Hostinger VPS
One-click n8n template on affordable VPS.
Hostinger's VPS plans include a one-click n8n template (via their app marketplace or a pre-built Docker image), giving beginners a cheap self-hosted start.
Pros
- One-click n8n template (Docker + Caddy + HTTPS pre-wired)
- Very cheap for what you get
- Free domain on annual plans
- hPanel makes DNS + backups simple
Cons
- Shared support quality varies
- You still manage n8n upgrades yourself
- Not ideal for enterprise SLAs
Prerequisites
- A Hostinger VPS plan (KVM 1 or higher recommended)
- A domain (can be managed by Hostinger or external)
- hPanel access
Step-by-step guide
Step 1
Order a VPS plan
Choose a KVM VPS plan in Hostinger's dashboard.
Step 2
Deploy the n8n template
In hPanel → VPS → OS/Application, pick the n8n application template to auto-install Docker + n8n.
Step 3
Point your domain
Create an A record pointing to the VPS IP, then set N8N_HOST/WEBHOOK_URL to match.
Step 4
Secure with HTTPS
Use Hostinger's SSL manager or add Caddy in front of the container for automatic certs.
Scaling & queue mode
For higher throughput, switch to queue mode: set EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue, add a Redis instance, and run one or more separate `n8n worker` containers alongside the main process. The main instance handles the editor UI and webhooks while workers pull jobs from Redis. Scale worker replicas horizontally as load grows, and use a managed Postgres (with read replicas if needed) once execution volume is high.
Backup & upgrade
Hostinger offers weekly VPS snapshots you can enable in hPanel; combine with your own pg_dump cron job for database-level backups. Upgrade n8n by pulling the new image tag and recreating the container.
Security checklist
- Always run behind HTTPS (Caddy/Traefik/Nginx + Let's Encrypt) — never expose port 5678 directly.
- Set a strong, permanent N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY and back it up (losing it breaks stored credentials).
- Use Postgres, not the default SQLite, for anything beyond local testing.
- Enable N8N_BASIC_AUTH or an SSO/proxy layer if the instance is reachable from the internet.
- Restrict inbound firewall rules to 80/443 (and SSH from your IP only).
- Keep the n8n image pinned and update on a schedule instead of always using :latest in production.
Cost breakdown
- KVM 1 VPS~$5–6/mo
- Domain~$10/yr (or free 1st yr)
Troubleshooting & FAQ
+Can I use SQLite instead of Postgres?
n8n defaults to SQLite, which works for testing but isn't recommended for production: no concurrent writers, harder backups, and risk of corruption under load. Use Postgres for anything real.
+My webhooks return 404 / don't trigger — why?
WEBHOOK_URL must match the public HTTPS URL exactly (including trailing slash), and the workflow must be activated (not just saved) for production webhook URLs to work.
+How do I move from Hostinger VPS to another host later?
Export workflows/credentials with the n8n CLI (`n8n export:workflow --all` / `export:credentials --all`) or the REST API, restore the Postgres dump on the new host, then import.
+Do I lose data if the container restarts?
No, as long as n8n_data and the Postgres volume are mounted as named Docker volumes (not ephemeral container storage), your data persists across restarts and image updates.