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

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

string

default:"~/.n8n"

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

N8N_USER_FOLDER=/data/n8n

string

default:"localhost"

Hostname or domain where n8n is accessible.

N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com

number

default:"5678"

Port for the n8n web server.

N8N_PORT=5678

string

default:"http"

Protocol (http or https) used to access n8n.

N8N_PROTOCOL=https

string

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

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

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

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

string

default:"database.sqlite"

SQLite database filename (relative to N8N_USER_FOLDER).

DB_SQLITE_DATABASE=n8n.sqlite

number

default:"3"

SQLite connection pool size (minimum 1).

DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE=5

boolean

default:"false"

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

DB_SQLITE_VACUUM_ON_STARTUP=true

PostgreSQL Configuration

string

default:"localhost"

PostgreSQL server hostname.

DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres.example.com

number

default:"5432"

PostgreSQL server port.

DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432

string

default:"n8n"

PostgreSQL database name.

DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n

string

default:"postgres"

PostgreSQL username.

DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user

string

PostgreSQL password.

DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=secure-password

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

string

default:"public"

PostgreSQL schema name.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=n8n_schema

number

default:"2"

PostgreSQL connection pool size.

DB_POSTGRESDB_POOL_SIZE=10

number

default:"20000"

Connection timeout in milliseconds.

DB_POSTGRESDB_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT=30000

number

default:"300000"

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

DB_POSTGRESDB_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT=60000

PostgreSQL SSL

boolean

default:"false"

Enable SSL/TLS for PostgreSQL connections.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED=true

string

Path to SSL certificate authority file.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA=/path/to/ca.crt

string

Path to SSL client certificate.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CERT=/path/to/client.crt

string

Path to SSL client key.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_KEY=/path/to/client.key

boolean

default:"true"

Reject unauthorized SSL connections.

DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=true

Database Logging

boolean

default:"false"

Enable database query logging.

DB_LOGGING_ENABLED=true

string

default:"error"

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

DB_LOGGING_OPTIONS=query

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

string

default:"regular"

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

EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue

Queue mode requires PostgreSQL and Redis.

Redis Configuration

string

default:"localhost"

Redis server hostname.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis.example.com

number

default:"6379"

Redis server port.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT=6379

number

default:"0"

Redis database number.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DB=2

string

Redis username (Redis 6.0+).

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_USERNAME=n8n_user

string

Redis password.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD=redis-password

number

default:"10000"

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

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TIMEOUT_THRESHOLD=30000

string

default:"bull"

Prefix for Bull queue keys in Redis.

QUEUE_BULL_PREFIX=n8n_queue

Redis TLS

boolean

default:"false"

Enable TLS for Redis connections.

QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TLS=true

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

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

boolean

default:"false"

Enable health check endpoints for workers.

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true

number

default:"5678"

Port for worker health check server.

QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_PORT=5679

number

default:"60000"

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

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_DURATION=120000

number

default:"10000"

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

QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_RENEW_TIME=15000

number

default:"30000"

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

QUEUE_WORKER_STALLED_INTERVAL=60000

Execution Settings

number

default:"-1"

Workflow execution timeout in seconds. -1 for unlimited.

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=300

number

default:"3600"

Maximum allowed execution timeout in seconds.

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200

number

default:"-1"

Max concurrent production executions. -1 for unlimited.

N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT=10

Execution Data Pruning

boolean

default:"true"

Enable automatic deletion of old execution data.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true

number

default:"336"

Age in hours before executions are eligible for soft deletion.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168  # 7 days

number

default:"10000"

Maximum number of executions to keep. 0 for unlimited.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT=50000

number

default:"1"

Hours buffer before hard-deleting executions.

EXECUTIONS_DATA_HARD_DELETE_BUFFER=24

Task Runner Configuration

string

default:"internal"

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

N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external

number

default:"5679"

Port for task runner broker.

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5679

string

default:"127.0.0.1"

IP address for task runner broker to listen on.

N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0

string

Authentication token for task runners.

N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-runner-token

string

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

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI=http://n8n:5679

number

default:"10"

Max concurrent tasks per runner.

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_CONCURRENCY=20

number

default:"300"

Task execution timeout in seconds.

N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT=600

number

default:"1073741824"

Maximum payload size in bytes (default 1GB).

N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_PAYLOAD=2147483648  # 2GB

Security Configuration

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).

boolean

default:"true"

Block access to n8n’s internal directories.

N8N_BLOCK_FILE_ACCESS_TO_N8N_FILES=true

string

JSON array of node types to exclude for security.

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

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

boolean

default:"false"

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

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED=true

number

default:"10"

Leader key TTL in seconds.

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_KEY_TTL=15

number

default:"3"

Leader check interval in seconds.

N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_CHECK_INTERVAL=5

Monitoring & Metrics

boolean

default:"false"

Enable Prometheus metrics endpoint at /metrics.

N8N_METRICS=true

string

default:"n8n_"

Prefix for Prometheus metric names.

N8N_METRICS_PREFIX=workflow_

boolean

default:"true"

Include Node.js and system metrics.

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_DEFAULT_METRICS=true

boolean

default:"false"

Include workflow ID label on metrics (increases cardinality).

N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_WORKFLOW_ID_LABEL=true

User Management

string

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

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret

number

default:"168"

JWT session duration in hours (default 7 days).

N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS=24

Email Configuration

string

default:"smtp"

Email sending mode: smtp or empty to disable.

N8N_EMAIL_MODE=smtp

string

SMTP server hostname.

N8N_SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com

number

default:"465"

SMTP server port.

N8N_SMTP_PORT=587

string

SMTP username.

N8N_SMTP_USER=notifications@example.com

string

SMTP password.

N8N_SMTP_PASS=smtp-password

boolean

default:"true"

Use SSL for SMTP.

N8N_SMTP_SSL=false

string

Sender name and email.

N8N_SMTP_SENDER=n8n <notifications@example.com>

Public API

boolean

default:"false"

Disable the Public API.

N8N_PUBLIC_API_DISABLED=false

string

default:"api"

Path segment for Public API.

N8N_PUBLIC_API_ENDPOINT=public-api

Endpoints

string

default:"webhook"

Path segment for webhook endpoints.

N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK=hooks

string

default:"rest"

Path segment for REST API.

N8N_ENDPOINT_REST=api

string

default:"/healthz"

Health check endpoint path.

N8N_ENDPOINT_HEALTH=/health

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

​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