> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/n8n-io/n8n/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Configuration > Complete reference for n8n environment variables and configuration options for self-hosted deployments. n8n is configured primarily through environment variables, allowing flexible deployment across different environments. This guide covers all major configuration options. ## Core Configuration ### Instance Settings Encryption key for securing credentials in the database. ```bash theme={null} 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 Path to n8n's data folder containing database, settings, and custom extensions. ```bash theme={null} N8N_USER_FOLDER=/data/n8n ``` Hostname or domain where n8n is accessible. ```bash theme={null} N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com ``` Port for the n8n web server. ```bash theme={null} N8N_PORT=5678 ``` Protocol (http or https) used to access n8n. ```bash theme={null} N8N_PROTOCOL=https ``` Full URL where webhooks can reach n8n. Defaults to `{N8N_PROTOCOL}://{N8N_HOST}/`. ```bash theme={null} WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/ ``` ### Timezone Default timezone for n8n workflows (used by Schedule node). ```bash theme={null} GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Europe/Berlin ``` System timezone for the container/process. ```bash theme={null} TZ=Europe/Berlin ``` ## Database Configuration ### Database Type Database type: `sqlite` or `postgresdb`. ```bash theme={null} DB_TYPE=postgresdb ``` PostgreSQL is **required** for: * Queue mode (scaling) * Multi-main setup * Production deployments ### SQLite Configuration SQLite database filename (relative to `N8N_USER_FOLDER`). ```bash theme={null} DB_SQLITE_DATABASE=n8n.sqlite ``` SQLite connection pool size (minimum 1). ```bash theme={null} DB_SQLITE_POOL_SIZE=5 ``` Run VACUUM on startup to optimize database. **Warning:** Increases startup time. ```bash theme={null} DB_SQLITE_VACUUM_ON_STARTUP=true ``` ### PostgreSQL Configuration PostgreSQL server hostname. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres.example.com ``` PostgreSQL server port. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432 ``` PostgreSQL database name. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n ``` PostgreSQL username. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n_user ``` PostgreSQL password. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=secure-password ``` Can also use `DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD_FILE` to read from a file (Docker secrets). PostgreSQL schema name. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=n8n_schema ``` PostgreSQL connection pool size. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_POOL_SIZE=10 ``` Connection timeout in milliseconds. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT=30000 ``` Query execution timeout in milliseconds. Set to 0 to disable. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT=60000 ``` ### PostgreSQL SSL Enable SSL/TLS for PostgreSQL connections. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED=true ``` Path to SSL certificate authority file. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA=/path/to/ca.crt ``` Path to SSL client certificate. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CERT=/path/to/client.crt ``` Path to SSL client key. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_KEY=/path/to/client.key ``` Reject unauthorized SSL connections. ```bash theme={null} DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=true ``` ### Database Logging Enable database query logging. ```bash theme={null} DB_LOGGING_ENABLED=true ``` Logging level: `query`, `error`, `schema`, `warn`, `info`, `log`, or `all`. ```bash theme={null} DB_LOGGING_OPTIONS=query ``` Log only queries exceeding this time (ms). Set to 0 to disable. ```bash theme={null} DB_LOGGING_MAX_EXECUTION_TIME=1000 ``` ## Queue Mode Configuration ### Execution Mode Execution mode: `regular` (in-process) or `queue` (worker-based). ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue ``` Queue mode requires PostgreSQL and Redis. ### Redis Configuration Redis server hostname. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis.example.com ``` Redis server port. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT=6379 ``` Redis database number. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DB=2 ``` Redis username (Redis 6.0+). ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_USERNAME=n8n_user ``` Redis password. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD=redis-password ``` Max cumulative timeout (ms) for Redis connection retries before exit. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TIMEOUT_THRESHOLD=30000 ``` Prefix for Bull queue keys in Redis. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_PREFIX=n8n_queue ``` ### Redis TLS Enable TLS for Redis connections. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_TLS=true ``` DNS resolution strategy: `LOOKUP` (use DNS) or `NONE` (pass hostnames directly). ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DNS_LOOKUP_STRATEGY=NONE ``` Use `NONE` for AWS ElastiCache with TLS to avoid certificate errors. ### Redis Cluster Comma-separated list of Redis cluster nodes as `host:port` pairs. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_CLUSTER_NODES=redis-1:6379,redis-2:6379,redis-3:6379 ``` ### Worker Settings Enable health check endpoints for workers. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true ``` Port for worker health check server. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_PORT=5679 ``` Lease duration (ms) for a worker processing a job. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_DURATION=120000 ``` How often (ms) a worker must renew its lease. