🚀 GDG Demo for Deploying n8n with Docker + ngrok Tunnel

This guide walks you through setting up ngrok to create a secure public URL, and then deploying n8n (the open-source automation tool) using Docker. You’ll end up with a live, accessible n8n instance you can connect to Gemini, Git, Slack, or any API.

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🌍 1. Set Up ngrok

ngrok allows you to securely expose your local server (like n8n) to the internet.

🔗 Official Links

• 🔧 Install: https://ngrok.com/download
• 📖 Setup Guide: https://ngrok.com/docs/getting-started

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🪜 Steps

1. Create an ngrok Account

Go to https://ngrok.com and sign up for a free account.

2. Install ngrok

macOS

brew install ngrok

Linux (Snap)

sudo snap install ngrok

Windows

• Download the installer from https://ngrok.com/download
• Run the installer or unzip it to a folder added to your PATH.

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3. Connect Your ngrok Account

After signing in, copy your Auth Token from the ngrok dashboard:
👉 https://dashboard.ngrok.com/get-started/your-authtoken

Then run:

ngrok config add-authtoken <YOUR_NGROK_AUTHTOKEN>

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4. Start the Tunnel

Run:

ngrok http 5678

You’ll see output similar to this:

Forwarding  https://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:5678

Copy the HTTPS URL (e.g. https://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io).
You’ll use this as your WEBHOOK_URL in the Docker command below.

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🧱 2. Run n8n in Docker

Now that ngrok is set up, let’s deploy n8n using Docker.

⚠️ Replace the placeholders (<YOUR_EMAIL>, <YOUR_APP_PASSWORD>, <YOUR_NGROK_URL>) with your own values.
Never share real passwords in public repositories or slides.

docker run -it -d --rm \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Africa/Gaborone" \
  -e TZ="Africa/Gaborone" \
  -e N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true \
  -e N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true \
  -e N8N_EMAIL_MODE=smtp \
  -e N8N_SMTP_HOST="smtp.gmail.com" \
  -e N8N_SMTP_PORT=465 \
  -e N8N_SMTP_USER="<YOUR_EMAIL@gmail.com>" \
  -e N8N_SMTP_PASS="<YOUR_APP_PASSWORD>" \
  -e N8N_SMTP_SENDER="YOUR NAME <YOUR_EMAIL@gmail.com>" \
  -e N8N_SMTP_SSL=true \
  -e WEBHOOK_URL="<YOUR_NGROK_URL>" \
  -e N8N_METRICS=true \
  -e QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

This command:

• Runs n8n in Docker
• Connects it to your ngrok public URL
• Sets up email notifications via Gmail SMTP
• Stores persistent data in n8n_data

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🧭 3. Access the n8n Dashboard

Once both services are running:

• Local URL: http://localhost:5678
• Public ngrok URL: Your generated HTTPS link (e.g. https://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io)

You can now log in and start building automations.

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🧹 4. Stop and Clean Up

Stop the container:

docker stop n8n

Remove persistent data (optional):

docker volume rm n8n_data

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✅ Summary

You’ve successfully:

1. Installed and configured ngrok
2. Created a secure tunnel for your local machine
3. Deployed n8n in Docker using that tunnel
4. Gained a live URL for webhook testing and AI/Gemini automations

Now you can integrate n8n with Gemini, GitHub, Google APIs, Slack, and much more!