How to update nodes in n8n?

A node in n8n is updated by updating n8n itself. Nodes are bundled with the platform, so you don’t update a single node in isolation. To get the latest node versions, you upgrade the whole n8n application (Cloud updates automatically; self‑hosted must update Docker image or package). After updating, all existing workflows keep their current configuration, but the underlying node code is new.

 

What “updating a node” really means in n8n

 

In n8n, nodes are not separate plugins you patch one‑by‑one. Each release of n8n contains the full library of nodes. When the n8n team ships improvements (new parameters, fixed auth handling, API changes, UI improvements), those changes are included in a new version of the platform itself. So the only real way to update a node is to update your n8n version.

• n8n Cloud updates automatically — your nodes are always the newest stable release.
• Self-hosted Docker updates when you pull a new Docker image.
• Self-hosted installed via npm/apt/yarn updates when you upgrade the package.

After upgrading, your workflows reopen normally. Sometimes you’ll see new fields or slightly different behavior in a node — that’s the updated node.

 

How to update nodes (self‑hosted)

 

For most production environments, you’re running n8n via Docker. Updating nodes means pulling the new n8n image and restarting the container.

// Stop your current n8n container
docker stop n8n

// Pull the newest stable image
docker pull n8nio/n8n:latest

// Start again with your usual run command or docker-compose
docker-compose up -d

If you deploy via docker‑compose, you normally only run:

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Once the new container is running, the nodes inside it are updated.

 

How to check which version of nodes you are on

 

You check by checking your n8n version (because node versions = n8n version). In the UI, open the bottom-left menu → About. For self-hosted, you can also run:

docker exec -it n8n n8n --version

When reading the changelog for that version on n8n.io, you’ll see which nodes were modified.

 

Important production advice when upgrading nodes

 

• Always test updates in a staging instance first, because node updates sometimes change parameter names or output structure.
• Review the n8n changelog for any breaking changes in the nodes you use (Webhook node, HTTP Request node, and Google/Airtable nodes often receive updates).
• Back up your n8n database (Postgres or SQLite) before upgrading so you can revert if needed.
• Long-running workflows continue using the version they started with, and the new version applies only to new executions.

 

What you cannot do

 

• You cannot click a button to update a single node.
• You cannot install “custom node updates” unless you build custom community nodes yourself.
• You cannot mix node versions inside one n8n instance.

 

So in practical terms, keeping nodes up to date simply means keeping your n8n version up to date. When n8n updates, all nodes update with it.