n8n-nodes-workflow-backup

This is an n8n community node package that provides workflow backup and restore functionality for n8n instances.

Features

• 🔄 Automatic Backup: Backup all or selected n8n workflows to GitHub
• 📥 Easy Restore: Restore workflows from GitHub backups
• 🏷️ Tag-based Filtering: Backup workflows by tags
• ⚡ Conflict Resolution: Handle name conflicts during restore
• 🔒 Safe Defaults: Restore workflows as inactive for safety
• 📅 Scheduled Backups: Perfect for automated daily/weekly backups
• 🔍 Simple Configuration: Just provide GitHub repository and go

Installation

To install this community package, follow these steps:

Option 1: Manual Installation

# Navigate to your n8n installation directory
cd ~/.n8n/nodes

# Install the package
npm install n8n-nodes-workflow-backup

Option 2: Docker Environment

Add to your docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  - N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ENABLED=true

Then run:

npm install n8n-nodes-workflow-backup

Option 3: n8n Cloud

1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes
2. Click Install
3. Enter: n8n-nodes-workflow-backup
4. Click Install

Credentials Setup

1. GitHub Backup API Credentials

1. Go to GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens > Tokens (classic)
2. Click Generate new token
3. Give it a name: n8n-workflow-backup
4. Select scopes: repo (for private repos) or public_repo (for public repos only)
5. Copy the generated token
6. In n8n, create new GitHub Backup API credential and paste the token

2. n8n API Credentials

1. Go to your n8n instance Settings > API
2. Click Create new API key
3. Copy the generated API key
4. In n8n, create new n8n API credential with:
   • API URL: Your n8n instance URL (e.g., https://your-n8n.com or http://localhost:5678)
   • API Key: The copied API key

Nodes

Workflow Backup Node

Backs up workflows from your n8n instance to a GitHub repository.

Parameters:

• GitHub Repository: Repository to store backups (format: username/repo-name)
• Backup Mode:
  • All Workflows: Backup all workflows
  • Active Only: Backup only active workflows
  • By Tags: Backup workflows with specific tags
• Tags: Comma-separated list of tags (when using "By Tags" mode)
• Backup Branch: Target branch for backups (default: n8n-backups)

Workflow Restore Node

Restores workflows from GitHub backup to your n8n instance.

Parameters:

• GitHub Repository: Repository containing backups
• Restore Mode:
  • Latest Backup: Restore from the most recent backup
  • Specific Date: Restore from a backup on specific date
  • Individual Workflows: Restore only selected workflows
• Conflict Resolution:
  • Skip Existing: Skip workflows that already exist
  • Rename New: Create with new name (adds timestamp)
  • Overwrite: Replace existing workflows
• Restore as Inactive: Import workflows in inactive state (recommended)

Usage Examples

Daily Automatic Backup

{
  "name": "Daily Backup",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Every Day at 2 AM",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.cron",
      "parameters": {
        "triggerTimes": {
          "item": [{"hour": 2, "minute": 0}]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Backup Active Workflows",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-workflow-backup.workflowBackup",
      "parameters": {
        "repository": "myuser/n8n-backups",
        "backupMode": "active"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Send Notification",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "parameters": {
        "channel": "#n8n-backups",
        "text": "✅ Daily backup completed: {{$node['Backup Active Workflows'].json.workflowCount}} workflows"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Restore from Backup

{
  "name": "Restore Workflows",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Manual Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger"
    },
    {
      "name": "Restore Latest Backup",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-workflow-backup.workflowRestore",
      "parameters": {
        "repository": "myuser/n8n-backups",
        "restoreMode": "latest",
        "conflictResolution": "skip",
        "restoreInactive": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Backup Structure

The backups are stored in your GitHub repository with this structure:

your-repo/
├── backups/
│   ├── backup-2024-01-15.json     # Complete backup with metadata
│   ├── backup-2024-01-16.json
│   └── ...
└── workflows/
    ├── My_Workflow_1-123.json     # Individual workflow files
    ├── Another_Workflow-456.json
    └── ...

Security Considerations

• Credentials: The backup process automatically removes sensitive credential data
• Private Repositories: Use private GitHub repositories for sensitive workflows
• API Keys: Store GitHub tokens and n8n API keys securely in n8n credentials
• Restore Safety: Workflows are restored as inactive by default to prevent accidental execution

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Repository not found" error:

• Verify the repository name format: username/repo-name
• Ensure your GitHub token has access to the repository
• Check if the repository exists

"API key invalid" error:

• Verify your n8n API key is correct
• Check if the n8n instance URL is accessible
• Ensure the API key has sufficient permissions

"No backup files found" error:

• Check if backups exist in the backups/ folder of your repository
• Verify you're using the correct branch name
• Ensure the backup files follow the naming pattern: backup-YYYY-MM-DD.json

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• 🐛 Report bugs
• 💡 Request features
• 📖 Documentation

Changelog

v1.0.0

• Initial release
• Backup workflows to GitHub
• Restore workflows from GitHub
• Support for tag-based filtering
• Conflict resolution during restore
• Automatic credential sanitization