Robust Concurrency Control for n8n Workflows with Redis
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Prevent simultaneous execution of critical n8n workflows or tasks using a centralized, Redis-backed locking mechanism. This reusable utility workflow ensures data integrity and resource management by allowing other workflows to acquire, check, and release locks.
About This Workflow
In complex automation scenarios, preventing multiple instances of a workflow from running concurrently is crucial for data consistency and resource optimization. This n8n utility workflow provides a robust solution for concurrency control, leveraging Redis as a distributed locking mechanism. Designed to be called by your main workflows, it offers simple set, get, and unset actions to manage task-specific locks. Whether you're preventing duplicate API calls, managing shared database access, or ensuring a single instance of a long-running report, this workflow offers a reliable way to orchestrate your automations safely and efficiently.
Key Features
- Centralized Concurrency Management: Implement a single source of truth for workflow locks across your n8n instance.
- Reusable Utility: Easily integrate this locking mechanism into any of your workflows using the
Execute Workflownode. - Flexible Lock Operations: Supports
set(acquire lock),get(check lock status), andunset(release lock) actions. - Key-Based Locking: Define unique
keysfor specific tasks or resources, allowing granular control over concurrency. - (Implicit) Redis-Backed Reliability: Though not explicitly shown in this snippet, the workflow's name implies robust, performant locking using Redis.
How To Use
- Import this Workflow: Add this JSON to your n8n instance as a new workflow. Note its Workflow ID for later use.
- Call from Your Main Workflow: In the workflow where you want to implement concurrency control, add an
Execute Workflownode. - Configure
Execute WorkflowNode:- Select this concurrency control workflow by its ID or name.
- Under
Workflow Inputs, define theactionandkeyparameters based on your need.
- To Acquire a Lock (Start a Task):
- Set
actiontoset. - Provide a unique
keythat identifies your specific task (e.g.,processing_invoice_{{$json.invoiceId}}). - Optionally, set
value(e.g.,active) andtimeout(in seconds) for automatic lock expiry.
- Set
- To Check if a Lock Exists (Is Task Active?):
- Set
actiontoget. - Provide the same
keyused to acquire the lock. - Use an
Ifnode after thisExecute Workflownode to check the output. If the output is empty or null, the lock is free; otherwise, it's active.
- Set
- To Release a Lock (Finish a Task):
- Set
actiontounset. - Provide the
keyof the lock you wish to release.
- Set
Apps Used
Workflow JSON
{
"id": "762dc4a0-ea81-4518-9fd6-c7e453fc9737",
"name": "Robust Concurrency Control for n8n Workflows with Redis",
"nodes": 21,
"category": "DevOps",
"status": "active",
"version": "1.0.0"
}Note: This is a sample preview. The full workflow JSON contains node configurations, credentials placeholders, and execution logic.
Get This Workflow
ID: 762dc4a0-ea81...
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