Workflow Migration Between n8n Instances

The technique for moving hundreds of workflows between n8n instances (e.g. n8n Cloud to self-hosted on Hostinger) using n8n’s own /api/v1 API. Workflow: pull all workflows from source instance, store each workflow’s JSON in a Google Sheet with a ‘to process’ status, loop through unprocessed rows and POST them to the target instance’s API, mark processed. Credentials, users, and execution history do not transfer – only the workflow JSON itself. For cloud-to-local migration, export a zip from the n8n Cloud admin panel instead.

Key points

• Uses n8n’s /api/v1 endpoint with an API key from Settings to n8n API
• Base URL format: https://.app.n8n.cloud/api/v1
• Google Sheet acts as a deduplication log with status (to process / processed)
• Only workflow JSON transfers: name, nodes, connections, settings
• Credentials, users, and execution history do NOT transfer
• For local instances, use n8n Cloud’s admin panel export (zip of JSON files) and import manually
• A reusable template workflow solves this problem in three nodes: get many workflows, store in sheet, create workflow

Related entities

• n8n
• Hostinger VPS

Related concepts

• n8n Self-Hosting

Source references

• ^[src-005] Nate Herk cluster — Nate Herk — n8n cluster (18 videos)

– Videos referenced: t1PTmpas0bg