# n8n on EKS — Production Checklist (July 2026)

## Must

- [ ] External Postgres (RDS Multi-AZ); never SQLite in prod
- [ ] `EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue` + Redis/Valkey (ElastiCache) + worker pods
- [ ] Pin n8n image digests; pin Helm chart version in CI
- [ ] Prefer official `n8n-io/n8n-hosting` or maintained community chart — verify repo URL
- [ ] IRSA for AWS API calls; `N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY` from Secrets Manager + CMK
- [ ] ALB + ACM + WAF; NetworkPolicy; PDB across AZs

## Nice

- [ ] Dedicated webhook processors under load
- [ ] Karpenter / HPA (or KEDA on queue depth) for workers
- [ ] CronJob workflow JSON export → S3 + RDS backups

## Counter-case

Multiple main replicas without queue mode → duplicate executions.