Maintaining data continuity in workflow automation platform

Other Questions N8n
1

I’m trying to set up a workflow automation tool using Docker on a cloud service with Jelastic. Everything’s working fine, but I’m having trouble with data persistence. Every time I restart the container, all my workflows and login info disappear. I’ve set up a volume in the environment, just like on my local setup where it works fine, but no luck here.

I’m pretty tech-savvy, but this is pushing my limits. Any ideas on how to keep my data safe between restarts? I really need help figuring this out!

Here’s a basic example of what I’m dealing with:

docker run -d \
  --name my-workflow-app \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v workflow-data:/home/node/.n8n \
  workflowautomation/app:latest

But even with this volume mapping, my data isn’t sticking around. What am I missing?

2

hey mate, sounds like a real headache. have u checked if the volume’s actually mounted inside the container? try running ‘docker exec -it my-workflow-app ls /home/node/.n8n’ to see if ur data’s there. if not, maybe the path in the container is different? also, double-check ur jelastic config to make sure the volume’s set up right on their end. good luck!

3

Have you considered using a cloud-native storage solution instead of relying on Docker volumes? In my experience, platforms like Jelastic often have their own persistent storage options that integrate more seamlessly with their architecture. For instance, you might want to look into Jelastic’s Mounted Storage feature. It’s designed specifically for scenarios like yours where data persistence is crucial across container restarts or redeployments.

Another approach worth exploring is using environment variables to specify the data directory path. This can sometimes resolve issues where the container and host paths don’t align correctly. You could try something like:

docker run -d --name my-workflow-app -p 5678:5678 -e DATA_FOLDER=/path/to/persistent/storage workflowautomation/app:latest

Remember to adjust the path according to Jelastic’s storage structure. If these don’t work, it might be worth reaching out to Jelastic support directly. They often have platform-specific best practices for handling data persistence in containerized environments.

4

I’ve encountered similar issues with data persistence in cloud environments. One thing that helped me was explicitly setting the data directory when starting the container. Try modifying your Docker run command like this:

docker run -d \
  --name my-workflow-app \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v workflow-data:/data \
  -e N8N_DATA_FOLDER=/data \
  workflowautomation/app:latest

This ensures the app knows where to store its data. Also, check if Jelastic has any specific requirements for persistent storage. Some cloud providers need additional configuration to properly link volumes to containers.

If that doesn’t work, you might want to look into using a database service for storing your workflows and user data instead of relying on local file storage. It’s a bit more complex to set up, but it can be more reliable in cloud environments.