docker compose setup for running n8n with FFmpeg and Docker CLI baked into the image. Caddy sits in front for automatic HTTPS. the whole stack auto-starts on boot via systemd.

docker compose up -d

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what it does

extends the official n8n Alpine image with two packages:

• FFmpeg — so n8n workflows can transcode, convert, and manipulate audio/video via execute command nodes
• docker-cli — so n8n workflows can control the host Docker daemon through the mounted socket

the node user (n8n's runtime user) gets added to the docker group for socket access without root.

the stack

two containers on a shared compose network:

service	image	role
n8n	custom build from Dockerfile	workflow engine on port 5678, FFmpeg + Docker CLI available
caddy	caddy:latest	TLS-terminating reverse proxy on 80/443, auto Let's Encrypt certs

volumes

volume	type	what it stores
n8n_data	external, named	workflows, credentials, execution history (/home/node/.n8n)
caddy_data	external, named	TLS certificates and ACME state
./local_files	bind mount	shared file staging area at /files — drop media in, FFmpeg outputs land here
/var/run/docker.sock	bind mount	host Docker socket, gives n8n container control over host daemon

both named volumes are external: true — you need to create them before first run. this is intentional to prevent accidental data loss from docker compose down -v.

setup

1. create volumes

docker volume create n8n_data
docker volume create caddy_data

2. configure environment

edit .env or set values directly in docker-compose.yml:

N8N_HOST=n8n.local
N8N_PORT=5678
N8N_PROTOCOL=https
NODE_ENV=production
WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.local/
GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/New_York

replace n8n.local with your actual domain or add it to /etc/hosts.

3. add a Caddyfile

create caddy_config/Caddyfile to proxy traffic to n8n:

n8n.local {
    reverse_proxy n8n:5678
}

4. run

docker compose up -d

n8n is at https://n8n.local. direct access also available at http://localhost:5678.

auto-start on boot

create a systemd unit at /etc/systemd/system/docker-compose.service:

[Unit]
Description=Docker Compose Service
After=network.target docker.service
Requires=docker.service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/your/n8n-ffmpeg-stack
ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker compose build --no-cache
ExecStartPost=/usr/bin/docker compose up -d
RemainAfterExit=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

then enable it:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker-compose.service

rebuilds the image fresh and starts the stack on every boot.

example workflow

drop a video into local_files/, then use an n8n execute command node:

ffmpeg -i /files/input-video.mp4 -q:a 0 -map a /files/output-audio.mp3

the output lands in local_files/ on the host. n8n can then continue the workflow — upload to cloud storage, send a notification, call an API, whatever.

security note

the Docker socket mount gives the n8n container root-equivalent access to the host. don't expose this to untrusted users or the open internet without additional safeguards.

license

MIT