Configuration

n8n is configured primarily through environment variables, allowing flexible deployment across different environments. This guide covers all major configuration options.

Core Configuration

Instance Settings

N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY

string

required

Encryption key for securing credentials in the database.

N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-secure-key-min-10-chars

Minimum 10 characters
Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
Never change after initial setup or credentials become unrecoverable
Back up securely in a password manager or secrets vault

N8N_USER_FOLDER

string

default:"~/.n8n"

Path to n8n’s data folder containing database, settings, and custom extensions.

N8N_USER_FOLDER=/data/n8n

N8N_HOST

string

default:"localhost"

Hostname or domain where n8n is accessible.

N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com

N8N_PORT

number

default:"5678"

Port for the n8n web server.

N8N_PORT=5678

N8N_PROTOCOL

string

default:"http"

Protocol (http or https) used to access n8n.

N8N_PROTOCOL=https

WEBHOOK_URL

string

Full URL where webhooks can reach n8n. Defaults to {N8N_PROTOCOL}://{N8N_HOST}/.

WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/

Timezone

GENERIC_TIMEZONE

string

default:"America/New_York"

Default timezone for n8n workflows (used by Schedule node).

GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Europe/Berlin

string

System timezone for the container/process.

TZ=Europe/Berlin

Database Configuration

Database Type

DB_TYPE

string

default:"sqlite"

Database type: sqlite or postgresdb.

DB_TYPE=postgresdb

PostgreSQL is required for:

Queue mode (scaling)
Multi-main setup
Production deployments

SQLite Configuration

DB_SQLITE_DATABASE

string

default:"database.sqlite"

SQLite database filename (relative to N8N_USER_FOLDER).

DB_SQLITE_DATABASE=n8n.sqlite

DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE

number

default:"3"

SQLite connection pool size (minimum 1).

DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE=5

DB_SQLITE_VACUUM_ON_STARTUP

boolean

default:"false"

Run VACUUM on startup to optimize database. Warning: Increases startup time.

DB_SQLITE_VACUUM_ON_STARTUP=true

PostgreSQL Configuration

DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST

string

default:"localhost"

PostgreSQL server hostname.

DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres.example.com

DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT

number

default:"5432"

PostgreSQL server port.

DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432

DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE

string

default:"n8n"

PostgreSQL database name.

DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n

DB_POSTGRESDB_USER

string

default:"postgres"

PostgreSQL username.

DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user

DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD

string

PostgreSQL password.

DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=secure-password

Can also use DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD_FILE to read from a file (Docker secrets).

DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA

string

default:"public"

PostgreSQL schema name.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=n8n_schema

DB_POSTGRESDB_POOL_SIZE

number

default:"2"

PostgreSQL connection pool size.

DB_POSTGRESDB_POOL_SIZE=10

DB_POSTGRESDB_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT

number

default:"20000"

Connection timeout in milliseconds.

DB_POSTGRESDB_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT=30000

DB_POSTGRESDB_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT

number

default:"300000"

Query execution timeout in milliseconds. Set to 0 to disable.

DB_POSTGRESDB_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT=60000

PostgreSQL SSL

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED

boolean

default:"false"

Enable SSL/TLS for PostgreSQL connections.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED=true

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA

string

Path to SSL certificate authority file.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA=/path/to/ca.crt

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CERT

string

Path to SSL client certificate.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CERT=/path/to/client.crt

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_KEY

string

Path to SSL client key.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_KEY=/path/to/client.key

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED

boolean

default:"true"

Reject unauthorized SSL connections.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=true

Database Logging

DB_LOGGING_ENABLED

boolean

default:"false"

Enable database query logging.

DB_LOGGING_ENABLED=true

DB_LOGGING_OPTIONS

string

default:"error"

Logging level: query, error, schema, warn, info, log, or all.

DB_LOGGING_OPTIONS=query

DB_LOGGING_MAX_EXECUTION_TIME

number

default:"0"

Log only queries exceeding this time (ms). Set to 0 to disable.

DB_LOGGING_MAX_EXECUTION_TIME=1000

Queue Mode Configuration

Execution Mode

EXECUTIONS_MODE

string

default:"regular"

Execution mode: regular (in-process) or queue (worker-based).

EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue

Queue mode requires PostgreSQL and Redis.

Redis Configuration

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST

string

default:"localhost"

Redis server hostname.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis.example.com

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT

number

default:"6379"

Redis server port.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT=6379

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DB

number

default:"0"

Redis database number.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DB=2

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_USERNAME

string

Redis username (Redis 6.0+).

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_USERNAME=n8n_user

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD

string

Redis password.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD=redis-password

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TIMEOUT_THRESHOLD

number

default:"10000"

Max cumulative timeout (ms) for Redis connection retries before exit.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TIMEOUT_THRESHOLD=30000

QUEUE_BULL_PREFIX

string

default:"bull"

Prefix for Bull queue keys in Redis.

