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Nightly n8n backup to Google Drive

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Created by: Jeyson Orozco || jeyson-orozco

Jeyson Orozco

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Last update 13 days ago

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Description

This template creates a nightly backup of all n8n workflows and saves them to a Google Drive folder. Each night, the previous night's backups are moved to an “n8n_old” folder and renamed with the corresponding date.

Backups older than a specified age are automatically deleted using a precise code-based verification (this feature is active for 30 days by default, but is fully configurable).

What's New in v5

  • Modernized Loops: Replaced the legacy "Split In Batches" node with the newer and more efficient "Loop Over Items" node.
  • Smart Purge Logic: Now uses a Code node with Javascript (you can delete) to accurately calculate file age before deletion, ensuring only files strictly older than 30 days are removed.
  • Safety Checks: Implemented logic to verify if the "n8n_old" folder exists before attempting any purge operations to prevent errors.
  • Auto-Healing: The system now automatically creates the n8n_backups and n8n_old folders if they are missing.

Prerequisites

  • Google Drive account and credentials: Get from the following link. Link
  • n8n version: Recommended v1.70.1 up to v2.1.4 or higher (Required for "Loop Over Items" compatibility).
  • n8n API Key: Guide from the following link. Link (Required for the "Get many workflows" node).
  • Destination folders (Optional, as the script can now create them, but good to have):
  • “n8n_old”
  • “n8n_backups”

Configuration

  1. Google Drive: Update all Google Drive nodes with your OAuth2 credentials.
  2. n8n Connection: Open the "Get many workflows" node (formerly just "n8n") and select your n8n account credential (API Key).
  3. Schedule: Edit the Schedule Trigger node with the desired time to run the backup.

If you want to configure the auto-purge (delete old backups):

  1. The deletion logic is now handled in the "you can delete" Code node. You can edit the variable const THIRTY_DAYS_IN_MS in the code if you wish to change the 30-day limit.
  2. Enable the “PURGE DAYS” trigger and the subsequent nodes to activate this feature.
  3. Enable the workflow to run on the specified schedule.

Last updated

December 2025