n8n 3.0 beta drops npm installs; support for n8n 1.x ends December 31

n8n released the beta of version 3.0.0 on October 27, 2026, and says the stable release follows in early December. The release ends support for running self-hosted n8n with npm or npx n8n, removes a long list of legacy nodes, and tightens several defaults. In the same post, n8n says support for n8n 1.x ends on December 31, 2026.

n8n says everything in 3.0 applies to self-hosted Community, Cloud, and Enterprise/Business editions. The post does not mention any change to pricing, plans or the license.

What changed

• Docker only for self-hosting. n8n’s breaking-changes page says “n8n 3.0 no longer supports installations run using npm or npx n8n.” Existing Docker Compose setups don’t need to change, and the blog says Kubernetes and Helm deployments are unaffected.
• Legacy nodes removed. Function, Item Lists, Cron, Interval, Read Binary File, the legacy OpenAI node and several vector store nodes are gone. The docs warn that “Workflows that use a removed node fail when they run.” Most have a recommended replacement; a few, such as LangChain Code, do not.
• Shorter Code node timeout. The default task timeout drops from 300 seconds (5 minutes) to 60 seconds (1 minute). It stays configurable through N8N_RUNNERS_TASK_TIMEOUT.
• Safer defaults. Unverified community packages are off by default, encryption key rotation is always on, and Slack credentials require a signing secret.
• No in-memory binary data. Instances using the old in-memory mode switch to filesystem storage on upgrade, so check that the disk has room.

Support dates

Version	What n8n says
1.x	Support ends December 31, 2026; no direct upgrade path to 3.x
2.x	Security and critical bug fixes for 12 months after the 3.x stable release
3.x	Beta now; stable in early December 2026; new features ship here only

n8n says moving to 3.x is one-way, so back up before upgrading. The docs do not say whether or when n8n Cloud instances are upgraded automatically.

What to do

If you self-host with npm, plan a move to Docker before you upgrade. Instances on version 2.39 or later have a Migration Report under Settings > Migration Report that flags affected workflows and can fix some issues for you to review. Teams still on 1.x need to get to 2.x first, since there is no direct path to 3.x.

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