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🎓 Zero to Hero: n8n Engineer

From zero to expert in n8n implementation and deployment

🎯 What Will You Learn?

This course teaches you how to implement, configure, and deploy n8n professionally. This is NOT a course on how to use n8n (that's ZTH: n8n Developer), but rather how to be the engineer who installs and maintains it.

By the end you'll know:

✅ What Docker is and why it's fundamental ✅ How Docker Compose works ✅ The internal architecture of n8n ✅ Why n8n needs Redis and PostgreSQL ✅ Configure n8n locally for development ✅ Deploy n8n to production (VPS) ✅ Configure SSL/HTTPS ✅ Implement automatic CI/CD ✅ Monitor and maintain n8n in production ✅ Troubleshoot common problems ✅ Backups and disaster recovery

📚 Course Structure

🟢 Beginner Level (Foundations)

Lesson 1: Fundamentals - What is n8n?

  • What n8n is and what it's used for
  • Real-world use cases
  • General architecture
  • Difference between using vs implementing
  • 📖 Duration: 30 minutes

Lesson 2: Docker From Scratch

  • What is a container?
  • Why Docker?
  • Images vs Containers
  • Your first container
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour
  • 🧪 Practice: Run your first container

Lesson 3: Docker Compose

  • The multi-container problem
  • docker-compose.yml syntax
  • Networks and volumes
  • Essential commands
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour
  • 🧪 Practice: Multi-container stack

Lesson 4: Environment Variables

  • What are they and why do they exist?
  • .env files
  • Secrets and security
  • Local vs Production
  • 📖 Duration: 30 minutes
  • 🧪 Practice: Configure .env

🟡 Intermediate Level (Implementation)

Lesson 5: n8n Architecture

  • n8n components
  • The threading problem
  • Queue Mode explained
  • Complete diagram
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour

Lesson 6: PostgreSQL for n8n

  • Why a database?
  • PostgreSQL vs SQLite vs MySQL
  • Configuration for n8n
  • PostgreSQL backups
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour
  • 🧪 Practice: Connect n8n to PostgreSQL

Lesson 7: Redis and Queue Mode

  • What is Redis?
  • Job queues
  • Workers explained
  • Horizontal scaling
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour
  • 🧪 Practice: Configure Queue Mode

Lesson 8: Complete Local Setup

  • Local architecture
  • docker-compose.local.yml
  • Debugging and logs
  • Common troubleshooting
  • 📖 Duration: 2 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: n8n running locally

🔴 Advanced Level (Production)

Lesson 9: Production Preparation

  • Local vs production differences
  • Server requirements
  • VPS providers
  • Estimated costs
  • Security checklist
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour

Lesson 10: Production Deployment

  • Configure server (VPS)
  • docker-compose.prod.yml
  • Security configuration
  • First steps in production
  • 📖 Duration: 2 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: n8n in production

Lesson 11: Nginx and HTTPS

  • What is a reverse proxy?
  • Configure Nginx
  • SSL with Let's Encrypt
  • Automatic renewal
  • 📖 Duration: 1.5 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: HTTPS working

Lesson 12: CI/CD with GitHub Actions

  • What is CI/CD?
  • GitHub Actions explained
  • Automatic deployment
  • Rollback strategies
  • 📖 Duration: 2 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: Push to deploy

🟣 Expert Level (Operations)

Lesson 13: Monitoring and Logs

  • Docker logs
  • Monitoring with Docker stats
  • Basic alerts
  • Health checks
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour
  • 🧪 Practice: Monitoring dashboard

Lesson 14: Backups and Recovery

  • Backup strategies
  • Automatic backups
  • Disaster recovery
  • Backup testing
  • 📖 Duration: 1.5 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: Backup plan

Lesson 15: Scaling and Performance

  • Scale workers
  • PostgreSQL optimization
  • Redis tuning
  • Load testing
  • 📖 Duration: 2 hours
  • 🧪 Practice: Scale n8n

Lesson 16: Advanced Troubleshooting

  • Common problems
  • Deep debugging
  • Log analysis
  • Performance issues
  • 📖 Duration: 1 hour

