Deploy and Host n8n + PostgreSQL Automation on Railway

“n8n + PostgreSQL Automation” is a fully preconfigured setup that lets you deploy n8n, the popular open-source workflow automation tool, together with a PostgreSQL database — all hosted on Railway.
It’s built for beginners, makers, and hobbyists who want a quick, cost-effective, and hassle-free way to explore workflow automation or prototype data-driven systems without spending hours on setup.
Despite its simplicity, this setup can easily scale to production environments, making it a smooth path from experimentation to real-world deployment.

About Hosting n8n + PostgreSQL Automation

This setup comes fully pre-configured — just click Deploy and your n8n instance connects instantly to PostgreSQL on Railway. No linking, no setup, no extra steps.
It’s ideal for quick testing, personal workflows, or small automations that don’t need complex infrastructure.

For those who like to fine-tune things, here are a few key variables worth exploring:

• EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE – Enables automatic cleanup of old workflow data to save storage.
• EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT – Limits how many past executions are kept; adjust based on your logging needs.
• N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS – Ensures config files have secure permissions, useful for production or shared deployments.

How to Configure PostgreSQL Inside n8n (When Deployed via Railway)

Once you’ve deployed “n8n + PostgreSQL Automation” on Railway, you can easily connect your PostgreSQL database to any n8n workflow, no manual setup needed. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Add a PostgreSQL Database Connection in n8n

   • Inside your workflow, add any node or feature that requires a database connection (for example, when setting up an AI Agent and adding Memory → PostgreSQL Database).
   • This opens a configuration window asking for database credentials such as Host, User, Password, and Database name.

2. Get Connection Details from Railway

   • Go to your PostgreSQL service inside your Railway project.
   • All required credentials — PGHOST, PGUSER, PGPASSWORD, and PGDATABASE are already available there as environment variables.

3. Copy and Paste the Variables

   • Copy these four values directly from your PostgreSQL service and paste them into the connection fields in n8n.
   • You don’t need to modify or generate anything manually, Railway securely provides these by default.

✅ That’s it!
Your PostgreSQL database is now linked to n8n. You can start using it as a data store for memory, logs, or workflow inputs/outputs — all fully hosted and managed through Railway.

Tip: This built-in integration is one of the biggest advantages of using Railway — no connection strings, no local tunneling, and no manual environment setup required.

Common Use Cases

• Testing and experimenting with n8n workflows connected to a real database
• Hosting a small personal automation dashboard (like email alerts, data sync, etc.)
• Building proof-of-concept automation before deploying to production
• Storing execution logs or job metadata in PostgreSQL for analysis
• Learning the basics of workflow automation and database-backed triggers

Dependencies for n8n + PostgreSQL Automation Hosting

• n8n: The core workflow automation platform
• PostgreSQL: Database for execution data, logs, and persistence

Deployment Dependencies

• n8n Official Documentation
• n8n Environment Variables Reference
• PostgreSQL Official Docs

Implementation Details

(No additional code or setup required — just deploy and go!)

Why Deploy n8n + PostgreSQL Automation on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying n8n + PostgreSQL Automation on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.