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Alex Retana
Alex Retana

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Building Reproducible n8n Environments with CLI-Based Configuration Management

#n8n #docker #postgres #redis

Building Reproducible n8n Environments with CLI-Based Configuration Management

When you're building applications with n8n as a core component—not just using it as a standalone automation tool—you need a way to provision n8n instances with pre-configured credentials, workflows, and integrated services. This article shows you a pattern for creating fully reproducible n8n environments using the n8n CLI and environment variable substitution.

The Real Problem: n8n as an Application Component

Most n8n tutorials focus on getting started quickly. But what if you're building an application where n8n is one piece of a larger system? You need:

  • Reproducible environments - Same setup across dev, staging, production
  • Pre-configured credentials - Database connections ready to use
  • Integrated services - PostgreSQL for data storage, Redis for agent memory
  • Zero manual setup - No clicking through UIs to configure connections
  • Version controlled configuration - Infrastructure as code

This isn't about convenience—it's about treating n8n as a first-class component in your application stack.

The Solution: n8n CLI + Environment Variables

n8n includes powerful CLI commands that most people don't know about:

# Export all credentials to JSON n8n export:credentials --all --output=creds.json # Import credentials from JSON n8n import:credentials --input=creds.json # Export workflows n8n export:workflow --all --output=workflows.json # Import workflows n8n import:workflow --input=workflows.json
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These commands are the foundation of reproducible n8n deployments. But there's a problem: exported credentials contain hardcoded values. If you export a PostgreSQL credential, it has a specific password baked in.

The envsubst Trick

Here's the key insight: we can use envsubst to transform n8n credential exports into templates with environment variable placeholders.

Step 1: Export a credential manually (one time)

n8n export:credentials --all --output=creds.json
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Step 2: Replace hardcoded values with environment variables

Transform this:

{ "id": "postgres_local", "name": "Local PostgreSQL Database", "data": { "host": "postgres", "password": "some_hardcoded_password", "user": "n8n_user" }, "type": "postgres" }
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Into this template:

{ "id": "${N8N_POSTGRES_CREDENTIAL_ID}", "name": "Local PostgreSQL Database", "data": { "host": "${POSTGRES_HOST}", "password": "${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}", "user": "${POSTGRES_USER}", "database": "${POSTGRES_DB}", "port": ${POSTGRES_PORT} }, "type": "postgres" }
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Step 3: Use envsubst to substitute at runtime

envsubst < creds.json.template > creds.json n8n import:credentials --input=creds.json
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Now your credentials are environment-driven. Same template works in dev, staging, production—just different environment variables.

Why This Matters: Building Applications with n8n

This pattern unlocks powerful use cases:

1. AI Agents with Redis Memory

n8n's AI Agent node has a "Simple Memory" option that stores conversation history in n8n's database. For production AI applications, you want Redis instead:

  • Faster access times
  • Better scalability
  • Shared memory across n8n instances
  • TTL-based conversation expiry

With our pattern, you can provision n8n with Redis credentials already configured. Your workflows can immediately use Redis memory nodes without manual setup.

2. Multi-Tenant SaaS Applications

Spin up isolated n8n instances per customer, each with credentials for their dedicated database:

export POSTGRES_PASSWORD="${CUSTOMER_ID}_db_password" export REDIS_PASSWORD="${CUSTOMER_ID}_redis_password" ./provision-n8n.sh
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3. Development Environment Parity

Every developer gets the same n8n setup:

git clone your-app ./init-credentials.sh # Generate dev credentials ./start.sh # Everything works
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The Demo: Dockerized n8n with PostgreSQL and Redis

Our example repository demonstrates this pattern with a complete Docker Compose setup.

The Architecture 

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Docker Compose Environment │ │ │ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────┐ │ │ │ n8n │→ │ Postgres │ │Redis │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Creds │ │ (auto │ │(auto │ │ │ │ auto- │ │ config) │ │ cfg) │ │ │ │ imported│ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────┘ │ │ ↑ │ │ │ envsubst at startup │ │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ .env (generated secrets) │ │ │ │ POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<random> │ │ │ │ REDIS_PASSWORD=<random> │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
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How It Works

1. Generate Environment Variables

./init-credentials.sh
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This script creates a .env file with generated secrets:

POSTGRES_PASSWORD=$(openssl rand -base64 48 | tr -d "=+/" | cut -c1-32) REDIS_PASSWORD=$(openssl rand -base64 48 | tr -d "=+/" | cut -c1-32) N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
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2. Start with Exported Variables

Here's the critical part. Docker Compose can use ${VARIABLE} syntax, but only if those variables are exported to the environment:

#!/bin/bash # start.sh # This is the key - export all variables set -a source .env set +a docker-compose up -d --build
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The Gotcha: If you just run docker-compose up without exporting variables, your docker-compose.yml file won't resolve ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD} and services will fail to authenticate.

