n8n Installation & Setup

This guide covers installing n8n (self-hosted or cloud) and configuring it for the Automatización Lurwis platform.

Prerequisites

Before installing n8n, ensure you have:

Node.js 18+ (for self-hosted)
PostgreSQL 12+ database
MongoDB 4.4+ for conversation memory
Redis 6+ for message buffering
WhatsApp Business API credentials
Google Gemini API key

Installation Options

Self-Hosted (Recommended)
n8n Cloud

Docker Installation

The recommended approach for production deployments:

Create docker-compose.yml

Create a docker-compose.yml file with the following configuration:

version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    container_name: n8n-lurwis
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=${WEBHOOK_URL}
      - EXECUTIONS_PROCESS=main
      - N8N_METRICS=true
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
      - ./backups:/backups

volumes:
  n8n_data:
    driver: local

Configure environment variables

Create a .env file:

N8N_USER=admin
N8N_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
N8N_HOST=your-domain.com
WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-domain.com

Use a strong password and keep your .env file secure. Never commit it to version control.

Start n8n

docker-compose up -d

Access n8n at http://localhost:5678

Configure reverse proxy (Production)

For production, use Caddy or nginx as a reverse proxy with SSL:Caddy example:

your-domain.com {
    reverse_proxy n8n:5678
}

The workflows use Caddy as shown in the webhook configuration.

NPM Installation

For local development:

npm install -g n8n
n8n start

n8n Cloud Setup

Create account

Go to n8n.cloud
Sign up for an account
Choose a plan (Pro recommended for production)

Configure workspace

Set your workspace name: Lurwis Production
Note your workspace URL (needed for webhooks)

Set environment variables

In n8n Cloud settings, add environment variables:

See Environment Variables page

n8n Cloud automatically handles scaling, backups, and SSL certificates.

Workspace Configuration

Import Workflows

After installation, import the two main workflows:

Navigate to Workflows

In n8n interface, click Workflows → Import from File

Import Receptor workflow

Upload: workflows/Picantería Lurwis _ Receptor.jsonThis workflow handles:

WhatsApp webhook verification
Message reception and validation
Redis buffering (6-8 second window)
Error handling

Import Procesador workflow

Upload: workflows/Picantería Lurwis _ Procesador.jsonThis workflow handles:

Message classification
AI agent routing
Order processing
Database operations

Activate workflows

Click Active toggle for both workflows

Credential Management

Configure credentials for all integrations:

WhatsApp Business API

Add WhatsApp credential

Go to Credentials → New
Select WhatsApp
Enter:
- Access Token: Your Meta access token
- Phone Number ID: 947279508470714 (from workflow)

Configure webhook

Webhook URL: https://your-domain.com/webhook/meta-verify
Verify Token: meta-verify

PostgreSQL Database

Add Postgres credential

Name: Postgres Lurwis db

Host: your-postgres-host
Database: picanteria_db
User: your-user
Password: your-password
Port: 5432
SSL: Require (production)

Connection string format

The workflows use session pooler connection:

postgresql://user:password@host:5432/picanteria_db?sslmode=require

The workflows note mentions “CONNECTION STRING (SESSION POOLER)” with RLS (Row Level Security) enabled.

MongoDB Memory

Add MongoDB credential

Name: Memoria chats Lurwis

Connection String: mongodb+srv://user:password@cluster.mongodb.net/
Database: picanteria_db

Collections used

The system uses separate collections for conversation memory:

historial_clasificador - Message classification
historial_detector - Order detection
historial_pedidos - Order conversations (25 message window)
historial_eventos - Event bookings (15 message window)
historial_reservas - Table reservations (15 message window)
historial_general - General inquiries (10 message window)

Redis Buffer

Add Redis credential

Name: Buffer Lurwis

Host: your-redis-host
Port: 6379
Password: your-redis-password
Database: 0

TTL configuration

Redis keys use automatic expiration:

Buffer messages: 30 seconds
Timestamps: 30 seconds
Metadata: 120 seconds

Google Gemini AI

Add Google Gemini credential

Name: Modelo Lurwis

API Key: your-gemini-api-key

Get API key

Go to Google AI Studio
Create new API key
Copy and save securely

Workflow Settings

Execution Settings

Both workflows use executionOrder: v1 for sequential processing.

Error Workflow

The workflows reference an error notification workflow that sends failures to a personal WhatsApp number. Configure this separately for production monitoring.

To create an error workflow:

Create new workflow named “Error Notifications”
Add Error Trigger node
Add WhatsApp node to send error details
In main workflows, go to Settings → Error Workflow → Select “Error Notifications”

Webhook Configuration

Meta WhatsApp Verification

The Receptor workflow handles Meta’s webhook verification:

Path: /webhook/meta-verify
Method: GET and POST
Verify Token: meta-verify
Response Mode: Response Node (for proper Meta acknowledgment)

Configure in Meta Developer Console

Go to WhatsApp Business API settings
Add webhook URL: https://your-domain.com/webhook/meta-verify
Verify token: meta-verify
Subscribe to: messages field

Test webhook

Meta will send a verification request. The workflow returns:

Status: 200
Body: hub.challenge value

Performance Tuning

Execution Limits

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=336  # 14 days
N8N_CONCURRENCY=10

Memory Settings

For high-traffic production:

NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=4096

Next Steps

Environment Variables

Configure all required environment variables

Production Checklist

Review production deployment requirements

Database Schema

Understand the database structure

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

Get Started

Workflows

Services

Integrations

Deployment

Reference

n8n Installation & Setup

n8n Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Installation Options

Docker Installation

NPM Installation

n8n Cloud Setup

Workspace Configuration

Import Workflows

Credential Management

WhatsApp Business API

PostgreSQL Database

MongoDB Memory

Redis Buffer

Google Gemini AI

Workflow Settings

Execution Settings

Error Workflow

Webhook Configuration

Meta WhatsApp Verification

Performance Tuning

Execution Limits

Memory Settings

Next Steps

Environment Variables

Production Checklist

Database Schema

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Workflows

Services

Integrations

Deployment

Reference

Documentation Index

​n8n Installation & Setup

​Prerequisites

​Installation Options

​Docker Installation

​NPM Installation

​n8n Cloud Setup

​Workspace Configuration

​Import Workflows

​Credential Management

​WhatsApp Business API

​PostgreSQL Database

​MongoDB Memory

​Redis Buffer

​Google Gemini AI

​Workflow Settings

​Execution Settings

​Error Workflow

​Webhook Configuration

​Meta WhatsApp Verification

​Performance Tuning

​Execution Limits

​Memory Settings

​Next Steps

Environment Variables

Production Checklist

Database Schema

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

n8n Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Installation Options

Docker Installation

NPM Installation

n8n Cloud Setup

Workspace Configuration

Import Workflows

Credential Management

WhatsApp Business API

PostgreSQL Database

MongoDB Memory

Redis Buffer

Google Gemini AI

Workflow Settings

Execution Settings

Error Workflow

Webhook Configuration

Meta WhatsApp Verification

Performance Tuning

Execution Limits

Memory Settings

Next Steps