How to connect n8n to MySQL?

The direct answer is: you connect n8n to MySQL by creating a MySQL credential inside n8n and then using the built‑in MySQL node in your workflow. You point the credential to your database host, port, username, password, and database name. After that, you can run real SQL queries (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) directly from n8n nodes.

 

What you actually do in n8n

 

n8n talks to MySQL using its built‑in MySQL node. n8n does not magically “scan your database”; you explicitly run SQL queries. A credential is simply stored connection info (host, username, etc.) so nodes can connect without exposing passwords in your workflow JSON.

• MySQL node runs SQL queries.
• Credentials store DB connection information.
• Expressions let you insert workflow data into your SQL queries.

 

Step‑by‑step: Creating the connection

 

• Open n8n, go to Credentials.
• Create a new credential of type MySQL.
• Fill the fields:
  • Host: IP or domain (for Docker, this might be the container name).
  • Port: usually 3306.
  • User: your MySQL user.
  • Password: your MySQL password.
  • Database: the DB name you want n8n to use.
• Click Test. If it passes, the connection is valid.

If the test fails, it’s usually networking: Docker networks, firewalls, or MySQL not allowing external connections. n8n needs permission to access the DB — this is not automatic.

 

Using the MySQL node

 

In any workflow:

• Add a MySQL node.
• Select the credential you created.
• Choose Operation → Execute Query.
• Write your SQL. Example:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = {{$json.email}};  // Using incoming workflow data

n8n will return rows as JSON. Each row becomes an item, which you can send to the next node (Slack, HTTP Request, another DB, etc.).

 

A realistic INSERT example

 

INSERT INTO orders (user_id, total_price, created_at)
VALUES ({{$json.userId}}, {{$json.total}}, NOW());

Expressions (like {{$json.userId}}) pull values from previous nodes. This is how you pass API data into SQL safely.

 

If you're running n8n in Docker

 

The most common connection mistake: using localhost. Inside Docker, localhost means "inside the same container", not your machine. If MySQL is another container, use its container name:

• MySQL container name: mysql
• Host in n8n credential: mysql, not localhost

If MySQL is running on the host machine, you usually connect to host.docker.internal (Mac/Windows) or the host IP for Linux.

 

Production considerations (important)

 

• Do not hardcode passwords in nodes — always use credentials.
• Enable SSL if the database is outside your private network.
• Long queries can exceed the workflow timeout; keep heavy logic in the DB or external service.
• Sanitize your inputs. n8n expressions are inserted raw into SQL; always validate or use known-safe values.
• Error workflows help monitor DB failures (timeouts, deadlocks, bad credentials).

 

The bottom line

 

To connect n8n to MySQL, you create a MySQL credential with host/user/password/database, test it, and then use the MySQL node to run SQL. From there, you can read or write data as part of any workflow, using expressions to feed real-time values into your queries. This setup is stable for production as long as networking, permissions, and timeouts are correctly configured.