Announcing n8n version 3.0

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I’m happy to share that we’ve released n8n version 3.0.0 BETA (v3 for short), with a focus on reliability, stability, and security.

Almost a year ago, I posted about v2, and this release follows a similar pattern: most of the work is under the hood. These are internal changes we needed to make, and they also lay the groundwork for the improvements we’re building next.

So why a new major version if there aren’t big new features?

Because we follow semantic versioning, we don’t ship breaking changes without bumping the major version number. Over the past year we’ve collected a set of breaking changes we wanted to make, and v3 brings them together in one release. And while v3 itself doesn’t add big new features, everything new we build after the stable release will ship on v3.

I know “breaking changes” isn’t anyone’s favorite phrase :slight_smile: We’ve put a lot of work into making the move as smooth as possible, starting with the Migration Report (more on that below).

We’re posting this a few days before the beta so you know what to expect and have a place to ask questions.

When is this happening?

We’re planning to release:

  • Version 3.0.0 (beta) on October 27th.
  • Version 3.x (stable) in early December.

Please follow our release notes page for the latest updates: Release notes | Changelog | n8n Docs

How will I try the beta?

The beta will be released on October 27th, there’s no sign-up needed:

  • Self-hosted: install it like any other beta release.
  • n8n Cloud: pick 3.0.0 Beta (early access) when you change your n8n version.

One important thing before you try it: moving to 3.x is one way. There’s no going back to 2.x afterwards, so please try it on a test instance first and take a full backup.

What are the breaking changes?

The full list, with what to do for each one, is on the dedicated docs page: v3.0 Breaking changes | Changelog | n8n Docs

Here are the main ones:

  • Legacy nodes removed.
    Function, Function Item, Item Lists, Cron, Interval, the legacy OpenAI node, older AI Agent modes and a few others. Most of them have a direct replacement.
  • Safer security defaults.
    For example, encryption key rotation is always on, and Slack credentials need a signing secret.
  • Self-hosted runs on Docker.
    Installing with npm or npx n8n is no longer supported. If that’s how you run n8n today, the one-line setup is the quickest way to switch. Kubernetes and Helm setups aren’t affected.
  • A few features retired.
    Chat Hub is turned off by default (you can turn it back on for 3.x), and Import from URL is removed from the editor.

How do I know if I’m affected?

The Migration Report shows which of your workflows and instance settings need attention before you upgrade, so you don’t have to check every change by hand.

  • You’ll find it under Settings > Migration Report on version 2.39 or later. The latest 2.x version has the newest version of the report.
  • Many issues can be fixed automatically from the report, and each fix is saved as a new workflow version for you to review and publish.
  • Admins can assign workflows to their owners, and n8n emails them what to fix.
  • Unlike v2, it’s not just for admins. Admins see every workflow, and other users see the workflows they have access to.

Here’s the path we recommend:

  1. Update to the latest 2.x version and open the Migration Report.
  2. Fix (or mark as “won’t fix”) everything it flags.
  3. Take a full backup.
  4. Upgrade a test or staging instance first, then production.

Does the free self-hosted community version get all of the v3 updates?

Yes. All of the changes in v3 apply to everyone: free self-hosted (community), cloud and enterprise/business versions of n8n. The Migration Report is available in all of them too.

What about version 2.x?

Version 2.x will keep getting security and critical bug fixes for 12 months after the v3 stable release. From the stable release on, new features only ship on v3.

I’m still on version 1.x. What should I do?

Upgrade to v2 first, then to v3, since there’s no direct path from v1 to v3. Support for version 1.x ends on December 31st, 2026.

What if I have questions?

The best place to ask is here in the community forum. Simply reply to this post.

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Thanks for the update @Ophir_Prusak . Exited and cannot wait to see 3,0. However, I would like to highlight that current n8n academy courses are heavily dependent on nodes such as Workflow Trigger, HTTP Request Tool and few others, which are in the removal list of 3.0. Hope the academy moderators take initiaves to make necessary adjustments.

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Hi Paul,

I think there might be some confusion regarding what’s being deprecated in v3.
We couldn’t find any nodes currently being used in the academy that are going away in v3.

The HTTP request node is not going anywhere.
We’re removing the HTTP request TOOL node (that’s something else).

Also, I’m guessing you might be thinking of the Manual Trigger node. The Workflow Trigger node is something else.

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Hi @Ophir_Prusak , then I might have misread the change document and thought the given list is the list of ‘Removed Nodes’ as in the attached screenshot. Anyway, I do appreciate your response and clarification.

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