Automation

Overview

The Automation module integrates the n8n workflow engine into Energy Logserver. When enabled, an Automation entry appears in the sidebar under Tools, opening the n8n interface in a new browser tab.

Automation is an opt-in feature — it is disabled by default and requires a separately installed n8n instance.

Prerequisites

  • n8n must be installed and running as a standalone service

  • The n8n instance must be network-reachable from the Energy Logserver Console server

  • The Automation plugin must be enabled in System Configuration > Plugins Management

Configuration

All Automation settings are stored in the Energy Logserver Console configuration file:

/etc/logserver-gui/logserver-gui.yml

Parameter

Type

Default

Description

automation.enabled

boolean

false

Enable or disable the Automation module

automation.host

string

https://127.0.0.1:5678

URL of the n8n instance

automation.user

string

logserver@energylogserver.com

n8n login username for SSO proxy authentication

automation.password

string

logserver

n8n login password for SSO proxy authentication

Example configuration:

automation:
  enabled: true
  host: "https://127.0.0.1:5678"
  user: "logserver@energylogserver.com"
  password: "logserver"

After changing the configuration, restart the Console service:

systemctl restart logserver-gui

Authentication Flow

The Automation module uses single sign-on (SSO) to provide seamless access to n8n:

  • Admin role users: Automatically authenticated — the Console server proxies credentials to the n8n /rest/login endpoint on behalf of the user, so no separate n8n login is required.

  • Other roles: Presented with the standard n8n login page and must authenticate manually with valid n8n credentials.

Note

The SSO proxy uses the automation.user and automation.password credentials configured above. These must match a valid n8n user account.

Accessing Automation

  1. Navigate to the sidebar and expand the Tools section

  2. Click Automation

  3. The n8n interface opens in a new browser tab

n8n Concepts Overview

n8n is a workflow automation platform. Key concepts:

  • Workflow — A sequence of connected nodes that defines an automation process. Workflows can be activated to run automatically or executed manually.

  • Node — An individual step in a workflow. Nodes fall into three categories:

    • Trigger nodes — Start a workflow based on an event (schedule, webhook, new data)

    • Regular nodes — Perform actions (read/write data, transform, send notifications)

    • Core nodes — Control flow logic (IF conditions, Switch, Merge, loops)

  • Connection — Links between nodes that define data flow

  • Credentials — Stored authentication details for external services used by nodes

  • Execution — A single run of a workflow, with logs of input/output at each node

For detailed n8n documentation including the full node reference, expression syntax, and workflow examples, see the official n8n documentation.

Service Management

The n8n service can be managed with standard systemd commands:

systemctl start automation
systemctl stop automation
systemctl status automation
systemctl enable automation   # start on boot