Reference > Self-Hosting

Environment Variables

Reference table of key n8n environment variables grouped by category.

ReferenceIntermediate3 min read

This page lists the most commonly used environment variables for configuring a self-hosted n8n instance. Set these in your docker-compose.yml, .env file, or system environment.

General

Variable	Description	Default
`N8N_HOST`	Hostname the n8n editor and API listen on	`localhost`
`N8N_PORT`	Port n8n listens on	`5678`
`N8N_PROTOCOL`	Protocol for generated URLs (`http` or `https`)	`http`
`N8N_EDITOR_BASE_URL`	Public URL for the n8n editor (used for OAuth redirects and links)	Derived from host/port/protocol
`N8N_PERSONALIZATION_ENABLED`	Show the onboarding personalization survey	`true`
`N8N_TEMPLATES_ENABLED`	Enable the workflow templates library	`true`
`N8N_VERSION_NOTIFICATIONS_ENABLED`	Show notifications when a new n8n version is available	`true`
`GENERIC_TIMEZONE`	Default timezone for cron-based triggers	`America/New_York`
`N8N_PAYLOAD_SIZE_MAX`	Maximum request body size in MB	`16`

Database

Variable	Description	Default
`DB_TYPE`	Database backend: `sqlite` or `postgresdb`	`sqlite`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST`	PostgreSQL server hostname	`localhost`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT`	PostgreSQL server port	`5432`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE`	PostgreSQL database name	`n8n`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_USER`	PostgreSQL username	`root`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD`	PostgreSQL password	(empty)
`DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_ENABLED`	Enable SSL for PostgreSQL connections	`false`
`DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA`	Path to custom CA certificate for PostgreSQL SSL	(empty)
`DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED`	Reject connections with untrusted SSL certificates	`true`
`DB_SQLITE_VACUUM_ON_STARTUP`	Run VACUUM on SQLite database at startup to reclaim space	`false`

Security

Variable	Description	Default
`N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY`	Key used to encrypt stored credentials. Must remain consistent across restarts.	Auto-generated on first run
`N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_DISABLED`	Disable multi-user authentication (single-user mode)	`false`
`N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE`	Enable basic HTTP auth for the editor (deprecated in favor of user management)	`false`
`N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER`	Username for basic auth	(empty)
`N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD`	Password for basic auth	(empty)
`N8N_BLOCK_ENV_ACCESS_IN_NODE`	Prevent the Code node from accessing environment variables	`false`

Warning: Encryption key

If N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY is not explicitly set, n8n generates one automatically on first startup and stores it in the ~/.n8n directory. If this file is lost (e.g., volume is deleted), all stored credentials become undecryptable. Always set this variable explicitly in production.

Executions

Variable	Description	Default
`EXECUTIONS_MODE`	Execution mode: `regular` (in-process) or `queue` (Redis-backed worker mode)	`regular`
`EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT`	Maximum execution time in seconds. `-1` for no limit.	`-1`
`EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX`	Maximum value users can set for per-workflow timeout	`3600`
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE`	Automatically delete old execution data	`true`
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE`	Hours to retain execution data when pruning	`336` (14 days)
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_ON_ERROR`	Save execution data for failed executions	`all`
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_ON_SUCCESS`	Save execution data for successful executions	`all`
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_ON_PROGRESS`	Save execution progress for each node	`false`
`EXECUTIONS_DATA_SAVE_MANUAL_EXECUTIONS`	Save data from manual (test) executions	`true`

Endpoints

Variable	Description	Default
`WEBHOOK_URL`	Public base URL for webhook endpoints. Must be set when behind a reverse proxy.	Derived from host/port/protocol
`N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK`	Path prefix for production webhooks	`webhook`
`N8N_ENDPOINT_WEBHOOK_TEST`	Path prefix for test webhooks	`webhook-test`
`N8N_ENDPOINT_REST`	Path prefix for the REST API	`rest`

Tip

If webhooks are not reachable from external services, WEBHOOK_URL is almost always the variable to check. It must match the publicly accessible URL of your n8n instance, including the protocol and any port or path prefix.

Queue Mode (Scaling)

Variable	Description	Default
`QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST`	Redis host for queue mode	`localhost`
`QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PORT`	Redis port	`6379`
`QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_PASSWORD`	Redis password	(empty)
`QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_DB`	Redis database number	`0`
`QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE`	Enable health check endpoint for workers	`false`

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