n8n-nodes-contabo

📋 Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Authentication
• Resources & Operations
  • Instance
  • Snapshot
  • Image
  • Object Storage
  • Private Network
  • Firewall
  • Secret
  • Tag
  • VNC
• Usage Examples
• Troubleshooting
• License

✨ Features

• 9 Resources — Instances, Snapshots, Images, Object Storage, Private Networks, Firewalls, Secrets, Tags, VNC
• 50+ Operations — Complete CRUD coverage for all resources
• Auto-authentication — Token fetched and cached automatically per execution
• Pagination — Automatically handles paginated responses for list operations
• Expression Support — All ID fields support n8n expressions ({{ $json.instanceId }})
• Dynamic Dropdowns — Instances, Images, Secrets, Tags, Object Storages, Private Networks, and Firewalls all load dynamically from your account
• AI Tool Ready — Node is marked usableAsTool: true for use in AI agent workflows

📦 Installation

In n8n Cloud or Self-hosted n8n

1. Go to Settings → Community Nodes
2. Click Install
3. Enter: n8n-nodes-contabo-anub
4. Click Install
5. Restart n8n if prompted

Via npm (self-hosted)

npm install n8n-nodes-contabo-anub

🔑 Authentication

This node uses Contabo's OAuth2 password flow. You'll need 4 credentials from the Contabo Customer Control Panel:

How to get your credentials:

1. Log in to my.contabo.com
2. Navigate to API → API Details
3. Copy your Client ID and Client Secret
4. Set your API Password on the same page

Note: The API Password is separate from your Contabo login password. You set it specifically for API access.

🗂️ Resources & Operations

Instance

Manage your Contabo Cloud VPS and VDS servers.

Parameters for Create:

• Product ID (VPS/VDS plan)
• Image (OS)
• Region
• Optional: Display Name, Root Password, Default User, SSH Keys, User Data (cloud-init)

Parameters for Action:

• Instance ID
• Action Name (start / stop / restart / shutdown / rescue / resetPassword)
• Root Password (only for rescue and resetPassword)

Snapshot

Create and manage snapshots of your instances.

Image

Manage OS images (standard and custom).

Object Storage

Manage your S3-compatible object storage.

Tip: Object Storage provides S3-compatible storage. Use it with the AWS S3 node in n8n for file operations using the credentials from your Contabo Control Panel.

Private Network

Manage private networks (VPC) between your instances.

Note: Adding an instance to a private network requires a reinstallation of the instance.

Firewall

Manage firewall rules for your instances.

Secret

Store and manage passwords and SSH keys.

Secret Types:

• password — Store a password
• ssh — Store an SSH public key

Tag

Organize your resources with tags.

VNC

Access VNC console details for an instance.

💡 Usage Examples

Example 1: Stop a Running Instance

[Contabo - Get Many Instances]
        ↓ (filter: status = running)
[Contabo - Action: Stop]
   Resource:   Instance
   Operation:  Action
   Instance:   {{ $json.instanceId }}
   Action:     Stop

Example 2: Create a Daily Snapshot

[Schedule Trigger - Daily at 2 AM]
        ↓
[Contabo - Get Many Instances]
        ↓
[Contabo - Create Snapshot]
   Resource:        Snapshot
   Operation:       Create
   Instance:        {{ $json.instanceId }}
   Snapshot Name:   {{ "backup-" + $json.displayName + "-" + $now.format("yyyy-MM-dd") }}

Example 3: Start Instance → Wait → Check Status

[Contabo - Action: Start]
        ↓
[Wait - 30 seconds]
        ↓
[Contabo - Get Instance]
   → Check {{ $json.status }} === "running"

Example 4: Rollback to Snapshot on Failure

[Monitor Node]  →  [If: status = error]
                              ↓
               [Contabo - Rollback Snapshot]
                  Instance:   {{ $json.instanceId }}
                  Snapshot:   {{ $json.lastGoodSnapshotId }}

Expression Reference

When chaining nodes, use these expressions to pass data:

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Could not get parameter" error

This happens when a required field is empty. Make sure:

• Instance Name or ID is filled when performing actions on instances
• You're using {{ $json.instanceId }} (not $json.name) in the Instance field
• The expression mode (= button) is enabled for the field

Instance Name or ID field not visible

• Confirm Resource = Instance and Operation = Action (or Get, Update, etc.)
• The Instance field does not appear for Create or Get Many operations (not needed)

Authentication fails

• Double-check all 4 credentials: Client ID, Client Secret, API User (email), API Password
• The API Password is different from your login password — set it at my.contabo.com/api/details
• Make sure your API user has the required permissions in the Customer Control Panel

Node not found after installation

1. Make sure you installed n8n-nodes-contabo-anub (not another package)
2. Restart n8n after installation
3. Check Settings → Community Nodes to confirm it's listed

Custom Request ID

The Custom Request ID field is optional. Leave it blank — a UUID will be generated automatically for each request. Only set it manually if you need to track specific requests in Contabo support logs.

📄 License

MIT

🙏 Credits

Built with the n8n Node Starter.
Uses the Contabo API — see the official API documentation.