{"id":11911,"date":"2026-06-24T12:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/?p=11911"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:19:16","slug":"how-to-migrate-n8n-from-n8n-cloud-to-a-hostinger-vps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/how-to-migrate-n8n-from-n8n-cloud-to-a-hostinger-vps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to migrate n8n from n8n Cloud to a Hostinger VPS"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article explains how to migrate your workflows from the hosted n8n Cloud to a self-managed instance on a Hostinger VPS. By moving to a VPS, you gain direct access to your file system, command-line interface, and database, giving you full control over your n8n environment.<\/p>

Before you start<\/h2>

Migrating from n8n Cloud to a self-managed VPS has important limitations compared to migrating between two self-managed instances. Review these differences before proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Feature<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

n8n Cloud<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Self-managed VPS<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

CLI access<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Not available<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Available via docker exec<\/code><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Workflow export<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Browser UI only<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

CLI or browser UI<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Credential export<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Browser UI only (encrypted with hidden key)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

CLI with optional --decrypted<\/code> flag<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Encryption key access<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Managed by n8n, not user-accessible<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Set via N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY<\/code> environment variable<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Database access<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Not user-accessible<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Directly accessible (SQLite or PostgreSQL)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Volume copy<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Not applicable<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Supported between Hostinger VPS instances<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>

Because n8n Cloud encrypts exported credentials with a key you do not have access to, you cannot import them directly into a self-managed VPS. You must recreate all credentials manually after the migration.<\/p>

Export workflows from n8n Cloud<\/h2>

Download your existing workflows from the n8n Cloud browser interface.<\/p>

    \n
  1. Log in to your n8n Cloud dashboard.<\/li>\n
  2. Navigate to Settings<\/strong> ❯ Import\/Export<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. Select the export option to download all workflows.<\/li>\n
  4. Save the generated workflows.json<\/code> file to your local computer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    Document your credentials<\/h2>

    Since n8n Cloud credentials cannot be imported directly into a self-managed instance, you must record them manually before decommissioning your Cloud environment.<\/p>

      \n
    1. In your n8n Cloud dashboard, navigate to Settings<\/strong> ❯ Credentials<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. Review all active connections.<\/li>\n
    3. Manually record the API keys, passwords, and authentication details for each connected service. Keep this information secure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

      Import workflows to your Hostinger VPS<\/h2>

      Once your n8n instance is running on your Hostinger VPS, import your saved workflows.<\/p>

        \n
      1. Log in to hPanel and navigate to VPS<\/strong> ❯ Docker Manager<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      2. Locate your n8n project, and click Open<\/strong> to access the n8n interface.<\/li>\n
      3. Navigate to three dots in the upper right, click to show more options and scroll down to Import from file<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      4. Upload the workflows.json<\/code> file you exported from n8n Cloud.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

        Reconnect credentials and environment variables<\/h2>

        After importing your workflows, recreate and link all credentials to your workflows.<\/p>

          \n
        1. In the n8n interface, navigate to Credentials<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        2. Add and configure each credential using the details you recorded earlier.<\/li>\n
        3. Open each imported workflow and select the connection nodes that require credentials.<\/li>\n
        4. Choose the newly created credential from the dropdown menu for each node.<\/li>\n
        5. If any workflows rely on system-level environment variables, add them via VPS<\/strong> ❯ Docker Manager<\/strong> ❯ Manage<\/strong> ❯ Environment variables<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

          Test the migration<\/h2>

          Test your imported workflows to confirm they function correctly in the new environment.<\/p>

            \n
          1. Open a workflow and click Execute workflow<\/strong> to trigger a manual test run.<\/li>\n
          2. Check the execution output of each node for errors. Webhook URLs will likely point to your old n8n Cloud domain – update the target URLs in your connected third-party services to match your new Hostinger VPS IP address or domain.<\/li>\n
          3. After confirming the execution log shows a success state for all nodes, set the workflow toggle to Active<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

            NOTE<\/strong><\/p>