Request and Receive Zigbee Backup from Zigbee2MQTT and Save via SFTP

This n8n workflow automates the process of requesting a Zigbee backup from a Zigbee2MQTT instance and then securely saving the received backup file to an SFTP server. It can be triggered manually or on a schedule.

What it does

1. Triggers a Backup Request: Upon activation (either manually or on a schedule), it sends an MQTT message to your Zigbee2MQTT instance, requesting a backup.
2. Listens for Backup: It then listens for the backup file to be published on a specific MQTT topic by Zigbee2MQTT.
3. Processes Backup Data: Once the backup data is received via MQTT, it processes the raw data.
4. Converts to File: The received backup data is converted into a binary file format.
5. Uploads to SFTP: Finally, the workflow uploads this binary backup file to a specified SFTP server.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
• MQTT Broker: Access to an MQTT broker that your Zigbee2MQTT instance is connected to.
• Zigbee2MQTT: A running Zigbee2MQTT instance configured to publish backups via MQTT.
• SFTP Server: Access to an SFTP server with credentials for file uploads.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow: Import the provided JSON into your n8n instance.
2. Configure MQTT Credentials:
   • Edit the "MQTT Trigger" node and the "MQTT" node.
   • Set up your MQTT credentials (broker URL, port, username, password if required).
   • MQTT Trigger: Configure the "Topic" to listen for the Zigbee2MQTT backup output (e.g., zigbee2mqtt/bridge/response/backup).
   • MQTT: Configure the "Topic" to send the backup request (e.g., zigbee2mqtt/bridge/request/backup). The "Payload" should be empty or a specific command if required by your Zigbee2MQTT setup (check Zigbee2MQTT documentation).
3. Configure SFTP Credentials:
   • Edit the "FTP" node.
   • Set up your SFTP credentials (host, port, username, password/private key).
   • Configure the "File Path" where the backup should be saved on the SFTP server (e.g., /backups/zigbee2mqtt_backup_{{ $now().toFormat('yyyyMMdd_HHmmss') }}.json).
4. Configure Code Node: The "Code" node is responsible for extracting the payload from the MQTT message. Ensure it correctly references the incoming MQTT data to get the backup content.
5. Configure Convert to File Node: Ensure the "Convert to File" node is configured to create a file with the correct extension (e.g., .json for Zigbee2MQTT backups) from the binary data.
6. Activate the Workflow: Once all credentials and configurations are set, activate the workflow.
7. Trigger the Workflow:
   • Manually: You can execute the workflow manually from the n8n editor.
   • Scheduled: The "Schedule Trigger" node is included, allowing you to set a recurring schedule (e.g., daily, weekly) for the workflow to run automatically. Configure the desired interval in this node.