🏆 Final Project

Project: Complete Professional Deployment

  • Setup from scratch
  • Production with HTTPS
  • Configured CI/CD
  • Active monitoring
  • Complete documentation
  • 📖 Duration: 4-6 hours

🗺️ Learning Roadmap

Path 1: Fast (2-3 intensive days)

Day 1: Lessons 1-4 (Foundations)
Day 2: Lessons 5-8 (Implementation)
Day 3: Lessons 9-12 (Production)

Path 2: Paced (2 weeks, 1-2 hours/day)

Week 1: Foundations + Implementation
Week 2: Production + Operations

Path 3: Deep (1 month, extensive practice)

Week 1: Lessons 1-4 + exercises
Week 2: Lessons 5-8 + intermediate project
Week 3: Lessons 9-12 + real deployment
Week 4: Lessons 13-16 + final project

📦 Prerequisites

Knowledge

  • Basic terminal/command line usage
  • Basic networking concepts (IP, ports, DNS)
  • (Optional) Linux experience

Required Software

  • Docker Desktop installed
  • Code editor (VS Code recommended)
  • Git installed
  • Terminal (bash/zsh)

Resources

  • GitHub account
  • (For production) VPS or server
  • (Optional) Own domain

🎯 How to Use This Course

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-user/ZTH-n8n-Engineer.git
cd ZTH-n8n-Engineer

2. Follow Lessons in Order

cd lessons/01-foundations
# Read README.md
# Do practical exercises

3. Do the Exercises

Each lesson has a practice/ folder with exercises.

4. Final Project

After completing all lessons, complete the final project.

📂 Repository Structure

ZTH-n8n-Engineer/
├── README.md                    # This file
├── lessons/                     # All lessons
│   ├── 01-foundations/
│   │   ├── README.md           # Lesson theory
│   │   ├── practice/           # Practical exercises
│   │   └── resources/          # Additional files
│   ├── 02-docker-basics/
│   ├── 03-docker-compose/
│   └── ...
├── resources/                   # Shared resources
│   ├── diagrams/               # Diagrams and graphics
│   ├── scripts/                # Useful scripts
│   ├── templates/              # Reusable templates
│   └── cheatsheets/            # Quick reference sheets
├── projects/                    # Practical projects
│   ├── final-project/          # Course final project
│   └── mini-projects/          # Mini projects per module
└── solutions/                   # Solutions to exercises
    └── (hidden until you finish)

🎓 Teaching Methodology

Each lesson follows this structure:

1. 🎯 Objectives

What you'll learn in this lesson.

2. 📖 Theory

Concepts explained with:

  • Real-world analogies
  • Visual diagrams
  • Practical examples
  • Before/after comparisons

3. 🧪 Guided Practice

Step-by-step exercises where:

  • I explain WHAT you're doing
  • I explain WHY you're doing it
  • I show the expected result

4. 💪 Independent Exercises

Challenges for you to practice on your own.

5. ✅ Checklist

Verify you understood everything before continuing.

6. 🔗 Additional Resources

Links, videos, documentation to go deeper.

🏅 Certification (Informal)

Upon completing the course and final project:

  1. You'll have a portfolio on GitHub
  2. n8n running in production
  3. Demonstrable knowledge
  4. You can add to your CV: "n8n Infrastructure Engineer"

🤝 Contributions

This is an open course. If you find:

  • Errors
  • Improvements
  • Additional topics

Open an issue or PR!

📞 Support

  • Issues: For bugs or technical questions
  • Discussions: For general questions
  • Discord: [Community link] (coming soon)

📄 License

MIT License - Use it, modify it, share it.

🚀 Let's Get Started!

# Next step:
cd lessons/01-foundations
cat README.md

See you in lesson 1! 🎉

🗺️ Related Courses

  • ZTH: n8n Developer (coming soon) - How to USE n8n to create automations
  • ZTH: n8n Advanced (coming soon) - Custom nodes, advanced integrations
  • ZTH: Docker Mastery - Deep dive into Docker and Kubernetes

Created with ❤️ for the n8n community

Last updated: November 2024

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Zero To Hero: n8n Engineer - Complete course from basics to production deployment

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