Automated n8n Workflows & Credentials Backup to Local/Server Disk & FTP

Complete backup solution that saves both workflows and credentials to local/server disk with optional FTP upload for off-site redundancy.

What makes this workflow different:

• Backs up workflows AND credentials together
• Saves to local/server disk (not Git, GitHub, or any cloud services)
• Optional FTP upload for redundancy (disabled by default)
• Comprehensive error handling and email notifications
• Timezone-aware scheduling
• Ready to use with minimal configuration

How it works

Backup Process (Automated Daily at 4 AM):

1. Initialisation - Sets up timezone-aware timestamps and configurable backup paths for both local/server disk and FTP destinations
2. Folder Creation - Creates date-stamped backup directories (YYYY-MM-DD format) on local/server disk
3. Dual Backup Operations - Processes credentials and workflows in two separate branches:
   • Credentials Branch:
     • Exports n8n credentials using the built-in CLI command with backup flag
     • Lists exported credential files in the credentials folder
     • Reads each credential file from disk
     • Optional: Uploads to FTP server (disabled by default)
     • Optional: Logs FTP upload results for credentials
   • Workflows Branch:
     • Retrieves all workflows via n8n API
     • Cleans workflow names for cross-platform compatibility
     • Converts workflows to formatted JSON files
     • Writes files to local/server disk
     • Optional: Uploads to FTP server (disabled by default)
     • Optional: Logs FTP upload results for workflows
4. Data Aggregation - Combines all workflow data with binary attachments for comprehensive reporting
5. Results Merging - Consolidates credentials FTP logs, workflows FTP logs, and aggregated workflow data
6. Summary Generation - Creates detailed backup logs including:
   • Statistics (file counts, sizes, durations)
   • Success/failure tracking for local and FTP operations
   • Error tracking with detailed messages
   • Timezone-aware timestamps
7. Notifications - Sends comprehensive email reports with log files attached and saves execution logs to disk

How to use

Initial Setup:

1. Configure the Init Node - Open the "Init" node and customize these key parameters in the "Workflow Standard Configuration" section:

   // Admin email for notifications
   const N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL = $env.N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL || 'youremail@world.com';
   
   // Workflow name (auto-detected)
   const WORKFLOW_NAME = $workflow.name;
   
   // Projects root directory on your server
   const N8N_PROJECTS_DIR = $env.N8N_PROJECTS_DIR || '/files/n8n-projects-data';
   // projects-root-folder/
   //   └── Your-project-folder-name/
   //       ├── logs/
   //       ├── reports/
   //       ├── ...
   //       └── [other project files]
   
   // Project folder name for this backup workflow
   const PROJECT_FOLDER_NAME = "Workflow-backups";
   

   Then customize these parameters in the "Workflow Custom Configuration" section:

   // Local backup folder (must exist on your server)
   const BACKUP_FOLDER = $env.N8N_BACKUP_FOLDER || '/files/n8n-backups';
   
   // FTP backup folder (root path on your FTP server)
   const FTP_BACKUP_FOLDER = $env.N8N_FTP_BACKUP_FOLDER || '/n8n-backups';
   
   // FTP server name for logging (display purposes only)
   const FTPName = 'Synology NAS 2To';
   

   These variables can also be set as environment variables in your n8n configuration.

2. Set Up Credentials:

   • Configure n8n API credentials for the "Fetch Workflows" node
   • Configure SMTP credentials for email notifications
   • Optional: Configure FTP credentials if you want to enable off-site backups

3. Configure Backup Folder:

   • Ensure the backup folder path exists on your server
   • Verify proper write permissions for the n8n process
   • If running in Docker, ensure volume mapping is correctly configured

4. Customize Email Settings:

   • Update the "Send email" node with your recipient email address or your "N8N_ADMIN_EMAIL" environment value
   • Adjust email subject and body text as needed

Enabling FTP Upload (Optional):

By default, FTP upload nodes are disabled for easier setup. To enable off-site FTP backups:

1. Simply activate these 4 nodes (no other changes needed):

   • "Upload Credentials To FTP"
   • "FTP Logger (credentials)"
   • "Upload Workflows To FTP"
   • "FTP Logger (workflows)"

2. Configure FTP credentials in the two upload nodes

3. The workflow will automatically handle FTP operations and include upload status in reports

Requirements

• n8n API credentials (for workflow fetching)
• SMTP server configuration (for email notifications)
• Adequate disk space for local backup storage
• Proper file system permissions for backup folder access
• Docker environment with volume mapping (if running n8n in Docker)
• Optional: FTP server access and credentials (for off-site backups)

Good to know

• Security: Credentials are exported using n8n's secure backup format - actual credential values are not exposed in plain text
• Timezone Handling: All timestamps respect configured timezone settings (defaults to Europe/Paris, configurable in Init node)
• File Naming: Automatic sanitization ensures backup files work across different operating systems (removes forbidden characters, limits length to 180 characters)
• FTP Upload: Disabled by default for easier setup - simply activate 4 nodes to enable off-site backups without any code changes
• Connection Resilience: FTP operations include error handling for timeout and connection issues without failing the entire backup
• Graceful Degradation: If FTP nodes are disabled, the workflow completes successfully with local backups only and indicates FTP status in logs
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error catching with detailed logging and email notifications
• Dual Logging: Creates both JSON logs (for programmatic parsing) and plain text logs (for human readability)
• Storage: Individual workflow JSON files allow for selective restore and easier version control integration
• Scalability: Handles any number of workflows efficiently with detailed progress tracking

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This automated backup workflow saves your n8n data to both local disk and FTP server. To restore your backups, use:

• "n8n Restore from Disk - Self-Hosted Solution" for local/server disk restores
• "n8n Restore from FTP - Remote Backup Solution" for FTP remote restores