Cannot access the ALB URL for N8N, but my ECS Service is running fine, reaching steady state without issues

Question

Fellows, I'm trying to deploy and configure [N8N](https://n8n.io/) in my AWS account. Now, I'm facing two challenges since but it was somehow tricky to run and configure its Docker image. However, I'll focus on the greatest one, I can reach the website via its IP:

![Preview IP](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IM3DmalO9JT8evULcSvWj1IA)

However, I cannot reach it by the domain I configured that is linked to my Application Load Balancer via the Route 53:

![Preview 2](/media/postImages/original/IMcfLppB5SRn2DiVF608RB2g)

![route 53](/media/postImages/original/IMFYPW6lnPRK-eb1NcsqI2yg)

And I know the domain is working fine since I got issued a certificate:

![certificate](/media/postImages/original/IMy_adMEUbSFGmiZNbpo3_Gg)

This is the Task Definition JSON, you will need an EFS to configure it:

```json
{
    "family": "n8n",
    "containerDefinitions": [
        {
            "name": "n8n",
            "image": "n8nio/n8n:latest",
            "cpu": 0,
            "portMappings": [
                {
                    "name": "n8n-80-tcp",
                    "containerPort": 80,
                    "hostPort": 80,
                    "protocol": "tcp",
                    "appProtocol": "http"
                },
                {
                    "name": "n8n-5678-tcp",
                    "containerPort": 5678,
                    "hostPort": 5678,
                    "protocol": "tcp"
                },
                {
                    "name": "n8n-443-tcp",
                    "containerPort": 443,
                    "hostPort": 443,
                    "protocol": "tcp"
                }
            ],
            "essential": true,
            "environment": [],
            "environmentFiles": [],
            "mountPoints": [
                {
                    "sourceVolume": "n8n_data",
                    "containerPath": "/data",
                    "readOnly": false
                }
            ],
            "volumesFrom": [],
            "ulimits": [],
            "logConfiguration": {
                "logDriver": "awslogs",
                "options": {
                    "awslogs-create-group": "true",
                    "awslogs-group": "/ecs/n8n",
                    "awslogs-region": "eu-west-1",
                    "awslogs-stream-prefix": "ecs"
                },
                "secretOptions": []
            },
            "systemControls": []
        }
    ],
    "taskRoleArn": "arn:aws:iam::YOUR_ID:role/ecsTaskExecutionRole",
    "executionRoleArn": "arn:aws:iam::YOUR_ID:role/ecsTaskExecutionRole",
    "networkMode": "awsvpc",
    "volumes": [
        {
            "name": "n8n_data",
            "efsVolumeConfiguration": {
                "fileSystemId": "fs-YOUR_EFS",
                "rootDirectory": "/db"
            }
        }
    ],
    "requiresCompatibilities": [
        "FARGATE"
    ],
    "cpu": "256",
    "memory": "2048",
    "runtimePlatform": {
        "cpuArchitecture": "X86_64",
        "operatingSystemFamily": "LINUX"
    }
}
```

As you can see the issue is quite strange since I cannot reach the URL I configured in Route 53 that is an alias to my ALB that is the same that is running my ECS Service. Oddly, I can reach the task IP without any issues as I showed before.

These are some pictures of my current configuration:

**ALB:**

![ALB](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMGigtBOYsSaqnzTlkOfEPAA)

![ALB 2](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMZrw9B4Y_RkatWOMhZO8Q5g)

![ALB 3](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMtbqj8gjITyuwNAgcZNX01w)

**Security  Group:**

![SG](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMMEbnLUKCS5OYEy10j7_YYQ)

![SG 2](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IML9o8PO4ITqi39EWJiSOc8g)

**Target Group:**

![TG](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IM1EDn-06wQv6Z5IBoZ3Rqiw)

![TG 2](/media/postImages/original/IMFh_VIhVRTV6ScZRTbujM-w)

**Service configuration:**

![SC](/media/postImages/original/IMUWbT508tSz-dGJxMMidClw)

![TS 2](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMCqU0RWo1QmW1MmvxdVjJ5g)

**ECS Service:**

![ECS2](https://repost.aws/media/postImages/original/IMIRDSOPCWQ9alDA-vz71sPQ)

Any idea what I could be doing wrong?

Federico · Accepted Answer

The solution was not in AWS. AWS was correctly configured, but the domain provider did not have the records from Route 53. I copied the values and added them as NS values with a new subdomain and began to work.

Enter image description here

![Enter image description here](/media/postImages/original/IMFiy6-iHHSTCedMX68Ygulg)

Parthasaradi · Answer

Hello,

you're unable to access it through the URL configured in Route 53, which points to your Application Load Balancer (ALB).

could you please follow the some step it will be helpfull for you

Check Route 53 Configuration:
Go to your Route 53 dashboard.
Verify that the DNS record for your subdomain is correctly configured as an alias to your ALB.
Ensure that the Alias Target points to the correct ALB.

Verify ALB Configuration:
Go to your EC2 dashboard.
Navigate to the Load Balancers section and select your ALB.
Check the listeners to ensure they are configured correctly (e.g., port 80 and/or 443).
Confirm that the ALB is associated with the correct target group that includes your ECS service.

Security Groups:
Double-check the security groups associated with your ALB.
Ensure that inbound traffic from the internet is allowed on ports 80 and/or 443.

Target Group Health:
Verify that the target group associated with your ALB shows healthy instances.
If not, check the health checks configured for the target group to ensure they match the settings of your ECS service.
If you're using HTTPS, ensure that your SSL/TLS certificate is correctly configured and valid

blacktulip12 · Answer

Hi Fedrico,

I'm also trying to set up n8n on Fargate with EFS but failed to get the service up and running. The container reached running state for about 1-2 minutes and then exit with code 1. There were no entries in the CloudWatch log. I mounted the EFS to an EC2 instance and noticed a config file with encryptionKey was created in .n8n directory. I tried to use EFS with access point and without access point, neither worked. Did you create /db manually in EFS? Who's the owner for /db directory? Could you share how you made it work?

Thanks,
PH

Cannot access the ALB URL for N8N, but my ECS Service is running fine, reaching steady state without issues

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