n8n-nodes-mbs-backup

Custom n8n node for retrieving MBS PostgreSQL backup files via SFTP.

This node automatically finds and downloads all backup files from MBS backup directories, handling the dynamic timestamp-based folder naming that MBS uses.

Features

• 🔐 Secure SFTP Connection - Encrypted file transfers
• 📁 Automatic Folder Discovery - Finds the latest backup folder by company code
• 🔄 Recursive Download - Downloads all files including subdirectories
• 🎯 Pattern Matching - Optional file filtering with wildcard support
• 📦 Binary Data Output - Files ready for S3 upload or further processing
• 🏢 Multi-Tenant Support - Configurable company codes for multiple MBS customers

Installation

Via n8n Community Nodes (Recommended)

1. Go to Settings → Community Nodes in your n8n instance
2. Click Install a Community Node
3. Enter: n8n-nodes-mbs-backup
4. Click Install

Via npm (Docker/Self-Hosted)

# For Docker installations
docker exec -it <n8n-container-name> npm install -g n8n-nodes-mbs-backup

# Restart n8n
docker restart <n8n-container-name>

Quick Start

Option A: Using AWS Secrets Manager (Recommended)

This is the most secure approach - retrieve credentials dynamically from AWS Secrets Manager.

1. Store SFTP credentials in AWS Secrets Manager:

aws secretsmanager create-secret \
  --name mbs/sftp/credentials \
  --secret-string '{
    "host": "transfer.cdg.ws",
    "port": 22,
    "username": "your-username",
    "password": "your-password"
  }'

2. Create workflow:

[AWS Secrets Manager Node]
  Secret Name: mbs/sftp/credentials
  Parse JSON: Yes
  ↓
[MBS Retrieve Backup Node]
  Host: ={{$json.host}}
  Port: ={{$json.port}}
  Username: ={{$json.username}}
  Password: ={{$json.password}}
  Company Code: CO655
  Base Path: /fromcdg/backup/

Option B: Hardcoded Credentials

For testing or non-production use:

1. Add MBS Retrieve Backup Node

• Host: transfer.cdg.ws
• Port: 22
• Username: your-sftp-username
• Password: your-sftp-password
• Company Code: CO655
• Base Path: /fromcdg/backup/

3. What Happens Next

The node will:

1. Connect to your SFTP server
2. Find the folder matching CO655-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS pattern
3. Download all .dat.gz files and toc.dat
4. Output one item per file with binary data attached

Usage Examples

Example 1: Download All MBS Backup Files

[MBS Retrieve Backup]
├─ Company Code: CO655
├─ Base Path: /fromcdg/backup/
└─ File Pattern: *

Output: All files from the latest backup folder (1,079+ .dat.gz files + toc.dat)

Example 2: Download Only .dat.gz Files

[MBS Retrieve Backup]
├─ Company Code: CO655
├─ Base Path: /fromcdg/backup/
└─ File Pattern: *.dat.gz

Output: Only compressed data files, excluding toc.dat

Example 3: Complete Backup Pipeline

[Schedule Trigger (Daily 2 AM)]
  ↓
[MBS Retrieve Backup]
  ↓
[AWS S3 (Upload Multiple Files)]
  ↓
[Slack Notification (Success/Failure)]

Node Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Host	String	Yes	={{$json.host}}	SFTP server hostname
Port	Number	Yes	22	SFTP server port
Username	String	Yes	={{$json.username}}	SFTP username (supports expressions)
Password	String	Yes	={{$json.password}}	SFTP password (supports expressions)
Company Code	String	Yes	-	Company identifier (e.g., CO655 for Archtop)
Base Path	String	Yes	/fromcdg/backup/	Base directory on SFTP server
File Pattern	String	No	*	File pattern to match (supports * wildcard)
Binary Property Name	String	Yes	data	Property name for binary file data

Output Format

Each downloaded file produces one item:

{
  "json": {
    "fileName": "3591.dat.gz",
    "filePath": "/fromcdg/backup/CO655-2024-01-15-14-30-45/3591.dat.gz",
    "fileSize": 245678,
    "backupFolder": "CO655-2024-01-15-14-30-45",
    "companyCode": "CO655",
    "modifyTime": 1705330245000
  },
  "binary": {
    "data": {
      "data": "...", // File contents as Buffer
      "fileName": "3591.dat.gz",
      "mimeType": "application/gzip"
    }
  }
}

MBS Backup Structure

MBS creates backup folders with this naming pattern:

/fromcdg/backup/
└── CO655-2024-01-15-14-30-45/  (Company code + timestamp)
    ├── 3591.dat.gz
    ├── 3592.dat.gz
    ├── ... (1,079+ files)
    └── toc.dat

Important: MBS only keeps ONE backup at a time. Old backups are deleted when new ones are created.

Dynamic Credentials

This node accepts SFTP credentials as parameters, making it perfect for dynamic credential flows:

From AWS Secrets Manager:

[AWS Secrets Manager] → [MBS Retrieve Backup]
  - Host: ={{$json.host}}
  - Username: ={{$json.username}}
  - Password: ={{$json.password}}

From any previous node:
The node accepts expressions for all credential fields, so you can retrieve credentials from:

• AWS Secrets Manager
• Environment variables
• Configuration nodes
• API responses
• Any other n8n node output

Common Use Cases

1. Daily Backup to S3

Download MBS backups daily and upload to AWS S3 for long-term storage:

Schedule → MBS Retrieve Backup → AWS S3 Upload → Slack Notification

2. Dynamic Credentials from AWS Secrets

Retrieve SFTP credentials from AWS Secrets Manager:

AWS Secrets Manager → MBS Retrieve Backup → Process Files

3. Backup Verification

Download backups and verify file counts/sizes:

MBS Retrieve Backup → Code Node (Count Files) → Conditional (Alert if < Expected)

Troubleshooting

Node not appearing after installation

# Check if package is installed
npm list -g | grep mbs-backup

# Check n8n logs
docker logs <n8n-container-name>

# Force restart
docker restart <n8n-container-name>

Connection timeout

• Verify SFTP credentials are correct
• Check firewall rules allow outbound port 22
• Ensure VPN is connected if required

No backup folder found

• Verify company code is correct (case-sensitive)
• Check base path exists on SFTP server
• Confirm MBS has created a backup today

Out of memory during download

For very large backups (>1000 files):

• Download files in batches using file pattern
• Process files immediately after download
• Use streaming for large file uploads to S3

Development

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/manateeit/n8n-nodes-mbs-backup.git
cd n8n-nodes-mbs-backup

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev

License

MIT

Support

• Issues: https://github.com/manateeit/n8n-nodes-mbs-backup/issues
• n8n Community: https://community.n8n.io

Related Nodes

• n8n-nodes-aws-secrets - Retrieve SFTP credentials from AWS Secrets Manager
• n8n AWS S3 Node - Upload backup files to S3

Credits

Created by Archtop for MBS backup automation.