How to Run n8n with Docker (2026 Setup Guide)

Before you start

Docker installed. Docker Desktop on Mac or Windows, or Docker Engine on Linux. Check with docker --version.
On Windows, use WSL 2. Keep your n8n folder inside the Linux filesystem (for example ~/n8n), not under /mnt/c/.... n8n's docs warn that mounting files across that boundary causes slow performance and permission errors.
Choose the setup:
- Quick start (one container): for trying n8n on your own machine.
- Docker Compose: the setup n8n recommends for anything that runs long-term or on a server.

Option 1: Quick start with one container

Create a volume so your workflows and credentials survive restarts, then start n8n:

docker volume create n8n_data

docker run -it --rm \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Europe/London" \
  -e TZ="Europe/London" \
  -e N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

Open http://localhost:5678 and create the owner account.

What each part does:

Setting	Why it matters
`-p 5678:5678`	n8n's web interface and webhooks listen on port 5678.
`-v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n`	Keeps workflows, credentials and the encryption key in the `n8n_data` volume. Without it, everything is lost when the container stops.
`GENERIC_TIMEZONE`, `TZ`	Sets the timezone used by schedule triggers and dates. Use a name from the tz database, such as `America/New_York`.
`--rm`	Removes the container when it stops. Your data is safe in the volume.

To keep n8n running in the background, replace -it --rm with -d --restart unless-stopped.

Option 2: The recommended Docker Compose setup

n8n's current Compose setup runs n8n alongside a sandbox service for running code safely, plus a small web-search service. It needs:

Docker Compose v2. Check with docker compose version.
At least 4 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs. The sandbox uses Docker-in-Docker, so a minimal server is too small.

The steps:

Make a folder for the project, for example ~/n8n.
Get the official compose.yml. It's linked from n8n's Docker Compose install page. Use that file rather than a copy from a blog, since its services change between releases.
Create a .env file with the variables the install page lists:
- the n8n and sandbox version numbers (pin them to the latest stable releases);
- secrets for the runner and the sandbox API. Generate a unique random value for each, for example with openssl rand -hex 32.
Start it:
```
docker compose up -d
docker compose ps
```
Wait until the sandbox-api service shows healthy; the other services start after it.
Check it's up:
```
curl -sf http://localhost:5678/healthz
```

Security notes from n8n's checklist:

The sandbox runner is privileged. It uses Docker-in-Docker, so never expose it to the internet. Only n8n's port should be open on your firewall.
Rotate the sandbox secrets now and then, and keep each one unique.

Use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite

By default n8n stores data in SQLite inside /home/node/.n8n. For production, n8n recommends PostgreSQL. Its n8n-hosting repository has a ready-made Compose example with Postgres. The settings n8n reads are:

DB_TYPE=postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=change-me
DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=public

Two things to know:

Keep the /home/node/.n8n volume even with Postgres. It still holds the encryption key, instance logs and source-control files. If you lose the encryption key, n8n can't decrypt your saved credentials.
Set PGDATA on Postgres 18. It changed its default data location, so setting PGDATA keeps data where earlier versions put it. Upgrading Postgres to a new major version by changing the image tag fails; back up with pg_dumpall first and follow PostgreSQL's upgrade steps.

Update n8n

Single container: pull the new image, then stop and start your container again with the same docker run command:

docker pull n8nio/n8n

Docker Compose: update the version in .env if you pinned one, then:

docker compose pull
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Back up your volume (or database) before upgrading across major versions.

Common problems

Workflows disappeared after a restart. The container ran without the -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n volume. Add it; data from a container that has already been removed can't be recovered.
"Credentials could not be decrypted". The encryption key in /home/node/.n8n changed or was lost. Always reuse the same volume.
Schedule triggers fire at the wrong hour. Set GENERIC_TIMEZONE and TZ.
Webhooks don't work from outside your network. On a server, put n8n behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS and a domain. n8n's built-in tunnel option is for local testing only, and its docs say it isn't safe for production.