Fix n8n 'Connection Lost' and Webhook URLs Behind a Proxy

Description and use

After setting N8N_WEBHOOK_URL and configuring the proxy for WebSocket support, webhooks are publicly reachable and the editor maintains a live connection.

Problem

n8n behind a reverse proxy shows a "Connection lost" badge and generates webhook URLs with localhost or internal port, preventing external access.

Outcome

After setting N8N_WEBHOOK_URL and configuring the proxy for WebSocket support, webhook URLs are publicly reachable and the editor maintains a live connection.

Workflow

• 1. Add environment variables to docker‑compose: N8N_HOST, N8N_PROTOCOL, N8N_WEBHOOK_URL, N8N_PROXY_HOPS=1.
• 2. Recreate the container with docker compose up -d to apply env vars.
• 3. Configure the reverse proxy to allow WebSocket upgrades (Upgrade and Connection headers) and preserve the Host header (e.g., enable Websockets Support in Nginx Proxy Manager).
• 4. Verify webhook URLs in a Webhook node start with the public domain and contain no :5678 port.
• 5. Confirm the editor no longer shows "Connection lost" and live executions update.

Evidence

Webhook URLs now read https://n8n.example.com/webhook/… , with no port.

Source

"Connection lost" in the editor: the proxy has to pass WebSocket upgrades (Upgrade and Connection headers over HTTP/1.1) and keep the original Host.

Source