Why does my HTTP Request node in Docker return ECONNREFUSED when triggering a webhook?

Below is an explanation of what’s happening and some troubleshooting steps to try.

What’s Happening

Even though opening the webhook URL in a browser works, the HTTP Request node fails with an ECONNREFUSED error. The error message:

  connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:5678

shows that the HTTP Request node is trying to connect to the webhook endpoint on “localhost” (which is resolving to the IPv6 loopback address ::1) on port 5678 but the connection is refused. This indicates that within the context of your HTTP Request node (likely running inside your Docker container), “localhost” does not point to your active n8n webhook listener.

Likely Causes

1. Container Networking:
   If you’re running n8n in Docker, when the HTTP Request node (executing inside the container) uses “localhost” it means it’s trying to hit the container’s own network interface. Since the webhook node is part of the same n8n instance, it might not be accessible through “localhost” from within the container depending on how your containers and networks are configured.

2. IPv6 vs. IPv4 Issues:
   The error shows connection to ::1 (IPv6). If your n8n instance isn’t listening on the IPv6 interface, connection attempts using ::1 will be refused even if the browser automatically falls back to IPv4.

Recommended Solutions

• Use the Correct Hostname/IP:
  Instead of using “localhost,” adjust the URL so that it points to an address reachable from within your container. For example, on Docker for Mac you can use host.docker.internal in place of localhost:

  JSONCopied
  "uri": "http://host.docker.internal:5678/webhook/b25d01d4-465b-42b9-a40d-f097c98a0e48"

  This tells your container to send the request to the host machine, where your n8n webhook listener should be running.

• Force IPv4:
  If IPv6 is causing the issue, consider ensuring that you use an IPv4 address in your URL such as 127.0.0.1 (if that is accessible from within the container) or the appropriate network IP.

• Review Your Container’s Networking Settings:
  Ensure that the network settings allow your HTTP Request node to connect to the n8n listener. When running in Docker, you may need to adjust network modes or aliases.

Summary

The ECONNREFUSED error usually indicates that the HTTP Request node is trying to connect to a host/port that isn’t accessible in that context. Even though the webhook works when using a browser (from your host machine), inside the container “localhost” might not point to n8n’s webhook server. Using an appropriate reachable host (like host.docker.internal) and ensuring you use IPv4 if needed should resolve the issue.

Give these steps a try and see if the connection succeeds from your HTTP Request node.

The error you're encountering:

connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:5678

suggests that the HTTP Request node is trying to reach n8n on localhost port 5678 (using the IPv6 loopback ::1), but it's not open from within your current context.

What's Likely Happening

• When you open the webhook URL in your browser, your machine routes it correctly (because of your Docker port mapping or reverse proxy settings), so you see the webhook trigger hit.
• However, when the HTTP Request node in your workflow tries to call that same URL (http://localhost:5678/...), it runs in the context of n8n (or inside its container) where “localhost” might not refer to what you expect. In other words, n8n is attempting to call itself using localhost:5678, but nothing is listening on that address from within that environment.

How to Fix It

1. Use the Correct Webhook URL:
   Make sure you’re using the production or externally accessible webhook URL. If you’re running n8n behind a reverse proxy or if Docker is mapping a different port, update your HTTP Request node to use the proper URL (for example, something like https://n8n.example.com/webhook/…).

2. Configure the WEBHOOK_URL Environment Variable:
   If you have not already, set the WEBHOOK_URL environment variable to your public URL. This ensures that n8n displays and registers the correct webhook URLs with external services. For example, in your Docker setup you might set:

   BASHCopied
   export WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/

   Refer to the documentation on configuring webhook URLs with a reverse proxy for more details.

3. Check Your Network Setup:
   Verify your Docker or reverse proxy settings so that calls from within the container (or from n8n itself) can reach the externally accessible URL.

By using the externally accessible URL (or correctly configuring the WEBHOOK_URL), the HTTP Request node will reach the intended webhook endpoint without running into the ECONNREFUSED error.

It looks like the HTTP Request node is failing to connect to the webhook because it can’t reach the service at the specified address. In this case, the error "connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:5678" suggests that the connection to the webhook endpoint at localhost isn’t being accepted.

Here are a few things to check:

1. Localhost vs. Container Networking:
   If you’re running n8n in Docker, using “localhost” in the HTTP Request node might refer to the container itself rather than your host machine. Try replacing “localhost” with “127.0.0.1” or use the correct hostname or IP address that the container can access.

2. IPv6 vs. IPv4:
   The error shows an IPv6 address (::1). Some setups or Docker configurations might not handle IPv6 as expected. Switching to 127.0.0.1 forces IPv4, which may resolve the issue.

3. Workflow Status:
   Ensure that the workflow containing your Webhook node is active (or, if testing, using the test URL correctly) so that it’s actually listening for incoming HTTP calls.

By checking your network configuration (especially when using Docker) and ensuring you use the proper address, you should be able to resolve the ECONNREFUSED error when triggering the webhook from another workflow.