> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.n8n.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration/use-environment-variables.md).

# Use environment variables

This section lists the environment variables that you can use to change n8n's configuration settings when self-hosting n8n.

For the complete and most up-to-date list of all environment variables, see the full reference in the n8n docs repository: [Full environment variables index](/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration/use-environment-variables.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
**File-based configuration**

You can provide a [configuration file](/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration.md) for n8n. You can also append `_FILE` to certain variables to provide their configuration in a separate file.
{% endhint %}