How to Install n8n Free on Oracle Cloud and Keep It Running 24/7

Oracle Always Free

Your own n8n, running around the clock, without being stuck on platform limits

If the goal is getting started with AI automation without burning cash right away, this setup is still one of the best shortcuts I know. As of July 2026 it's still solid, comes up fast, and gives you a real environment to test webhooks, Telegram, GPT, Google Sheets, and whatever else you want to plug in.

n8n Oracle Cloud Docker 24/7

If you’re just getting started with automation, or you’re already a dev and want an unlimited Zapier/Make running on your own infrastructure without spending a single dollar a month, this step-by-step guide is for you.

I use this type of stack daily. It was with a similar foundation that I built a Telegram bot to convert text to LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) for my son in under 10 minutes. The best part is simple: it runs 24/7, handles a fair amount on Oracle’s Always Free tier, and doesn’t lock you behind execution limits.

Why Oracle Cloud + n8n Is Such a Great Deal

• Oracle’s Always Free tier still delivers up to 4 OCPU and 24 GB RAM in the Ampere A1 shape.
• n8n is open-source, low-code, and very strong for AI integrations.
• You get a real production environment to test workflows, webhooks, queues, bots, integrations with GPT, Telegram, Google Sheets, and beyond.
• For anyone studying automation, backend, or applied AI, this becomes a real portfolio piece and great interview material.

In practice, you can have everything running in about 20 to 30 minutes.

1. Create Your Oracle Cloud Account

Go to oracle.com/cloud/free, click Start for free, and follow the sign-up.

You’ll need:

• a valid email
• to fill in your details
• to register a credit or debit card for verification

The card is only for account validation on the free tier. The goal here remains using the Always Free plan.

2. Create the Free VM

In the Oracle console, go to Compute -> Instances -> Create Instance.

Use something along these lines:

• Name: n8n-server
• Image: Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 24.04
• Shape: VM.Standard.A1.Flex
• OCPU: 2 or 4
• Memory: 12 GB or 24 GB
• Networking: leave the default VCN
• SSH Keys: generate a new key or paste your public key

Once the VM status shows Running, save the Public IP.

If the Ampere A1 shape doesn’t appear for you, it’s usually a region availability issue.

3. Open Port 5678

This step matters — without it, n8n runs but you can’t access it externally.

In the side menu:

Networking -> Virtual Cloud Networks -> your VCN -> Security Lists -> Default Security List

Add an ingress rule with these values:

• Stateless: unchecked
• IP Protocol: TCP
• Source CIDR: 0.0.0.0/0
• Destination Port Range: 5678

SSH port 22 is usually already open by default.

4. SSH Into the VM

ssh -i path/to/your-private-key ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

If you generated the key on Windows with PuTTY or another client, use the format it expects. The key here is logging in as the ubuntu user.

5. Install Docker and Docker Compose

Run these commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

If newgrp docker doesn’t take effect in your session, log out and back in.

6. Deploy n8n with Docker Compose

Create a project folder:

mkdir ~/n8n
cd ~/n8n

Now create a docker-compose.yml file with this content:

version: "3.8"

services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/Sao_Paulo
      - TZ=America/Sao_Paulo
      - N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true
      - N8N_HOST=0.0.0.0
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=http
      - WEBHOOK_URL=http://YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:5678/
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

Replace YOUR_PUBLIC_IP with the VM’s actual IP.

Then bring up the container:

docker compose up -d

Done. If everything went well, n8n is running with data persistence on the n8n_data volume.

7. Access It in Your Browser

Open:

http://YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:5678

On the first visit, n8n will ask you to create an admin user. Once that’s done, installation is complete.

You now have a full, self-hosted, free n8n instance.

Webhook Headache-Saving Tip

Always configure the WEBHOOK_URL variable with your VM’s exact IP or with your final domain, if you have one.

Without this, some webhooks will fail or generate incorrect URLs.

Want It to Look More Professional?

Not required right now, but worth it later:

• add a domain
• put Nginx in front
• enable HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
• or use Cloudflare Tunnel to simplify public exposure

To get started, honestly, IP + port 5678 already covers most use cases.

What You Can Do With This Today

• Telegram bot with AI auto-responding
• Lead capture synced with Notion or Google Sheets
• Price monitoring with WhatsApp alerts
• Weekly report generated with GPT and sent via email

This is exactly the path I took to start using n8n as part of my AI Engineering stack.

If you wanted a cheap way to have your own automation in the cloud, this is still one of the strongest setups to go from zero without getting locked into a monthly plan.