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Deploy n8n on Azure App Service (Portal Guide)

· 9 min read

This guide walks you through what n8n is, why it’s so popular, and then the click-through Azure Portal steps to deploy it cleanly on Azure App Service for Linux (Web App for Containers). The recipe below is the “known-good” baseline we used successfully, including the exact App Settings and Health Check path that make App Service happy.

What is n8n?​

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform. Think of it as a visual way to connect APIs, databases, and services together—like LEGO for integrations.

  1. Visual workflow builder (drag-drop nodes)
  2. Massive integration surface (HTTP, DBs, clouds, apps)
  3. Self-hostable (no vendor lock-in), extensible, and scriptable
  4. Great for low-code automation, but friendly to developers too
  1. Open source & vendor-neutral — run it where you want.
  2. Low-code UX — business users can compose automations; devs can extend.
  3. Cost-effective — keep control of infra, cost, and privacy.
  4. Dev-friendly — add custom nodes, call APIs, integrate with CI/CD.

Why run n8n on Azure App Service?​

Azure App Service is a PaaS that gives you:

  1. Easy container hosting (bring a public Docker image, set a port)
  2. Scale & reliability (scale up/out without re-architecting)
  3. Built-in monitoring/security (App Insights, access restrictions, TLS)
  4. CI/CD support and managed platform updates

In short: you focus on n8n; Azure handles the undifferentiated heavy lifting.

Slide-style outline​

  1. What is n8n? — Open-source automation with a visual builder and tons of integrations.
  2. Why is n8n popular? — Open, flexible, low-code + dev-friendly. Great for demos & production.
  3. Why Azure? — Scalable, secure, integrated monitoring, easy CI/CD, full container control.
  4. Deployment Overview — Create RG → Create App Service (Linux/Container) → Set container image → Configure port/env → Health check → Start.
  5. Environment Variables — Key vars to make Azure reverse proxy and n8n happy.
  6. Networking & Monitoring — Optional VNet integration; enable App Insights.
  7. Recap — Pull image, set app port 5678, env vars, health check, restart → done.

Architecture at a glance​

This diagram shows how a user’s HTTPS request reaches an n8n container running on Azure App Service (Linux), and which platform components and settings make it work reliably.

n8n Reference Architecture

What you’re seeing​

  1. User Browser → Azure Front End
    The Azure Front End terminates TLS and routes traffic to your container.

  2. App Service Plan (Linux)
    Hosts two containers:

  3. Kudu sidecar (8181) for SSH, log streaming, and management.

  4. n8n container listening on 0.0.0.0:5678 to serve the editor/API.

  5. Routing & Health

  6. Requests are forwarded to the n8n container on port 5678.

  7. A health probe targets /healthz to keep the site warm and enable SSH.

Key takeaways (match these in your config)​

  1. Tell App Service the app port:
    WEBSITES_PORT=5678, PORT=5678
  2. Bind n8n to IPv4 inside the container:
    N8N_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0
  3. Set a health check path:
    Monitoring → Health check → /healthz
  4. Platform hygiene:
    Always On = On (B1+), Startup Command = empty,
    WEBSITES_ENABLE_APP_SERVICE_STORAGE=true

Public URL variables (add after first successful boot)​

  1. N8N_PROTOCOL=https
  2. N8N_HOST=your-app.azurewebsites.net
  3. WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/

If you see timeouts, first confirm App port = 5678 in Container settings and the two app settings WEBSITES_PORT + PORT are set to 5678, then re-check the health path.

Prerequisites​

  1. An Azure subscription with permission to create resource groups and App Service resources
  2. A publicly accessible Docker image: n8nio/n8n (we’ll pin a version)
  3. Basic familiarity with Azure Portal

Step-by-Step (Azure Portal)​

This is the exact flow that worked end-to-end. We keep the config minimal first so the platform’s startup probe passes, then add optional variables.

0) Create a Resource Group​

  1. Azure Portal → Resource groups → + Create
  2. Resource group name: n8n-rg (or your choice)
  3. Region: choose a region near your users
  4. Review + create → Create

1) Create the App Service (Linux, Container)​

  1. Azure Portal → Create a resource → App Service
  2. Project details
    1. Subscription: select your sub
    2. Resource Group: select the RG you just created
  3. Instance details
    1. Name: e.g., n8n-portal-demo → your default URL will look like
      https://n8n-portal-demo.azurewebsites.net
      (Some regions append -01 automatically; use whatever Azure shows.)
    2. Publish: Container
    3. Operating System: Linux
  4. Plan
    1. Create new App Service plan (Linux)
    2. SKU: B1 or higher (enables Always On)

2) Container (image) settings​

  1. Image source: Other container registries
  2. Registry: Public
  3. Server URL: https://index.docker.io
  4. Image and tag: n8nio/n8n:1.108.2 (pin a known version; avoid latest initially)
  5. App port: 5678 ← critical

Save and continue to create the Web App.

