How can I enable HTTPS for my self-hosted n8n instance on AWS without disabling secure cookies?

Below is an approach to get your n8n instance working over HTTPS on AWS without having to turn off secure cookies:

Use a Reverse Proxy (Recommended)

n8n suggests running a reverse proxy (like Traefik or a Network Load Balancer) in front of your instance. The reverse proxy terminates TLS so that end-users access the proxy over HTTPS, while the proxy communicates securely with n8n. This setup has several benefits:

• Automated Certificate Handling: Many reverse proxies can automatically manage and renew certificates (e.g., via Let's Encrypt).
• Security: The proxy handles the HTTPS connection, allowing n8n to trust that clients are connecting securely.

In your AWS environment you could consider:

• Deploying Traefik: Configure Traefik as your reverse proxy and pass your certificates via its configuration.
• AWS Load Balancer: Use a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with TLS termination to front your n8n application.

Passing Certificates Directly into n8n

If you prefer not to use a reverse proxy, you can also pass your SSL certificate directly into n8n. This involves setting environment variables for your certificate and key. When running your n8n container/process, set:

BASHCopied
export N8N_SSL_CERT="/path/to/your/certificate.pem"
export N8N_SSL_KEY="/path/to/your/privatekey.pem"

Make sure the certificate is valid and kept renewed. This setup tells n8n to use HTTPS directly, ensuring that secure cookies work as expected.

Summary

To solve your issue with secure cookies and HTTPS:

• Option 1 (Recommended): Place a reverse proxy (e.g., Traefik or an AWS NLB) in front of n8n. This proxy will terminate SSL/TLS and forward requests to n8n.
• Option 2: If you want to run HTTPS directly on n8n, pass your SSL certificate and key to n8n via the N8N_SSL_CERT and N8N_SSL_KEY environment variables.

Choose the option that best fits your architecture and management style. Both methods will enable HTTPS and respect secure cookies without needing to disable security features.

Hope this helps get your AWS setup running as expected!