Would like to hire someone to restore files

[SSBAccount]

I have a backup sqLite that might have an issue.
The backup files appear and then they with slide away.
Can i hire someone to take a look and maybe fix?
This is what it does upon loading the page.

[King_Samuel_David]

did you backup the n8n folder also? How did u restore the sqlite file?

I like to know what causes this too.

[SSBAccount]

Yes. The UI is buggy with restore db

[SSBAccount]

I think the issue is the key in the backup files and the new key in the new install.
Switching hosting, will know soon.

[King_Samuel_David]

Ah Hey, I found this post now too, apologies I should have replied sooner, so you should have your key in the node folder

Your old key should be here in this location:

~/.n8n $ pwd
/home/node/.n8n
~/.n8n $ cat config 
{
        "encryptionKey": "changeEncryptionKey"
}~/.n8n $

Hope you get resolved

[Account_Support]

Yes, I was able to get the key updated with a current key, It still does this werid open and then slide away. You you be interested in attemping to open it ?

[King_Samuel_David]

Yes sure, always happy to help.

[Account_Support]

Shout out to King_Samuel_David

He was able to solve this issure.
Wasted hours with chatGPT attempting all sorts of stuff!

Thanks much!

[King_Samuel_David]

@Account_Support

Recovery RCA Report

Issue Summary:

The n8n Docker container failed to fully load workflows and credentials. Although the UI briefly showed data, it cleared shortly after. On subsequent attempts, the container failed to start due to an encryption key mismatch. The N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY specified in the Docker configuration did not match the key embedded in the volume-mounted config file located at /home/node/.n8n/config. This prevented decryption of the database.sqlite file, halting startup.

---

Root Cause:

A misalignment between the encryption key set via Docker environment variables and the key embedded in the persisted configuration (config) file caused n8n to fail the decryption check and abort startup. This issue arose after a change to the Dockerfile or environment without synchronizing the associated persistent data.

---

Resolution Steps:

1. Initial Investigation:

• Observed n8n container failing immediately after startup.
• UI showed workflows momentarily before clearing prior to encryption key change.
• Logs revealed encryption key mismatch preventing database decryption.
• Mismatching encryption keys. The encryption key in the settings file /home/node/.n8n/config does not match the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY env var. Please make sure both keys match. More information: https://docs.n8n.io/hosting/environment-variables/configuration-methods/#encryption-key

2. Environment Validation:

• Identified discrepancy between N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY in Docker Compose and the key in /home/node/.n8n/config.
• Attempted to inspect and mount the volume on a temporary container to manually edit config, but the volume did not mount successfully or appear via host file system.

3. Bypass Key Validation:

• Removed the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY from the Docker Compose file temporarily.
• This allowed the container to boot without enforcing the key check.

4. Manual Configuration Fix:

• Replaced the volume’s config and database.sqlite with files from a known good backup.
• Ensured that the encryption key in config matched the backup database.sqlite.

5. User Access Restoration:

• Upon accessing the Login, the previous login details was incorrect so I executed:

n8n user-management:reset

• Re-entered user credentials to re-enable UI access.
  *DONT FORGET TO RESTART

---

Final Outcome:

• The container now starts successfully.
• Workflows and credentials are visible and intact.
• Backup restoration and manual configuration ensured system integrity.
• n8n is fully operational, and login access is functional.

[Account_Support]

Ahh, yes. That was something we worked on but was unable to get it to work. Thanks again.