Implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) for Your Self-Hosted n8n

Implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) for a self-hosted n8n instance is a critical step for enhancing security and streamlining user management. This process involves integrating n8n with an external Identity Provider (IdP) like Okta, Azure AD (Entra ID), or Google Workspace using protocols such as SAML or LDAP. It’s important to know that native SSO is an enterprise-level feature in n8n. While the Community Edition is incredibly powerful, it does not include the built-in functionality for direct SSO integration, which is reserved for licensed enterprise deployments to ensure robust security and user governance at scale.

Why Even Bother with SSO for Your n8n Instance?

Let’s be honest, how many passwords do you and your team have to remember? If your company is growing, managing user access for every single tool can become a serious headache for your IT department and a security risk. This is where implementing n8n self-hosted SSO isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic move.

Here’s the deal:

• Enhanced Security: By centralizing authentication, you can enforce your company-wide security policies, like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), directly on n8n access. No more worrying about weak or reused passwords for your automation platform.
• Improved User Experience: Your team gets to log in with the credentials they already use every day. One less password to remember means fewer password reset tickets and happier, more productive colleagues. It’s a win-win.
• Streamlined User Management: When an employee joins or leaves the company, you manage their access in one place—your central directory. Granting or revoking access to n8n happens automatically, drastically reducing administrative overhead and closing potential security gaps from lingering accounts.

For any organization that takes its data and security seriously, SSO is the standard. And when your automation platform has access to countless APIs and sensitive credentials, shouldn’t it be held to the same standard?

The Big Question: Community vs. Enterprise for SSO

This is where we need to be crystal clear, as it’s a frequent topic in the n8n community. The path to implementing SSO depends entirely on which version of n8n you are running.

SSO on n8n Enterprise: The Official Path

If you have an n8n Enterprise license, you’re in luck. The functionality is built right in and fully supported. n8n Enterprise primarily uses SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) for this purpose.

Think of it this way:

• SAML: This is like a security bouncer. When a user tries to access n8n, they are redirected to your company’s login page (the IdP). Once they successfully authenticate there, the IdP gives them a signed “ticket” (a SAML assertion) that they present to n8n. n8n trusts the ticket from your IdP and lets the user in without ever seeing their password. It’s the modern standard for web-based SSO.\n* LDAP: This is more like an internal address book. n8n can be configured to check usernames and passwords against your company’s directory (like Active Directory) directly. It’s a bit older but still widely used, especially for internal applications.\n
  With an Enterprise plan, setting this up is a matter of configuration, not custom coding. You’ll find dedicated settings in the UI to connect to providers like Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, and others.

The n8n Self Hosted SSO Conundrum on the Community Edition

So, can you implement SSO on the Community Edition? The short, direct answer is no, not in a native or supported way.

I’ve seen many clever developers ask about workarounds. The most common idea is to place a reverse proxy with an authentication module (like Authelia, Authentik, or Nginx with auth_request) in front of n8n. While this can restrict access to the n8n UI, it comes with a major caveat: the proxy handles authentication, but n8n itself remains completely unaware of the individual user. Everyone who gets past the proxy would be using the same underlying n8n owner account.

This approach completely misses the point of true SSO because you lose all the granular benefits:

• No individual user accounts within n8n.\n* No ability to use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).\n* No audit trail of which user performed which action.

Forking n8n to add this functionality yourself is also not a viable option. The necessary user management components are contained within the *.ee.* (enterprise edition) files, which are governed by n8n’s Sustainable Use License. Modifying these files or attempting to bypass the licensing restrictions is a violation of the terms and puts you in the difficult position of maintaining a custom fork, which will likely break with every new n8n update. It’s a path filled with technical debt and compliance risks.

A Real-World Example: Setting Up SAML with n8n Enterprise

Let’s imagine you’re setting up n8n Enterprise with Okta. The process is a straightforward exchange of information.

Step 1: In Your Identity Provider (Okta)

1. You’ll start by creating a new SAML application within your Okta admin dashboard.
2. Okta will ask for two key URLs from n8n: the Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL and the Entity ID. You’ll find these in your n8n’s SAML settings.\n3. The ACS URL is the endpoint in your n8n instance where Okta will send the user back after they’ve authenticated.\n4. You’ll then map user attributes. You want to tell Okta to send the user’s email, firstName, and lastName in the SAML assertion so n8n can provision their account correctly.

Step 2: In Your Self-Hosted n8n Instance

1. Once the Okta application is saved, Okta will provide you with its details: an IdP SSO URL, an IdP Issuer/Entity ID, and an x.509 Certificate.
2. You’ll navigate to the User Management -> SAML section in your n8n instance.
3. Here, you’ll simply copy and paste the values from Okta into the corresponding fields in n8n and enable the integration.

Step 3: Test and Go Live

After saving the configuration, your n8n login page will now present a “Login with SSO” option. The first time a user clicks this, they’ll be redirected to Okta to log in, and upon success, their n8n account will be automatically created. It’s a seamless and secure process that transforms n8n from a personal tool into an enterprise-ready platform.

Is an Enterprise License Worth It Just for SSO?

If you’re a solo developer running n8n for personal projects, the built-in user authentication is perfectly fine. But the moment you introduce a team, SSO becomes a foundational requirement for security and scalability.

Ultimately, the decision to upgrade isn’t just about SSO. It’s about a suite of features designed for teams: granular RBAC, dedicated workspaces, version control via Git, and audit logs. SSO is the gateway to making n8n a secure, governable, and truly collaborative part of your organization’s tech stack. For any serious business use, the investment in Enterprise is not just justified; it’s essential.