How I Deployed My Own AI Chatbot with n8n and a Custom Proxy (2025 Case Study)

I built and deployed a secure AI chatbot using n8n, hosted on a private server and connected through a custom reverse proxy. This post breaks down how I set it up, solved major integration bugs, and hardened it with proper security�so you can build your own without wasting weeks debugging.

?? Introduction: Why I Built It

I needed a flexible and private chatbot solution for handling user queries and integrating with automated workflows. Most hosted chatbot services were too restrictive or expensive. So I decided to self-host an AI-powered chatbot using n8n, an open-source automation tool. What seemed like a weekend project� turned into a frustrating multi-week challenge.

?? The Goal

• ?? AI chatbot powered by OpenAI (GPT-4o)
• ?? Chat interface on a custom subdomain
• ?? End-to-end control over security and traffic
• ?? Self-hosted with Docker on a VPS
• ?? Public access only through HTTPS, protected by Basic Auth

??? How I Set It Up

1. VPS and Server Prep

I rented a small VPS, installed Ubuntu, and configured it with:

• SSH key-only login
• Disabled root access
• UFW firewall and Fail2Ban
• Docker + Docker Compose stack

? Tip: Lock down the server before anything else. Bots will start scanning your IP the moment it's live.

2. Running n8n via Docker

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=strongpass
      - N8N_PORT=5678
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/node/.n8n

3. Reverse Proxy with NGINX

location /webhook/chat {
  proxy_pass http://localhost:5678;
  proxy_http_version 1.1;
  proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
  proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
  proxy_set_header Host $host;
  proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}

4. Embedding the Widget

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@n8n/chat@latest"></script>
<n8n-chat
  endpoint="https://your-subdomain.com/webhook/chat"
  title="Ask Me Anything!"
  />

?? What Went Wrong (And Why It Took Weeks)

• ? CORS issues
• ? Auth conflicts
• ? WebSocket timeouts
• ? Cookie errors

? Fixes: I ended up whitelisting /webhook/chat from auth and tuning CORS and cookie policies manually.

?? Final Security Enhancements

• Rate limiting via limit_req
• CSP and Referrer-Policy headers
• Fail2Ban for brute-force attempts
• No ports open except 443/80
• Session cookies with Secure + SameSite=Strict

?? Results

Metric	Value
Latency	~1.2s avg
Widget success	100% stable
Time to build	~3 weeks ??
Monthly cost	< $10 VPS

?? Key Lessons

• WebSockets are fragile�test them early
• CORS will quietly ruin everything if not configured
• Avoid exposing /webhook/ to the public without proper protection
• Start with security, not after launch

? Conclusion

Deploying your own AI chatbot is empowering�but only if you�re ready to dive into server config, CORS debugging, and reverse proxy hell. Now that it�s working, I wouldn�t go back to SaaS chatbots.

?? Want My Configs?

I�m happy to share my sanitized NGINX + Docker templates. Just drop a comment below or message me privately�I'll send them your way.

?? Contact

For help, questions, or custom setup: Contact me at HVTEQ