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_WORKER_LOCK_RENEW_TIME=15000 ``` How often (ms) to check for stalled jobs. Set to 0 to disable. ```bash theme={null} QUEUE_WORKER_STALLED_INTERVAL=60000 ``` ## Execution Settings Workflow execution timeout in seconds. `-1` for unlimited. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=300 ``` Maximum allowed execution timeout in seconds. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200 ``` Max concurrent production executions. `-1` for unlimited. ```bash theme={null} N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT=10 ``` ### Execution Data Pruning Enable automatic deletion of old execution data. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true ``` Age in hours before executions are eligible for soft deletion. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168 # 7 days ``` Maximum number of executions to keep. `0` for unlimited. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT=50000 ``` Hours buffer before hard-deleting executions. ```bash theme={null} EXECUTIONS_DATA_HARD_DELETE_BUFFER=24 ``` ## Task Runner Configuration Task runner mode: `internal` (child process) or `external` (separate process). ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external ``` Port for task runner broker. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5679 ``` IP address for task runner broker to listen on. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_LISTEN_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0 ``` Authentication token for task runners. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-runner-token ``` URI for runners to connect to broker (runner-side config). ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_BROKER_URI=http://n8n:5679 ``` Max concurrent tasks per runner. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_CONCURRENCY=20 ``` Task execution timeout in seconds. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT=600 ``` Maximum payload size in bytes (default 1GB). ```bash theme={null} N8N_RUNNERS_MAX_PAYLOAD=2147483648 # 2GB ``` ## Security Configuration Directories that ReadWriteFile and ReadBinaryFiles nodes can access. Separate with `;`. ```bash theme={null} N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO=/data/allowed;/mnt/shared ``` Set to empty string to disable restrictions (insecure for production). Block access to n8n's internal directories. ```bash theme={null} N8N_BLOCK_FILE_ACCESS_TO_N8N_FILES=true ``` JSON array of node types to exclude for security. ```bash theme={null} NODES_EXCLUDE='["n8n-nodes-base.executeCommand"]' ``` JSON array of node types to include. Empty means all (except excluded). ```bash theme={null} NODES_INCLUDE='["n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest","n8n-nodes-base.postgres"]' ``` ## Multi-Main Setup Enable multi-main setup for high availability (requires Enterprise license). ```bash theme={null} N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED=true ``` Leader key TTL in seconds. ```bash theme={null} N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_KEY_TTL=15 ``` Leader check interval in seconds. ```bash theme={null} N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_CHECK_INTERVAL=5 ``` ## Monitoring & Metrics Enable Prometheus metrics endpoint at `/metrics`. ```bash theme={null} N8N_METRICS=true ``` Prefix for Prometheus metric names. ```bash theme={null} N8N_METRICS_PREFIX=workflow_ ``` Include Node.js and system metrics. ```bash theme={null} N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_DEFAULT_METRICS=true ``` Include workflow ID label on metrics (increases cardinality). ```bash theme={null} N8N_METRICS_INCLUDE_WORKFLOW_ID_LABEL=true ``` ## User Management JWT secret for session tokens. Auto-generated if not set. ```bash theme={null} N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret ``` JWT session duration in hours (default 7 days). ```bash theme={null} N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS=24 ``` ## Email Configuration Email sending mode: `smtp` or empty to disable. ```bash theme={null} N8N_EMAIL_MODE=smtp ``` SMTP server hostname. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com ``` SMTP server port. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_PORT=587 ``` SMTP username. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_USER=notifications@example.com ``` SMTP password. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_PASS=smtp-password ``` Use SSL for SMTP. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_SSL=false ``` Sender name and email. ```bash theme={null} N8N_SMTP_SENDER=n8n ``` ## Public API Disable the Public API. ```bash theme={null} N8N_PUBLIC_API_DISABLED=false ``` Path segment for Public API. ```bash theme={null} N8N_PUBLIC_API_ENDPOINT=public-api ``` ## Endpoints Path segment for webhook endpoints. ```bash theme={null} N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK=hooks ``` Path segment for REST API. ```bash theme={null} N8N_ENDPOINT_REST=api ``` Health check endpoint path. ```bash theme={null} N8N_ENDPOINT_HEALTH=/health ``` Disable the web UI (API-only mode). ```bash theme={null} N8N_DISABLE_UI=false ``` ## Configuration Examples ```bash theme={null} # 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 ``` ```bash theme={null} # 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 ``` ```bash theme={null} # 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 ``` ```bash theme={null} # 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: ```bash theme={null} # 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. ## Next Steps See these configurations in Docker Compose examples Learn about queue mode and scaling strategies