Run queue mode locally

On Start here, you ran n8n as one process with SQLite. On this page, we start queue mode on your machine, run your workflow on a worker, and add a second main.

Start Redis and PostgreSQL

Queue mode needs Redis and PostgreSQL. From repository root:

pnpm --dir packages/quality/environments/containers \
  services --services postgres,redis

The command also configures queue mode for each n8n process that starts from packages/cli/bin/.

Start a main and a worker

Start a main in a new data folder:

N8N_USER_FOLDER=$HOME/.n8n-queue \
  OFFLOAD_MANUAL_EXECUTIONS_TO_WORKERS=true \
  pnpm start

In a second terminal, start a worker in the same data folder, on another port:

cd packages/cli/bin
N8N_USER_FOLDER=$HOME/.n8n-queue \
  N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5680 \
  ./n8n worker

When the worker is ready, it logs n8n worker is now ready.

Run a workflow on the worker

The new database is empty. Open http://localhost:5678, create the owner account, and build the workflow from Start here again. Publish it, then call it:

curl -s -X POST localhost:5678/webhook/hello \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"Nathan"}'

The answer is the same as on Start here:

{"greeting":"Hello, Nathan"}

This time, the main enqueued the execution, the worker ran it, and the main sent the result back.

Add a second main

Multi-main needs a dev n8n license key with the multi-main feature. Ask your team for one, and export it in your shell as N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY.

Stop the main, and start it again with multi-main turned on:

N8N_USER_FOLDER=$HOME/.n8n-queue \
  N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED=true \
  OFFLOAD_MANUAL_EXECUTIONS_TO_WORKERS=true \
  pnpm start

In a third terminal, start the second main on other ports:

cd packages/cli/bin
N8N_USER_FOLDER=$HOME/.n8n-queue \
  N8N_MULTI_MAIN_SETUP_ENABLED=true \
  OFFLOAD_MANUAL_EXECUTIONS_TO_WORKERS=true \
  N8N_PORT=5681 \
  N8N_RUNNERS_BROKER_PORT=5682 \
  ./n8n start

The first main is the leader. Call the webhook on the second main:

curl -s -X POST localhost:5681/webhook/hello \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"Nathan"}'

{"greeting":"Hello, Nathan"}

The second main logs Enqueued execution 2 (job 2). Both mains put jobs on the same queue, so the worker runs this execution too.

Move the leader

Stop the first main with Ctrl+C. Within a few seconds, the second main becomes the leader.

If your code runs only on the leader, check that it stops on the old leader and starts on the new one.

Clean up

Stop all the n8n processes with Ctrl+C. Then remove the Redis and PostgreSQL containers:

pnpm --dir packages/quality/environments/containers \
  services:clean

Remove the folder $HOME/.n8n-queue/ when you no longer need this instance.