Back up Linux Servers with Borg over SSH | n8n Workflow

Back up your Linux servers automatically with Borg over SSH—configured via an n8n form

This n8n workflow collects Borg Backup settings from an n8n Form, stores them in an n8n Data Table, and then runs scheduled SSH tasks to install Borg, set up restricted SSH access, and create/prune backups from a chosen source directory to a remote destination repository.

What this workflow does

• Captures backup configuration: Receives source path, destination repository path, an encryption choice, and remote SSH details from an n8n Form trigger.
• Normalizes and saves settings: Normalizes parameters (including mode, port, and whether encryption is enabled) and writes the configuration to an n8n Data Table.
• Prepares encryption (if enabled): Saves or removes the Borg passphrase file on the source server over SSH depending on your encryption setting.
• Runs on schedule: Loads the saved configuration, then connects to both the source and destination servers over SSH.
• Bootstraps Borg securely: Ensures Borg is installed, generates a dedicated SSH key on the source, and creates a restricted borg_backup user on the destination with a forced borg serve command.
• Initializes and performs backups: Initializes the remote repository if needed, then creates backups as versioned archives or as a single “latest” archive—followed by pruning of older archives when applicable.
• Transfers backups via SSH: Writes the backup to the destination server over SSH.

Use cases

• Small teams running server backups without building a custom orchestration system.
• SaaS operators needing repeatable, form-driven Borg Backup deployments across environments.
• Automation engineers standardizing SSH-restricted backup access for safer repository writes.

Technical details

• Form + Data Table: Form Trigger to capture settings; Data Table to persist configuration.
• SSH automation: Uses SSH connections to install Borg, manage keys, and run backup/initialization commands.
• Nodes in workflow: if, ssh, code, data table, plus support nodes like sticky note for clarity.
• Setup requirement: Create n8n SSH credentials for both hosts (private key auth) with users that have passwordless sudo on each machine.