If you self-host n8n, version 3.0 is the upgrade you cannot put off planning for. It changes how you install it, how long your Code nodes can run, which nodes still exist, and how one popular credential works. None of it is hard to handle, but every one of these changes can break a workflow that is running fine today.

Here is what is changing, and the checklist I would run through before touching the upgrade button. The release window is October 2026.

Docker becomes the only supported install

Self-hosted n8n becomes Docker-only in 3.0. npm and npx installs stop being supported. If you installed n8n with npm or npx and have been upgrading that way, that path ends here.

The move is to migrate your instance to Docker before you upgrade. That means exporting your workflows and credentials, standing up the Docker container, and confirming everything imports and runs before you point your real traffic at it.…