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Complete Backup Solution for n8n Workflows & Credentials with Local Storage and FTP

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Created by: Florent || florent

Florent

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Automated n8n Workflows & Credentials Backup to Local/Server Disk & FTP

Complete backup solution that saves both workflows and credentials to local/server disk with optional FTP upload for off-site redundancy.

What makes this workflow different:

  • Backs up workflows AND credentials together
  • Saves to local/server disk (not Git, GitHub, or any cloud services)
  • Optional FTP upload for redundancy (disabled by default)
  • Comprehensive error handling and email notifications
  • Timezone-aware scheduling
  • Ready to use with minimal configuration

How it works

Backup Process (Automated Daily at 4 AM):

  1. Initialisation - Sets up timezone-aware timestamps and configurable backup paths for both local/server disk and FTP destinations
  2. Folder Creation - Creates date-stamped backup directories (YYYY-MM-DD format) on local/server disk
  3. Dual Backup Operations - Processes credentials and workflows in two separate branches:
    • Credentials Branch:
      • Exports n8n credentials using the built-in CLI command with backup flag
      • Lists exported credential files in the credentials folder
      • Reads each credential file from disk
      • Optional: Uploads to FTP server (disabled by default)
      • Optional: Logs FTP upload results for credentials
    • Workflows Branch:
      • Retrieves all workflows via n8n API
      • Cleans workflow names for cross-platform compatibility
      • Converts workflows to formatted JSON files
      • Writes files to local/server disk
      • Optional: Uploads to FTP server (disabled by default)
      • Optional: Logs FTP upload results for workflows
  4. Data Aggregation - Combines all workflow data with binary attachments for comprehensive reporting
  5. Results Merging - Consolidates credentials FTP logs, workflows FTP logs, and aggregated workflow data
  6. Summary Generation - Creates detailed backup logs including:
    • Statistics (file counts, sizes, durations)
    • Success/failure tracking for local and FTP operations
    • Error tracking with detailed messages
    • Timezone-aware timestamps
  7. Notifications - Sends comprehensive email reports with log files attached and saves execution logs to disk

How to use

Initial Setup:

  1. Configure the Init Node - Open the "Init" node and customize these key parameters in the "Workflow Standard Configuration" section:

    // Admin email for notifications
const N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL = $env.N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL || '[email protected]';

// Workflow name (auto-detected)
const WORKFLOW_NAME = $workflow.name;

// Projects root directory on your server
const N8N_PROJECTS_DIR = $env.N8N_PROJECTS_DIR || '/files/n8n-projects-data';
// projects-root-folder/
//   └── Your-project-folder-name/
//       ├── logs/
//       ├── reports/
//       ├── ...
//       └── [other project files]

// Project folder name for this backup workflow
const PROJECT_FOLDER_NAME = "Workflow-backups";

    Then customize these parameters in the "Workflow Custom Configuration" section:

    // Local backup folder (must exist on your server)
const BACKUP_FOLDER = $env.N8N_BACKUP_FOLDER || '/files/n8n-backups';

// FTP backup folder (root path on your FTP server)
const FTP_BACKUP_FOLDER = $env.N8N_FTP_BACKUP_FOLDER || '/n8n-backups';

// FTP server name for logging (display purposes only)
const FTPName = 'Synology NAS 2To';

    These variables can also be set as environment variables in your n8n configuration.

  2. Set Up Credentials:

    • Configure n8n API credentials for the "Fetch Workflows" node
    • Configure SMTP credentials for email notifications
    • Optional: Configure FTP credentials if you want to enable off-site backups

  3. Configure Backup Folder:

    • Ensure the backup folder path exists on your server
    • Verify proper write permissions for the n8n process
    • If running in Docker, ensure volume mapping is correctly configured

  4. Customize Email Settings:

    • Update the "Send email" node with your recipient email address or your "N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL" environment value
    • Adjust email subject and body text as needed

Enabling FTP Upload (Optional):

By default, FTP upload nodes are disabled for easier setup. To enable off-site FTP backups:

  1. Simply activate these 4 nodes (no other changes needed):

    • "Upload Credentials To FTP"
    • "FTP Logger (credentials)"
    • "Upload Workflows To FTP"
    • "FTP Logger (workflows)"

  2. Configure FTP credentials in the two upload nodes

  3. The workflow will automatically handle FTP operations and include upload status in reports

Requirements

  • n8n API credentials (for workflow fetching)
  • SMTP server configuration (for email notifications)
  • Adequate disk space for local backup storage
  • Proper file system permissions for backup folder access
  • Docker environment with volume mapping (if running n8n in Docker)
  • Optional: FTP server access and credentials (for off-site backups)

Good to know

  • Security: Credentials are exported using n8n's secure backup format - actual credential values are not exposed in plain text
  • Timezone Handling: All timestamps respect configured timezone settings (defaults to Europe/Paris, configurable in Init node)
  • File Naming: Automatic sanitization ensures backup files work across different operating systems (removes forbidden characters, limits length to 180 characters)
  • FTP Upload: Disabled by default for easier setup - simply activate 4 nodes to enable off-site backups without any code changes
  • Connection Resilience: FTP operations include error handling for timeout and connection issues without failing the entire backup
  • Graceful Degradation: If FTP nodes are disabled, the workflow completes successfully with local backups only and indicates FTP status in logs
  • Error Handling: Comprehensive error catching with detailed logging and email notifications
  • Dual Logging: Creates both JSON logs (for programmatic parsing) and plain text logs (for human readability)
  • Storage: Individual workflow JSON files allow for selective restore and easier version control integration
  • Scalability: Handles any number of workflows efficiently with detailed progress tracking

This automated backup workflow saves your n8n data to both local disk and FTP server. To restore your backups, use:

  • "n8n Restore from Disk - Self-Hosted Solution" for local/server disk restores
  • "n8n Restore from FTP - Remote Backup Solution" for FTP remote restores