Docker container fails to load existing n8n account with mapped volumes

It sounds like your n8n container isn’t picking up your previously persisted data. In a typical Docker setup for n8n, your credentials and settings (including any existing user account) are stored in the /home/node/.n8n folder. If that directory isn’t mapped to persistent storage via a Docker volume, every time you start a new container n8n will initialize as if it were a fresh install and ask you to create an account.

Here are some points to check:

1. Volume Mapping:
   Make sure that you have created and correctly mounted a Docker volume (for example, n8n_data) to the /home/node/.n8n folder. A proper example command is:

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   docker volume create n8n_data
   
   docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

   This ensures that the data stored in /home/node/.n8n persists between container restarts.

2. Encryption Key Issues:
   The encryption key (by default generated on first run) is stored in that same directory. If you’re not setting the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY environment variable (or if the key changes) and you start with a new volume or a different key, n8n won’t recognize the stored credentials and will prompt you to create a new account. Ensure you set a consistent encryption key if you plan to reuse your persisted data:

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   -e N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY="your-consistent-encryption-key"

3. Data Location:
   If you’ve signed up and paid for an account on a previous instance, make sure that the same volume is being used. If a new empty volume is mounted, n8n won’t find your previous credentials and settings, forcing you to create a new account.

By ensuring that you have correctly mapped the persistent volume and are using consistent environment variables (especially the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY), your container should be able to pick up your existing n8n account instead of prompting you to create a new one.