3. Docker Compose Provisions Services

services: postgres: image: postgres:15-alpine environment: POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD} # Resolved from exported env POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER} POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB} redis: image: redis:7-alpine command: redis-server --requirepass ${REDIS_PASSWORD} # Also resolved n8n: build: ./n8n environment: DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD} # Same password # ... other config depends_on: postgres: condition: service_healthy redis: condition: service_healthy
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4. n8n Container Auto-Imports Credentials

On first startup, our custom entrypoint:

# n8n/entrypoint.sh envsubst < /data/workflow_creds/decrypt_creds.json.template > /data/workflow_creds/decrypt_creds.json n8n import:credentials --input=/data/workflow_creds/decrypt_creds.json
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Now n8n has credentials for PostgreSQL and Redis, using the same passwords Docker Compose used to provision those services.

The Credential Template

Here's what the template looks like:

[ { "id": "${N8N_POSTGRES_CREDENTIAL_ID}", "name": "Local PostgreSQL Database", "data": { "host": "${POSTGRES_HOST}", "database": "${POSTGRES_DB}", "user": "${POSTGRES_USER}", "password": "${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}", "port": ${POSTGRES_PORT}, "ssl": "disable" }, "type": "postgres" }, { "id": "${N8N_REDIS_CREDENTIAL_ID}", "name": "Local Redis Cache", "data": { "password": "${REDIS_PASSWORD}", "host": "${REDIS_HOST}", "port": ${REDIS_PORT}, "database": 0 }, "type": "redis" } ]
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This template was originally created by:

  1. Manually creating credentials in n8n
  2. Exporting them with n8n export:credentials
  3. Replacing values with ${VARIABLE} placeholders

Now it's reusable across all environments.

Practical Use Case: Redis for AI Agent Memory

This setup shines when building AI agents with n8n. Instead of this:

AI Agent Node → Simple Memory (in n8n database)
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You can do this:

AI Agent Node → Redis Chat Memory Node → Redis (provisioned)
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Benefits:

  • Persistence across restarts - Conversation history survives n8n restarts
  • Shared state - Multiple n8n instances share conversation history
  • Performance - Redis is optimized for this access pattern
  • Scalability - Redis can handle millions of conversation threads

And the Redis credential is already configured—no manual setup required.

Extending the Pattern

Add MongoDB

1. Add to .env.example:

MONGO_PASSWORD=__GENERATED__
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2. Update credential template:

{ "id": "mongo_local", "name": "Local MongoDB", "data": { "host": "${MONGO_HOST}", "password": "${MONGO_PASSWORD}", "user": "${MONGO_USER}", "database": "${MONGO_DB}" }, "type": "mongoDb" }
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3. Add to docker-compose.yml:

mongo: image: mongo:7 environment: MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASSWORD}
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Import Workflows Too 

# In entrypoint.sh, after importing credentials: n8n import:workflow --input=/data/workflows/default-workflows.json
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This lets you ship n8n with pre-built workflows for your application.

The Repository

The complete implementation is available at:
github.com/alexretana/n8n-docker-demo

Use it as:

  • A starting point for your own n8n-based applications
  • A reference for the envsubst + CLI pattern
  • A foundation to build on

Quick Start 

git clone https://github.com/alexretana/n8n-docker-demo cd n8n-docker-demo ./init-credentials.sh # Generate secrets ./start.sh # Start everything # Access n8n at http://localhost:5678 # PostgreSQL and Redis credentials already configured
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Building Applications Around n8n

This pattern enables you to build applications where n8n is a component, not the entire application. Examples:

  • SaaS platforms - n8n handles workflow orchestration, your app handles user management
  • AI applications - n8n orchestrates AI agents, Redis stores conversation history
  • Data pipelines - n8n coordinates ETL, PostgreSQL stores results
  • Internal tools - n8n automates business processes, your app provides the UI

The key is treating n8n configuration as code. With the CLI + envsubst pattern, your n8n setup becomes reproducible, version-controlled, and automatable.

Invitation

The repository is open source and free to use. But more than that—I'd love to see what you build.

If you're creating an application around n8n:

  • Fork the repo and adapt it to your needs
  • Share what you're building - open an issue or discussion
  • Contribute improvements - PRs welcome
  • Ask questions - I'm happy to help

The pattern shown here is just a starting point. The real value comes from what you build on top of it.

Key Takeaways

  1. n8n CLI is powerful - Use export and import commands for configuration management
  2. envsubst bridges the gap - Transform exported configs into reusable templates
  3. Export variables in start scripts - Docker Compose needs them exported, not just in .env
  4. Treat n8n as a component - Build applications around it, not just use it standalone
  5. Configuration as code - Make your n8n setup reproducible and version-controlled

Happy building!

Further Reading:

Tags: #n8n #automation #docker #devops #postgresql #redis #ai #reproducibility

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