
  labels:
    app: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
    microticaService: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
spec:
  replicas: 1
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          image: "{{MIC_IMAGE}}"
          env:
            # Reference the environment variable.
            # During deployment the placeholder will be replaced with the configured value.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_HOST
              value: "{{N8N_SMTP_HOST}}"
            # ...
            # Reference the sensitive environment variable.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_PASS 
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: {{MIC_SECRET_NAME}}
                  key: N8N_SMTP_PASS

# ...
﻿
Configure environment variables directly in the Kubernetes spec
To configure an environment variable directly in the Kubernetes spec you need to update the kube.config file.
Similar to the previous example, now provide the environment variable value directly in the spec.
YAML
# ...

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  namespace: "{{MIC_NAMESPACE}}"
  name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
  labels:
    app: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
    microticaService: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
spec:
  replicas: 1
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          image: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          env:
            # Provide the environment variable value directly in the spec.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_HOST
              value: "smtp.sendgrid.net"
            # ...

# ...
# ...

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  namespace: "{{MIC_NAMESPACE}}"
  name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
  labels:
    app: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
    microticaService: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
spec:
  replicas: 1
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          image: "{{MIC_NAME}}"
          env:
            # Provide the environment variable value directly in the spec.
            - name: N8N_SMTP_HOST
              value: "smtp.sendgrid.net"
            # ...

# ...
﻿
Estimated AWS cost
The estimated cost of the AWS cloud depends on the configuration of the n8n infrastructure. Below is the cost estimation breakdown assuming the resources are running all the time:
EKS Cluster - $70/month
Application Load Balancer - $17/month
2 x t3.large EC2 instances - $60/month
Total cost per month with this minimal configuration is approximately $150/month.
Optimize AWS cost
To save costs while using n8n in a non-production environment, consider running it from Monday to Friday, 8 hours per day. This schedule can help you achieve at least a 65% reduction in your cloud expenses.
In the Resources or Cost Dashboard, create a Saving Schedule to implement these cost-saving measures.
﻿
﻿
Name	Description	Required
DatabasePassword	Password for the PostgreSQL database.	Yes
Import an existing Node.js application
Import an existing n8n application