QUEUE_BULL_PREFIX=n8n_queue

Redis TLS

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TLS

boolean

default:"false"

Enable TLS for Redis connections.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TLS=true

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DNS_LOOKUP_STRATEGY

string

default:"LOOKUP"

DNS resolution strategy: LOOKUP (use DNS) or NONE (pass hostnames directly).

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DNS_LOOKUP_STRATEGY=NONE

Use NONE for AWS ElastiCache with TLS to avoid certificate errors.

Redis Cluster

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_CLUSTER_NODES

string

Comma-separated list of Redis cluster nodes as host:port pairs.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_CLUSTER_NODES=redis-1:6379,redis-2:6379,redis-3:6379

Worker Settings

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE

boolean

default:"false"

Enable health check endpoints for workers.

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_PORT

number

default:"5678"

Port for worker health check server.

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_PORT=5679

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_DURATION

number

default:"60000"

Lease duration (ms) for a worker processing a job.

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_DURATION=120000

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_RENEW_TIME

number

default:"10000"

How often (ms) a worker must renew its lease.

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_RENEW_TIME=15000

QUEUE_WORKER_STALLED_INTERVAL

number

default:"30000"

How often (ms) to check for stalled jobs. Set to 0 to disable.

QUEUE_WORKER_STALLED_INTERVAL=60000

Execution Settings

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT

number

default:"-1"

Workflow execution timeout in seconds. -1 for unlimited.

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=300

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX

number

default:"3600"

Maximum allowed execution timeout in seconds.

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200

N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT

number

default:"-1"

Max concurrent production executions. -1 for unlimited.

N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT=10

Execution Data Pruning

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE

boolean

default:"true"

Enable automatic deletion of old execution data.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true

EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE

number

default:"336"

Age in hours before executions are eligible for soft deletion.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168  # 7 days

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT

number

default:"10000"

Maximum number of executions to keep. 0 for unlimited.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT=50000

EXECUTIONS_DATA_HARD_DELETE_BUFFER

number

default:"1"

Hours buffer before hard-deleting executions.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_HARD_DELETE_BUFFER=24

Task Runner Configuration

N8N_RUNNERS_MODE

string

default:"internal"

Task runner mode: internal (child process) or external (separate process).

N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT

number

default:"5679"

Port for task runner broker.

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5679

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS

string

default:"127.0.0.1"

IP address for task runner broker to listen on.

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0

N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN

string

Authentication token for task runners.

N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-runner-token

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI

string

URI for runners to connect to broker (runner-side config).

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI=http://n8n:5679

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_CONCURRENCY

number

default:"10"

Max concurrent tasks per runner.

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_CONCURRENCY=20

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT

number

default:"300"

Task execution timeout in seconds.

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT=600

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_PAYLOAD

number

default:"1073741824"

Maximum payload size in bytes (default 1GB).

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_PAYLOAD=2147483648  # 2GB

Security Configuration

N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO

string

default:"~/.n8n-files"

Directories that ReadWriteFile and ReadBinaryFiles nodes can access. Separate with ;.

N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO=/data/allowed;/mnt/shared

Set to empty string to disable restrictions (insecure for production).

N8N_BLOCK_FILE_ACCESS_TO_N8N_FILES

boolean

default:"true"

Block access to n8n’s internal directories.

N8N_BLOCK_FILE_ACCESS_TO_N8N_FILES=true

NODES_EXCLUDE

string

JSON array of node types to exclude for security.

NODES_EXCLUDE='["n8n-nodes-base.executeCommand"]'

NODES_INCLUDE

string

default:"[]"

JSON array of node types to include. Empty means all (except excluded).

NODES_INCLUDE='["n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest","n8n-nodes-base.postgres"]'

Multi-Main Setup

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED

boolean

default:"false"

Enable multi-main setup for high availability (requires Enterprise license).

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED=true

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_KEY_TTL

number

default:"10"

Leader key TTL in seconds.

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_KEY_TTL=15

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_CHECK_INTERVAL

number

default:"3"

Leader check interval in seconds.

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_CHECK_INTERVAL=5

Monitoring & Metrics

N8N_METRICS

boolean

default:"false"

Enable Prometheus metrics endpoint at /metrics.

N8N_METRICS=true

N8N_METRICS_PREFIX

string

default:"n8n_"

Prefix for Prometheus metric names.

N8N_METRICS_PREFIX=workflow_

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_DEFAULT_METRICS

boolean

default:"true"

Include Node.js and system metrics.

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_DEFAULT_METRICS=true

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_WORKFLOW_ID_LABEL

boolean

default:"false"

Include workflow ID label on metrics (increases cardinality).

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_WORKFLOW_ID_LABEL=true

User Management

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_SECRET

string

JWT secret for session tokens. Auto-generated if not set.

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS

number

default:"168"

JWT session duration in hours (default 7 days).

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS=24

Email Configuration

N8N_EMAIL_MODE

string

default:"smtp"

Email sending mode: smtp or empty to disable.

N8N_EMAIL_MODE=smtp

N8N_SMTP_HOST

string

SMTP server hostname.

