File Operation Nodes

File operation nodes read and write files on the filesystem.

Read Binary File Node

Read files from the filesystem with encoding options and metadata.

Type

n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
filePath	string	Yes	-	Path to file (supports expressions)
encoding	string	No	binary	Output encoding
includeHashes	boolean	No	false	Calculate file hashes

Encoding Options

Encoding	Description
binary	Raw binary data
base64	Base64 encoded
hex	Hexadecimal encoded
utf8	UTF-8 text
text	Plain text

Examples

Read Text File

{
  "id": "read-1",
  "name": "Read Config",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile",
  "position": [450, 300],
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/app/config/settings.json",
    "encoding": "utf8"
  }
}

Read with Dynamic Path

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/uploads/{{ $json.filename }}",
    "encoding": "base64"
  }
}

Read with Hashes

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/document.pdf",
    "encoding": "binary",
    "includeHashes": true
  }
}

Output

{
  "json": {
    "data": "file content or encoded data",
    "fileName": "settings.json",
    "fileSize": 1024,
    "mimeType": "application/json",
    "modifiedTime": "2024-01-26T10:00:00Z",
    "hashes": {
      "md5": "abc123...",
      "sha1": "def456...",
      "sha256": "ghi789...",
      "sha512": "jkl012..."
    }
  }
}

Field	Description
data	File content (in requested encoding)
fileName	File name
fileSize	Size in bytes
mimeType	Detected MIME type
modifiedTime	Last modification time
hashes	File hashes (if requested)

Security

The node enforces security restrictions:

• Directory restrictions - Only reads from allowed directories
• Size limits - Default 100MB maximum
• Path traversal protection - Prevents ../ attacks

---

Write Binary File Node

Write data to files on the filesystem.

Type

n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
filePath	string	Yes	-	Destination path
dataSource	string	No	binary	Data source type
encoding	string	No	auto	Input encoding
createDirectory	boolean	No	false	Create parent dirs
overwrite	boolean	No	false	Overwrite existing
keepOriginalData	boolean	No	false	Preserve input data

Data Source Options

Source	Description
binary	Binary data from input
json	JSON data to write
expression	Value from expression

Encoding Options

Encoding	Description
auto	Auto-detect
utf8	UTF-8 text
base64	Decode from base64
hex	Decode from hex

Examples

Write JSON File

{
  "id": "write-1",
  "name": "Save Results",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
  "position": [450, 300],
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/output/results.json",
    "dataSource": "json",
    "encoding": "utf8",
    "createDirectory": true,
    "overwrite": true
  }
}

Write with Dynamic Name

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/exports/{{ $json.reportName }}_{{ $now.toISOString().split('T')[0] }}.csv",
    "dataSource": "expression",
    "content": "={{ $json.csvContent }}",
    "encoding": "utf8",
    "createDirectory": true
  }
}

Write Base64 Image

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/images/{{ $json.imageId }}.png",
    "dataSource": "expression",
    "content": "={{ $json.base64Image }}",
    "encoding": "base64",
    "overwrite": true
  }
}

Preserve Original Data

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/data/backup/{{ $json.id }}.json",
    "dataSource": "json",
    "encoding": "utf8",
    "keepOriginalData": true
  }
}

Output

{
  "json": {
    "filePath": "/data/output/results.json",
    "fileSize": 2048,
    "bytesWritten": 2048,
    "timestamp": "2024-01-26T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field	Description
filePath	Written file path
fileSize	Total file size
bytesWritten	Bytes written
timestamp	Write timestamp

Security

Same restrictions as Read node:

• Directory restrictions - Only writes to allowed directories
• Size limits - Maximum file size enforced
• Path traversal protection - Prevents ../ attacks

---

Common Patterns

Read, Process, Write

[
  {
    "type": "n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile",
    "parameters": {
      "filePath": "/data/input.json",
      "encoding": "utf8"
    }
  },
  {
    "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
    "parameters": {
      "code": "const data = JSON.parse(items[0].json.data);\ndata.processed = true;\nreturn [{json: {content: JSON.stringify(data, null, 2)}}];"
    }
  },
  {
    "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
    "parameters": {
      "filePath": "/data/output.json",
      "dataSource": "expression",
      "content": "={{ $json.content }}"
    }
  }
]

Backup Files

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile",
  "parameters": {
    "filePath": "/backups/{{ $json.fileName }}_{{ Date.now() }}.bak",
    "dataSource": "binary",
    "createDirectory": true
  }
}

Check File Exists

Use a Try/Catch pattern:

{
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
  "parameters": {
    "code": "try {\n  // Read file\n  return items;\n} catch(e) {\n  return [{json: {exists: false}}];\n}"
  }
}

---

Quick Reference

Node	Type	Direction
Read Binary File	n8n-nodes-base.readBinaryFile	File → Workflow
Write Binary File	n8n-nodes-base.writeBinaryFile	Workflow → File

File Size Limits

Environment	Default Limit
Default	100 MB
Configurable	Via server settings

Supported Paths

Path Type	Example
Absolute	/data/file.txt
Relative	./data/file.txt
Expression	{{ $json.path }}