The open-source workflow automation platform n8n released version 2.0 in beta on December 8, and it's not what most users expected. There are no flashy features or UI overhauls. Instead, the team focused entirely on security hardening, reliability fixes, and performance tuning.
The biggest change: task runners are now enabled by default. Every Code node execution runs in an isolated environment with limited system access. Environment variables are blocked from Code nodes, and nodes that allow arbitrary command execution are disabled out of the box. Users who need the old behavior can re-enable it, but they'll have to do so explicitly. The company calls it "secure by default."
On the performance side, a new SQLite pooling driver delivers up to 10x faster speeds in n8n's benchmarks. The team also introduced a new Publish/Save paradigm for workflow editing. Previously, saving an activated workflow pushed changes to production immediately. Now, Save preserves edits without touching the live version. A separate Publish button handles deployment when you're ready.
n8n built a Migration Report tool (available in Settings for admins on version 1.119.0+) that flags which workflows and configurations need attention before upgrading. Version 1.x will receive security patches for three months after the 2.0 stable release, then it's done.
Since launching 1.0 in July 2023, n8n has grown from 30,000 to over 160,000 GitHub stars. The community forum jumped from 6,267 to 115,192 members. The team expanded from 30 to 190+ employees. Stable release drops December 15.
The Bottom Line: n8n 2.0 is a maintenance release disguised as a major version, shipping 18 months of breaking changes that prioritize isolation and security over new capabilities.
QUICK FACTS
- Beta released December 8, 2025; stable version arrives December 15
- Task runners enabled by default for isolated code execution
- SQLite pooling driver benchmarks up to 10x faster
- GitHub stars grew from 30,000 to 160,000+ since v1.0 (July 2023)
- Version 1.x supported with security patches for 3 months post-launch
- Team size: 190+ employees, up from 30 at v1.0
