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Understanding Docker Tags and Semantic Versioning

🧩 Semantic Versioning (major.minor.patch)

n8n uses semantic versioning, which means:

Part Example in 1.119.0 Meaning
major 1 Introduces breaking changes or big new features
minor 119 Adds features or improvements, backwards compatible
patch 0 Bug fixes, small improvements, no breaking changes
Tag Meaning Recommendation
stable Latest version tested and approved for production ✅ Recommended
latest Most recently published build (may include something not yet declared stable) ⚠ Can change unexpectedly
beta / next Preview of the next version, feature-in-progress ❌ Not recommended for production
alpha Early experimental build (very unstable) ❌ Never use in production
rc / release-candidate A version close to stable, awaiting validation ⚠ For testing before production
1.119.0 Fixed version (semantic versioning: major.minor.patch) ✅ Full control / reproducible deployments

✅ Recommendation

For production environments:

How to choose a stable version?
Use versions within the latest minor but with a patch > 0 if you want to avoid the very first build of that minor.

Examples: https://hub.docker.com/r/n8nio/n8n/tags

Docker Tag Recommendation
docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest Not recommended for production (may change without notice).
docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:stable ⚠️ Acceptable, but still doesn’t guarantee a specific version.
docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:1.118.2 ✅ RECOMMENDED for production (Full control, fixed version with patch > 0).
docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:1.119.0 ⚠️ Technically stable, but it’s the first build of the minor version (patch = 0). Better wait for .1 or .2.