🧭 n8n Local Setup & Activation Guide (Node + PM2 on macOS)

This note explains how to start, stop, and manage n8n on your local machine after installing it with Node.js.

Use this anytime you need to activate or deactivate n8n for automation projects.

🧩 1. Installation Check

After installing n8n globally:

npm install -g n8n

Confirm installation:

n8n -v

If you see a version number (e.g. 1.55.2), it’s correctly installed.

⚙️ 2. Basic Manual Run (Foreground Mode)

Use this when you just want to run n8n temporarily.

Start n8n

n8n start

or simply:

n8n

Access Interface

Open in your browser:

👉 http://localhost:5678

On the first run, you’ll create your owner account.

Stop n8n

Press:

Ctrl + C

in the same terminal window.

Note

If you see:

n8n's port 5678 is already in use

it means another n8n process is already running (see Section 5).

🖥️ 3. Running n8n in Background with PM2

PM2 lets n8n run even when you close your terminal or log out.

Install PM2

npm install -g pm2

Start n8n in background

pm2 start n8n --name n8n

Check if it’s running

pm2 list

If you see n8n with status online, it’s active.

Open the dashboard

Visit:

👉 http://localhost:5678

View logs (optional)

pm2 logs n8n

🛠️ 4. Managing n8n with PM2

🚀 5. Fix: Port Already in Use

If you see:

n8n's port 5678 is already in use

That means an n8n instance is already active.

Option A — Stop running process via PM2

pm2 stop n8n

Option B — Kill process manually

Find what’s using the port:

lsof -i :5678

Then kill it:

kill -9 <PID>

Replace <PID> with the process ID shown in the result.

Option C — Start on another port

n8n start --port 5679

Then access at:

👉 http://localhost:5679

🔐 6. Optional: Secure Access

Create an .env file in your n8n folder (e.g. ~/.n8n/.env):

N8N_HOST=localhost
N8N_PORT=5678
N8N_PROTOCOL=http

# Basic Auth
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=teslim
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=choose-a-strong-password

Export and start:

export $(grep -v '^#' ~/.n8n/.env | xargs)
pm2 start n8n --name n8n

Now your n8n UI will prompt for a username and password.

⚡ 7. Auto-Start n8n on Mac Boot

Make n8n start automatically whenever you log in.

1. Generate startup command:
Copy

pm2 startup launchd

PM2 will output a line like:

Copy

sudo env PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin pm2 startup launchd -u yourusername

Copy and run that line.

2. Save current processes:
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pm2 save

3. From now on, PM2 (and n8n) will automatically start at login.

🧠 8. Useful Commands Summary

🌐 9. Access Point

Once running, open your browser to:

n8n Dashboard:

👉 http://localhost:5678

Use this address anytime you want to open the editor interface.

🪄 10. Quick Workflow Activation Guide

Inside the n8n dashboard:

• Activate a workflow:

Toggle the Active switch (top-right corner).

This enables triggers like Webhook, Cron, or Schedule.

• Deactivate a workflow:

Toggle Active back to Off to pause triggers.

✅ Summary Overview

📘 Notes

• Port 5678 is the default; if busy, use another port with -port.
• Logs and settings are stored under:

~/.n8n/

• Keep your .env file secure with:
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chmod 600 ~/.n8n/config