Use Shifter with n8n
Plug Shifter's residential and ISP proxies into n8n workflows in two ways — environment-level for every HTTP node at once, or inline on the HTTP Request node when you need per-workflow control.
Quick Start
Install
docker run -p 5678:5678 -e HTTP_PROXY=... n8nio/n8nBasic Usage
# Easiest path: set HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY when launching n8n
docker run -d --name n8n -p 5678:5678 \
-e HTTP_PROXY="customer-USERNAME-country-us-sid-123ABC:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443" \
-e HTTPS_PROXY="customer-USERNAME-country-us-sid-123ABC:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443" \
-e NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1" \
n8nio/n8n
# Every HTTP Request node will now route through Shifter automatically.Features
Examples
Per-Node Proxy via HTTP Request (UI)
When you need per-workflow control (different countries per node, sticky sessions per spider), configure the proxy directly on the HTTP Request node — no env vars required.
# In the HTTP Request node:
# 1. Switch to "Generic Authentication"
# 2. Authentication: "Generic Credential Type"
# 3. Credential type: "HTTP Header Auth"
# 4. Then in the node body, add:
#
# Send Headers: ON
# Header Parameters:
# Proxy-Authorization: Basic <base64(USER:PASS)>
#
# 5. Set Request Options > Proxy:
# http://p.shifter.io:443
# Or, simpler — set "Send Body / Send Headers / Use Proxy" toggles
# and configure Proxy directly:
{
"parameters": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"options": {
"proxy": "customer-USERNAME-country-uk-sid-456DEF:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443",
"timeout": 30000,
"redirect": { "followRedirects": true }
}
},
"name": "Scrape UK products",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest"
}Per-Workflow Sticky Session with Function Node
Generate a unique sid at the start of a workflow and pass it into every HTTP node downstream — every fetch in that run shares one residential IP, perfect for multi-step scrapes.
// Function node — outputs a Shifter URL with a fresh sid + ttl
const sid = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10);
const country = $json.country || "us";
return [
{
json: {
shifterProxy:
`customer-USERNAME-country-${country}-sid-${sid}-ttl-300:` +
`PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443`,
country,
sid,
},
},
];
// Then in each downstream HTTP Request node, set:
// Proxy: ={{ $json.shifterProxy }}
//
// Every node in the run reuses the same residential IP.Geo-Specific Branches (Switch + Multiple Countries)
Use a Switch node to route different items down different branches, with each branch's HTTP Request node configured for a different country. Ideal for localized price monitoring or SERP checks.
// Workflow shape:
//
// Schedule Trigger
// |
// Set: list of regions
// |
// Split In Batches (per region)
// |
// Switch (item.region == "us" / "uk" / "jp" / ...)
// |--- HTTP Request (proxy: country-us sid-us-001)
// |--- HTTP Request (proxy: country-uk sid-uk-001)
// |--- HTTP Request (proxy: country-jp sid-jp-001)
// |--- HTTP Request (proxy: country-de sid-de-001)
// |
// Merge -> HTML Extract -> Postgres Insert
// Or, parameterize the proxy on a single HTTP Request node:
{
"url": "https://example.com/{{$json.path}}",
"options": {
"proxy": "=customer-USERNAME-country-{{$json.region}}-sid-{{$json.region}}-{{$workflow.id}}:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443"
}
}Self-Hosted with Docker Compose
Production-ready setup. Inject Shifter env vars into the n8n container, persist workflows in Postgres, and let every HTTP Request node use Shifter without per-node config.
# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
n8n:
image: n8nio/n8n:latest
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "5678:5678"
environment:
# Shifter proxy for every outbound HTTP Request node
HTTP_PROXY: "customer-USERNAME-country-us-sid-prod:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443"
HTTPS_PROXY: "customer-USERNAME-country-us-sid-prod:PASSWORD@p.shifter.io:443"
NO_PROXY: "localhost,127.0.0.1,postgres"
DB_TYPE: postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST: postgres
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE: n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER: n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: n8n_password
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE: "true"
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER: admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD: changeme
volumes:
- n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
depends_on:
- postgres
postgres:
image: postgres:15
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: n8n
POSTGRES_USER: n8n
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: n8n_password
volumes:
- postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
n8n_data:
postgres_data:Frequently asked questions
Common questions about using Shifter with n8n.
The simplest path is to set HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY environment variables on the n8n process (or container). Every HTTP Request node — and most other nodes that call out — picks up these env vars automatically. For per-workflow control, set the proxy directly on the HTTP Request node's Options.
Yes. Each HTTP Request node has an Options > Proxy field. Paste your Shifter URL there and that node will route through Shifter regardless of any global env vars. Combine with expression syntax (`={{$json.proxy}}`) to parameterize per-item.
Yes. n8n Cloud doesn't let you set HTTP_PROXY env vars, but per-node proxy configuration on the HTTP Request node works exactly the same way as self-hosted. Set the proxy field on each node that needs Shifter.
Add a Function node at the start of the workflow that generates a unique sid (e.g. `Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)`) and produces a Shifter URL with that sid embedded. Reference that URL via expression in every downstream HTTP Request node — they'll all share the same residential IP.
Yes. Use a Switch node to branch on a region field, or use expressions like `={{$json.country}}` inside the proxy URL on the HTTP Request node. Each item can route through a different Shifter country / city / ASN.
No custom node is required. Shifter is a standard HTTP / SOCKS5 proxy — n8n's built-in HTTP Request node and proxy env vars handle it out of the box. This keeps your workflows portable across n8n Cloud, self-hosted, and embedded deployments.
Start Using Shifter with n8n
Plug Shifter's 205M+ residential and ISP proxies into your n8n workflows. Env-var or per-node configuration, sticky sessions, and per-item geo-targeting — works on Cloud and self-hosted.