Fix 3 Redis Authentication Failures in n8n Fast

export N8N_REDIS_HOST=redis.my-domain.com
export N8N_REDIS_PORT=6379
export N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD=SuperSecret123   # or N8N_REDIS_USERNAME=myuser

redis-cli INFO server | grep redis_version

requirepass SuperSecret123

Restart Redis for the change to take effect.

3.2 ACL‑based user (recommended)

Create a dedicated user with a restricted keyspace:

ACL SETUSER n8n_user on >SuperSecret123 ~n8n:* +@all

• on – enable the user.
• >SuperSecret123 – set the password.
• ~n8n:* – limit keys to the n8n: prefix.
• +@all – grant all command categories (adjust as needed).

EEFA: Never grant +@admin to a workflow‑engine user. Limit to the smallest command set required. Learn how to handle Redis timeout issues in n8n effectively in our detailed n8n Redis guide.

4. Pass Credentials to n8n

n8n reads the following environment variables (see the official docs for defaults):

4.1 Docker‑Compose example

Service definitions

services:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    command: ["redis-server", "/usr/local/etc/redis/redis.conf"]
    volumes:
      - ./redis.conf:/usr/local/etc/redis/redis.conf
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"

n8n container

  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    environment:
      - N8N_REDIS_HOST=redis
      - N8N_REDIS_PORT=6379
      - N8N_REDIS_USERNAME=n8n_user   # only if using ACL
      - N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD=SuperSecret123
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    depends_on:
      - redis

4.2 Kubernetes secret & deployment

Secret (stores credentials securely)

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: redis-auth
type: Opaque
stringData:
  N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD: SuperSecret123
  N8N_REDIS_USERNAME: n8n_user   # optional

Deployment (injects the secret)

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: n8n
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: n8n
          image: n8nio/n8n:latest
          envFrom:
            - secretRef:
                name: redis-auth
          env:
            - name: N8N_REDIS_HOST
              value: redis-service
            - name: N8N_REDIS_PORT
              value: "6379"

EEFA: Never commit passwords into source control. Use a secrets manager (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault) and inject at runtime.

5. Validate the Connection

Run the same commands n8n will use, substituting your actual values:

export N8N_REDIS_HOST=redis.my-domain.com
export N8N_REDIS_PORT=6379
export N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD=SuperSecret123
export N8N_REDIS_USERNAME=n8n_user   # if ACL

Password‑only test

redis-cli -h $N8N_REDIS_HOST -p $N8N_REDIS_PORT \
          -a $N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD ping

ACL test

redis-cli -h $N8N_REDIS_HOST -p $N8N_REDIS_PORT \
          -u $N8N_REDIS_USERNAME -a $N8N_REDIS_PASSWORD ping

*Success*: PONG
*Failure*: error message → map to the table in **Section 1**.

6. Troubleshooting Checklist

7. Production‑Grade Enhancements

EEFA: When enabling TLS, set REDIS_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=no only in dev. In production, keep the default (yes) to enforce certificate validation. Confused by Redis command errors in n8n? Our n8n Redis guide has all the fixes you need.

8. When to Switch from Password to ACL

10. Next Steps / Related Topics

• Configure Redis persistence to avoid data loss after restarts.
• Set up Redis Sentinel for automatic failover with n8n.
• Implement per‑workflow ACLs for fine‑grained security (see sibling article).

*All commands assume a Unix‑like shell. Adjust syntax for Windows PowerShell as needed.*

Conclusion

Securely connecting n8n to Redis hinges on matching Redis’s authentication mode (password vs. ACL) with the environment variables n8n reads. Verify the Redis version, configure either requirepass or an ACL user, expose the credentials via safe env‑vars (or secrets), and restart n8n. A quick redis-cli ping confirms the setup. For production, add TLS, network policies, and Sentinel to meet reliability and compliance requirements. Following these steps eliminates the “Redis authentication failed” error and ensures a robust, scalable n8n deployment.