N8N_SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com

N8N_SMTP_PORT

number

default:"465"

SMTP server port.

N8N_SMTP_PORT=587

N8N_SMTP_USER

string

SMTP username.

N8N_SMTP_USER=notifications@example.com

N8N_SMTP_PASS

string

SMTP password.

N8N_SMTP_PASS=smtp-password

N8N_SMTP_SSL

boolean

default:"true"

Use SSL for SMTP.

N8N_SMTP_SSL=false

N8N_SMTP_SENDER

string

Sender name and email.

N8N_SMTP_SENDER=n8n <notifications@example.com>

Public API

N8N_PUBLIC_API_DISABLED

boolean

default:"false"

Disable the Public API.

N8N_PUBLIC_API_DISABLED=false

N8N_PUBLIC_API_ENDPOINT

string

default:"api"

Path segment for Public API.

N8N_PUBLIC_API_ENDPOINT=public-api

Endpoints

N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK

string

default:"webhook"

Path segment for webhook endpoints.

N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK=hooks

N8N_ENDPOINT_REST

string

default:"rest"

Path segment for REST API.

N8N_ENDPOINT_REST=api

N8N_ENDPOINT_HEALTH

string

default:"/healthz"

Health check endpoint path.

N8N_ENDPOINT_HEALTH=/health

N8N_DISABLE_UI

boolean

default:"false"

Disable the web UI (API-only mode).

N8N_DISABLE_UI=false

Configuration Examples

Development
Production Single Instance
Queue Mode
With External Runners

# Basic development setup with SQLite
DB_TYPE=sqlite
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=test-encryption-key
N8N_HOST=localhost
N8N_PORT=5678
N8N_PROTOCOL=http
GENERIC_TIMEZONE=America/New_York

# Production with PostgreSQL
DB_TYPE=postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres.internal
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n_prod
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=secure-password
DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED=true

N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=production-encryption-key-32-chars
N8N_HOST=workflows.company.com
N8N_PROTOCOL=https
WEBHOOK_URL=https://workflows.company.com/

# Security
NODES_EXCLUDE='["n8n-nodes-base.executeCommand","n8n-nodes-base.localFileTrigger"]'
N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO=/data/workflows

# Monitoring
N8N_METRICS=true

# Queue mode with workers
DB_TYPE=postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres.internal
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n_prod
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=secure-password

N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=production-encryption-key-32-chars

# Queue configuration
EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue
QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis.internal
QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT=6379
QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD=redis-password
QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TLS=true
QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true

# Worker settings (for worker processes)
N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT=10

# Monitoring
N8N_METRICS=true

# n8n main process
N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external
N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0
N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5679
N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=secure-runner-token
N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_CONCURRENCY=20
N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT=600

# Runner process (separate container/process)
N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI=http://n8n-main:5679
N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=secure-runner-token

Environment Variable Files

For Docker secrets and Kubernetes:

# These variables support _FILE suffix
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/db_password
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY_FILE=/run/secrets/encryption_key

When using _FILE variants, n8n reads the value from the specified file path instead of the environment variable directly.

Getting Started

Self-Hosting

Building Workflows

AI Workflows

Node Development

CLI Reference

Configuration

Core Configuration

Instance Settings

Timezone

Database Configuration

Database Type

SQLite Configuration

PostgreSQL Configuration

PostgreSQL SSL

Database Logging

Queue Mode Configuration

Execution Mode

Redis Configuration

Redis TLS

Redis Cluster

Worker Settings

Execution Settings

Execution Data Pruning

Task Runner Configuration

Security Configuration

Multi-Main Setup

Monitoring & Metrics

User Management

Email Configuration

Public API

Endpoints

Configuration Examples

Environment Variable Files

Next Steps

Docker Deployment

Scaling

Getting Started

Self-Hosting

Building Workflows

AI Workflows

Node Development

CLI Reference

​Core Configuration

​Instance Settings

​Timezone

​Database Configuration

​Database Type

​SQLite Configuration

​PostgreSQL Configuration

​PostgreSQL SSL

​Database Logging

​Queue Mode Configuration

​Execution Mode

​Redis Configuration

​Redis TLS

​Redis Cluster

​Worker Settings

​Execution Settings

​Execution Data Pruning

​Task Runner Configuration

​Security Configuration

​Multi-Main Setup

​Monitoring & Metrics

​User Management

​Email Configuration

​Public API

​Endpoints

​Configuration Examples

​Environment Variable Files

​Next Steps

Docker Deployment

Scaling

Core Configuration

Instance Settings

Timezone

Database Configuration

Database Type

SQLite Configuration

PostgreSQL Configuration

PostgreSQL SSL

Database Logging

Queue Mode Configuration

Execution Mode

Redis Configuration

Redis TLS

Redis Cluster

Worker Settings

Execution Settings

Execution Data Pruning

Task Runner Configuration

Security Configuration

Multi-Main Setup

Monitoring & Metrics

User Management

Email Configuration

Public API

Endpoints

Configuration Examples

Environment Variable Files

Next Steps