n8n Workflow: Automated n8n Workflow Backup to GitHub with Deletion Tracking

This n8n workflow provides a robust solution for automatically backing up your n8n workflows to a GitHub repository, while also tracking deleted workflows. It ensures that you always have a version-controlled copy of your workflows and can easily identify when a workflow has been removed from your n8n instance.

What it does

This workflow automates the following steps:

1. Triggers Manually or on Schedule: The workflow can be initiated manually or set to run on a defined schedule (e.g., daily, hourly) to regularly check for changes.
2. Fetches All Workflows from n8n: It connects to your n8n instance using the n8n API to retrieve a list of all existing workflows and their definitions.
3. Processes Workflows in Batches: To handle a large number of workflows efficiently, it processes them in batches.
4. Checks for Existing Workflow Files in GitHub: For each workflow, it checks if a corresponding file already exists in your designated GitHub repository.
5. Creates/Updates Workflow Files in GitHub:
   • If a workflow file doesn't exist, it creates a new file in GitHub containing the workflow's JSON definition.
   • If a workflow file exists, it updates the file with the latest JSON definition from n8n.
6. Tracks Deleted Workflows: After processing all current workflows, it compares the list of workflows in n8n with the files in your GitHub repository.
   • If a workflow file exists in GitHub but no corresponding workflow is found in n8n, it marks that workflow as deleted.
7. Commits Changes to GitHub: All created, updated, and deleted workflow changes are committed to your GitHub repository.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

• n8n Instance: An active n8n instance where your workflows are running.
• GitHub Account: A GitHub account and a repository where you want to store your workflow backups.
• GitHub Credential in n8n: An n8n credential configured for GitHub with appropriate permissions to create, read, update, and delete files in your target repository.
• n8n API Key (or equivalent authentication): An n8n credential configured to access your n8n instance's API (e.g., an API Key with workflow scope).
• Sub-workflow for GitHub Operations: This workflow is designed to interact with a sub-workflow (Execute Workflow node) that handles the actual GitHub file operations (create, update, delete). You will need to ensure this sub-workflow exists and is configured correctly.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow: Download the JSON definition and import it into your n8n instance.
2. Configure Credentials:
   • Update the GitHub node (ID 16) with your GitHub credential.
   • Update the n8n node (ID 826) with your n8n API credential.
3. Configure GitHub Repository Details:
   • Ensure the Execute Workflow node (ID 111) is correctly configured to call your sub-workflow for GitHub operations. This sub-workflow will need details like your GitHub repository owner, repository name, and branch.
4. Activate the Workflow: Once configured, activate the workflow.
5. Choose Trigger Method:
   • You can manually execute the workflow using the Manual Trigger node (ID 838).
   • For automated backups, configure the Schedule Trigger node (ID 839) to run at your desired interval.

This workflow provides a robust and automated way to keep your n8n workflows backed up and version-controlled, giving you peace of mind and simplifying disaster recovery or migration processes.