n8n-docs/docs/hosting/configuration/environment-variables/security.md

title	description	contentType	tags	hide
Security environment variables	Configure authentication and environment variable access in self-hosted n8n instance.	reference	environment variables	toc tags

Security environment variables

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Variable	Type	Default	Description
N8N_BLOCK_ENV_ACCESS_IN_NODE	Boolean	false	Whether to allow users to access environment variables in expressions and the Code node (false) or not (true).
N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO	String		Limits access to files in these directories. Provide multiple files as a colon-separated list (":").
N8N_BLOCK_FILE_ACCESS_TO_N8N_FILES	Boolean	true	Set to true to block access to all files in the .n8n directory and user defined configuration files.
N8N_SECURITY_AUDIT_DAYS_ABANDONED_WORKFLOW	Number	90	Number of days to consider a workflow abandoned if it's not executed.
N8N_SECURE_COOKIE	Boolean	true	Ensures that cookies are only sent over HTTPS, enhancing security.
N8N_SAMESITE_COOKIE	Enum string: strict, lax, none	lax	Controls cross-site cookie behavior (learn more): strict: Sent only for first-party requests. lax (default): Sent with top-level navigation requests. none: Sent in all contexts (requires HTTPS).