New user - falling at first hurdle!

Questions
1

Hello
I’ve set up n8n community version on my Hostinger VPS. I am following a beginner’s step by step tutorial and am stuck at the very first stage! The trigger is an n8n form with three field inputs. When I try to test the node, it’s saying it’s listening but no test form appears into which to type some test data. There’s no error message.
I’m accessing n8n via my reverse proxy from Windows 11 Pro using MS Edge browser.
(I have successfully completed the little quickstart “NASA” workflow)
Any ideas or pointers?
TIA.

Information on your n8n setup

  • n8n version: = 1.98.1
  • Database (default: SQLite):
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via Docker
  • Ollama/Ubuntu 24.04 :
2

What is the URL that the form trigger is showing you in the UI?
What is you try to open that URL manually?

3

Helllo
Thanks for the response. The URL looks like this:
http://localhost:5678/form-test/466e10a1-2314-4479-aed8-311a45bd7ade
I do not seem to be able to access it directly.
I haven’t figured out why yet.
Appreciate any help>
TIA.

4

Thanks for the extra info — that helps a lot!

The issue is that the form trigger is showing a URL like:

http://localhost:5678/form-test/466e10a1-2314-4479-aed8-311a45bd7ade

This localhost address only works inside the Docker container — not from your local machine. Since you’re accessing n8n via a domain (through a reverse proxy), you need to tell n8n what its public URL is, so it generates correct webhook and form trigger links.

To fix, set WEBHOOK_URL in your Docker setup

Since you’re using Docker, you should add this environment variable to your Docker container config:

WEBHOOK_URL=https://yourdomain.com

Replace https://yourdomain.com with the actual domain you’re using to access n8n through your browser.

If you’re using Docker Compose, your docker-compose.yml might look like this:

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:1.98.1
    environment:
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://yourdomain.com
      - N8N_HOST=yourdomain.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - ./n8n:/home/node/.n8n

Once you’ve made the change:

  1. Save your Docker config.
  2. Recreate or restart your container with docker-compose up -d (or your usual Docker command).
  3. Go back to your form trigger and test it again.

The new URL should start with https://yourdomain.com/..., and when you open it in your browser, the form should now load correctly.

Let me know if you need help adjusting your Docker setup or if you’re using another method (like Portainer). Happy to help!

5

Thank you so much!
That’s all working fine now. Brilliant.