n8n-enterprise-unlocked/packages/testing/containers

n8n Test Containers - Usage Guide

A simple way to spin up n8n container stacks for development and testing.

Quick Start

# Start a basic n8n instance (SQLite database)
pnpm stack

# Start with PostgreSQL database
pnpm stack --postgres

# Start in queue mode (with Redis + PostgreSQL)
pnpm stack --queue

When started, you'll see:

• URL: http://localhost:[random-port]

Common Usage Patterns

Development with Container Reuse

# Enable container reuse (faster restarts)
pnpm run stack              # SQLite
pnpm run stack:postgres     # PostgreSQL
pnpm run stack:queue        # Queue mode
pnpm run stack:multi-main   # Multiple main instances

Queue Mode with Scaling

# Custom scaling: 3 main instances, 5 workers
pnpm stack --queue --mains 3 --workers 5

# Single main, 2 workers
pnpm stack --queue --workers 2

Environment Variables

# Set custom environment variables
pnpm run stack --postgres --env N8N_LOG_LEVEL=info --env N8N_ENABLED_MODULES=insights

Parallel Testing

# Run multiple stacks in parallel with unique names
pnpm run stack --name test-1 --postgres
pnpm run stack --name test-2 --queue

Custom Container Config

Via Command Line

# Pass any n8n env vars to containers
N8N_TEST_ENV='{"N8N_METRICS":"true"}' npm run stack:standard
N8N_TEST_ENV='{"N8N_LOG_LEVEL":"debug","N8N_METRICS":"true","N8N_ENABLED_MODULES":"insights"}' npm run stack:postgres

Programmatic Usage

import { createN8NStack } from './containers/n8n-test-containers';

// Simple SQLite instance
const stack = await createN8NStack();

// PostgreSQL with custom environment
const stack = await createN8NStack({
  postgres: true,
  env: { N8N_LOG_LEVEL: 'debug' }
});

// Queue mode with scaling
const stack = await createN8NStack({
  queueMode: { mains: 2, workers: 3 }
});

// Use the stack
console.log(`n8n available at: ${stack.baseUrl}`);

// Clean up when done
await stack.stop();

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Example
--postgres	Use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite	npm run stack -- --postgres
--queue	Enable queue mode with Redis	npm run stack -- --queue
--mains <n>	Number of main instances (requires queue mode)	--mains 3
--workers <n>	Number of worker instances (requires queue mode)	--workers 5
--name <name>	Custom project name for parallel runs	--name my-test
--env KEY=VALUE	Set environment variables	--env N8N_LOG_LEVEL=debug

Container Architecture

Single Instance (Default)

┌─────────────┐
│    n8n      │ ← SQLite database
│  (SQLite)   │
└─────────────┘

With PostgreSQL

┌─────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│    n8n      │────│ PostgreSQL   │
│             │    │              │
└─────────────┘    └──────────────┘

Queue Mode

┌─────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│  n8n-main   │────│ PostgreSQL   │    │   Redis     │
└─────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └─────────────┘
┌─────────────┐                        │             │
│ n8n-worker  │────────────────────────┘             │
└─────────────┘                                      │
┌─────────────┐                                      │
│ n8n-worker  │──────────────────────────────────────┘
└─────────────┘

Multi-Main with Load Balancer

                    ┌──────────────┐
                ────│              │ ← Entry point
               /    │ Load Balancer│
┌─────────────┐     └──────────────┘
│ n8n-main-1  │────┐
└─────────────┘    │ ┌──────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
┌─────────────┐    ├─│ PostgreSQL   │    │   Redis     │
│ n8n-main-2  │────┤ └──────────────┘    └─────────────┘
└─────────────┘    │                     │             │
┌─────────────┐    │ ┌─────────────────────────────────┤
│ n8n-worker  │────┘ │                                 │
└─────────────┘      └─────────────────────────────────┘

Cleanup

# Remove all n8n containers and networks
pnpm run stack:clean:all


## Tips

- **Container Reuse**: Set `TESTCONTAINERS_REUSE_ENABLE=true` for faster development cycles
- **Parallel Testing**: Use `--name` parameter to run multiple stacks without conflicts
- **Queue Mode**: Automatically enables PostgreSQL (required for queue mode)
- **Multi-Main**: Requires queue mode and special licensing read from N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY environment variable
- **Log Monitoring**: Use the `ContainerTestHelpers` class for advanced log monitoring in tests

## Docker Image

By default, uses the `n8nio/n8n:local` image. Override with:
```bash
export N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE=n8nio/n8n:dev
pnpm run stack