3) Minimal App Settings to boot successfully​

App Service → Configuration → Application settings → + New setting
Add exactly these (keep others out for now to reduce variables):

NameValueWhy
WEBSITES_PORT5678Tells front end which port the container listens on
PORT5678Some stamps honor PORT; harmless to set both
WEBSITES_ENABLE_APP_SERVICE_STORAGEtrueEnables persistent storage area for App Service
WEBSITES_CONTAINER_START_TIME_LIMIT1200Gives the startup probe more time on first boot
N8N_LISTEN_ADDRESS0.0.0.0Ensures IPv4 bind that App Service can reach

Save the settings.

  1. Monitoring → Health check
  2. Path: /healthz
  3. Save

n8n exposes /healthz and returns 200; this helps the startup probe pass quickly.

5) General Settings​

  1. Settings → Configuration → General settings
  2. Always On: On (B1 or higher)
  3. Startup Command: (empty) — the official n8nio/n8n image starts itself
  4. HTTPS Only: On (recommended)

6) Full recycle​

  1. Click Stop (wait ~20–30 seconds) → Start the app
    (Stop/Start forces re-creation and re-probing; Restart sometimes isn’t enough.)

7) Test the default URL​

  1. Open: https://your-app-name.azurewebsites.net (If your region adds -01, your app host will be ...azurewebsites.net with that suffix; use the exact URL shown in the Overview or logs.)

If it’s reachable, congrats — the container is live and the platform probes are passing. Now add the optional “public URL” variables.

Add n8n “public URL” variables (after it’s reachable)​

Back to Configuration → Application settings and add:

NameValue
N8N_PORT5678
N8N_PROTOCOLhttps
N8N_HOST<your-app>.azurewebsites.net
WEBHOOK_URLhttps://<your-app>.azurewebsites.net/

Save → Restart.

If you add these too early and hit a redirect/host check during probe, the app can flap. That’s why we start minimal, then add them.

Add these as needed:

NameSuggested ValueWhy
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEYa long random string (32+ chars)Encrypts credentials on disk
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVEtrueBasic auth for the editor
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER<user>
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD<strong-password>
DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE1Satisfies deprecation warning for SQLite
N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLEDtrueEnables task runners (forward-compat)
N8N_EDITOR_BASE_URLhttps://<your-app>.azurewebsites.net/Explicit editor base URL

Using PostgreSQL instead of SQLite (prod)​

Provision Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server, then set:

DB_TYPE=postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=<host>
DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=<db>
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=<user>
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=<password>
DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=public
DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL=true

Keep WEBSITES_ENABLE_APP_SERVICE_STORAGE=true even with Postgres so n8n can persist local files it needs.

How to find your URL​

  1. App Service Overview page shows the default URL.
  2. Logs may also echo it (e.g., Editor is now accessible via: https://app...azurewebsites.net).
  3. Some Azure regions append -01 in the hostname automatically—use the exact host Azure gives you.

Verify & Logs​

  1. Log stream: App Service → Logs → Log stream to watch container output.
  2. SSH: App Service → SSH (works once the startup probe passes).
  3. Inside the container you can check:
ss -ltnp | grep 5678
curl -I http://127.0.0.1:5678/
curl -I http://127.0.0.1:5678/healthz

Troubleshooting (common gotchas)​

  1. Site times out
    Ensure App port = 5678 (Container settings) and App Settings include WEBSITES_PORT=5678 and PORT=5678. Start with the minimal settings list; add N8N_HOST/PROTOCOL only after it’s reachable.

  2. SSH session closes immediately
    The startup probe is failing and the site keeps recycling. Trim to minimal settings, pin the image tag (e.g., `n8nio/n8n:1.108.2), set Health check to /healthz, then Stop/Start.

  3. “InvalidTemplateDeployment / SubscriptionIsOverQuotaForSku”
    Your region/SKU quota is 0. Pick a different region or SKU, or request a quota increase (App Service vCPU) for that region.

  4. Using latest tag
    New latest builds may change behavior. Pin a version while you validate.

  5. Access Restrictions
    If enabled, ensure a rule allows public access to the site during testing.

Recap​

  1. n8n is an open-source automation powerhouse with a visual builder and endless integrations.
  2. Azure App Service gives you a simple, scalable, secure home for the n8n container.
  3. The key to a painless deployment is: App port 5678, WEBSITES_PORT/PORT = 5678, N8N_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0, and a Health check at /healthz.
  4. Start minimal so the platform stabilizes, then layer on the public URL and security vars.

Happy automating! 🚀

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