Module 11 Lesson 1: n8n User Management

As your automation footprint grows, you won't be the only one using n8n. You might have a marketing person, a sales lead, and a junior developer. User Management ensures they don't accidentally delete each other's work.

1. The Pro/Enterprise Feature

Note: Advanced User Management (RBAC) is primarily available on n8n Cloud or the Enterprise/Self-hosted (Paid) plans.

In the Free version, every user is usually an "Admin."

2. Basic Roles (RBAC)

Owner: Full access to settings, credentials, and billing.
Admin: Can manage all workflows and teams, but not billing.
Member/Editor: Can build and run workflows in their assigned projects.
Viewer: Can see the workflows but not change them.

3. Team Sharing

Instead of sharing everything with everyone, you create Projects (or Folders/Teams).

"The Marketing Team" has its own folder.
They can't see the "HR Team" workflows (which might contain sensitive salary data).

4. The "Least Privilege" Principle

Always start a new user with the lowest possible permission level. If they only need to look at logs to debug a lead failure, give them "Viewer" access. This reduces the risk of accidental outages.

Exercise: The Security Audit

Go to Settings -> Users.
If you are on the free version, what is the default role for a new user?
Imagine you have a consultant joining for 1 week. Which role would you give them?
How do you prevent users from seeing your private Credentials?
Research: What is "SSO (Single Sign-On)" and how can it be used to sync n8n with your company's Google or Active Directory account?

Summary

User Management is about Delegation with Confidence. By correctly setting up roles and projects, you allow your team to move fast without the fear of breaking the "Engine" that runs your business.

Next Lesson: Hardening the doors: Securing Webhooks with API Keys and Tokens.