Skip to content

Supported databases#

By default, n8n uses SQLite to save credentials, past executions, and workflows. However, n8n also supports PostgresDB and MySQL.

Shared settings#

The following environment variables get used by all databases:

  • DB_TABLE_PREFIX (default: -) - Prefix for table names

PostgresDB#

To use PostgresDB as the database, you can provide the following environment variables:

  • DB_TYPE=postgresdb
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE (default: 'n8n')
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST (default: 'localhost')
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT (default: 5432)
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_USER (default: 'root')
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD (default: empty)
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA (default: 'public')
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA (default: undefined): Path to the server's CA certificate used to validate the connection (opportunistic encryption is not supported)
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CERT (default: undefined): Path to the client's TLS certificate
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_KEY (default: undefined): Path to the client's private key corresponding to the certificate
  • DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED (default: true): If TLS connections that fail validation should be rejected
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
export DB_TYPE=postgresdb
export DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
export DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgresdb
export DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
export DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
export DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=n8n
export DB_POSTGRESDB_SCHEMA=n8n

# optional:
export DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_CA=$(pwd)/ca.crt
export DB_POSTGRESDB_SSL_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=false

n8n start

TLS#

You can choose between these configurations:

  • Not declaring (default): Connect with SSL=off
  • Declaring only the CA and unauthorized flag: Connect with SSL=on and verify the server's signature
  • Declaring _{CERT,KEY} and the above: Use the certificate and key for client TLS authentication

MySQL / MariaDB#

To use MySQL or MariaDB, provide the following environment variables:

  • DB_TYPE=mysqldb or DB_TYPE=mariadb
  • DB_MYSQLDB_DATABASE (default: 'n8n')
  • DB_MYSQLDB_HOST (default: 'localhost')
  • DB_MYSQLDB_PORT (default: 3306)
  • DB_MYSQLDB_USER (default: 'root')
  • DB_MYSQLDB_PASSWORD (default: empty)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
export DB_TYPE=mysqldb
export DB_MYSQLDB_DATABASE=n8n
export DB_MYSQLDB_HOST=mysqldb
export DB_MYSQLDB_PORT=3306
export DB_MYSQLDB_USER=n8n
export DB_MYSQLDB_PASSWORD=n8n

n8n start

SQLite#

This is the default database that gets used if nothing is defined.

The database file is located at: ~/.n8n/database.sqlite

Other databases#

n8n officially supports SQLite, PostgresDB, and MySQL.

n8n internally uses TypeORM, so adding support for the following databases should be possible:

  • CockroachDB
  • Microsoft SQL
  • Oracle

If you can't use any of the supported databases for some reason and you can code, consider submitting a pull request. You can also request support here.