Node-RED Install Incomplete

Hello. I installed Node-RED and the documentation stated that it was self-contained and everything was included. When I tried to start Node-RED the add-on would not start and kept looping to ask me to start or stop the start-up. I checked the log and found a missing SSL certificate, and I was unable to find the Node-RED file to change the security from “true” to “false”. The long version of the log file follows:
App: Node-RED

Flow-based programming for the Internet of Things


App version: 21.0.3

You are running the latest version of this app.

System: Home Assistant OS 17.1 (aarch64 / green)

Home Assistant Core: 2026.3.1

Home Assistant Supervisor: 2026.02.3


Please, share the above information when looking for help

or support in, e.g., GitHub, forums or the Discord chat.


s6-rc: info: service base-addon-banner successfully started

s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs: starting

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-log-level: starting

s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs successfully started

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-log-level successfully started

s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init: starting

s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init successfully started

s6-rc: info: service init-nginx: starting

s6-rc: info: service init-customizations: starting

s6-rc: info: service init-customizations successfully started

s6-rc: info: service init-nodered: starting

[01:38:26] FATAL:

[01:38:26] FATAL: SSL has been enabled using the ‘ssl’ option,

[01:38:26] FATAL: this requires an SSL certificate file which is

[01:38:26] FATAL: configured using the ‘certfile’ option in the

[01:38:26] FATAL: add-on configuration.

[01:38:26] FATAL:

[01:38:26] FATAL: Unfortunately, the file specified in the

[01:38:26] FATAL: ‘certfile’ option does not exist.

[01:38:26] FATAL:

[01:38:26] FATAL: Please ensure the certificate file exists and

[01:38:26] FATAL: is placed in the ‘/ssl/’ directory.

s6-rc: info: service init-nodered successfully started

s6-rc: info: service nodered: starting

[01:38:26] FATAL:

[01:38:26] FATAL: In case you don’t have SSL yet, consider getting

s6-rc: info: service nodered successfully started

[01:38:26] FATAL: an SSL certificate or setting the ‘ssl’ option

[01:38:26] FATAL: to ‘false’ in case you are not planning on using

[01:38:26] FATAL: SSL with this add-on.

[01:38:26] FATAL:

[01:38:26] FATAL: Check the add-on manual for more information.

[01:38:26] FATAL:

s6-rc: warning: unable to start service init-nginx: command exited 1

/run/s6/basedir/scripts/rc.init: warning: s6-rc failed to properly bring all the services up! Check your logs (in /run/uncaught-logs/current if you have in-container logging) for more information.

/run/s6/basedir/scripts/rc.init: fatal: stopping the container.

s6-rc: info: service nodered: stopping

[01:38:26] INFO: Service Node-RED exited with code 256 (by signal 15)

s6-rc: info: service nodered successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service init-nodered: stopping

s6-rc: info: service init-nodered successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service init-customizations: stopping

s6-rc: info: service init-customizations successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init: stopping

s6-rc: info: service legacy-cont-init successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs: stopping

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-log-level: stopping

s6-rc: info: service fix-attrs successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-log-level successfully stopped

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-banner: stopping

s6-rc: info: service base-addon-banner successfully stopped

s6-rc: warning: service s6rc-oneshot-runner is marked as essential, not stopping

Thank you for any insight.

The option for ssl should be in the Node-RED App configuration setting UI page

This screenshot may not reflect the latest version: certainly the credentials secret option was removed some time ago.

The NR App has many of the standard settings either removed, modified, or controlled from the App Configuration page. I installed Node-RED many years ago, so I cannot comment on the current default settings, but ideally the ssl option should be off.

If you ever need access to the underlying settings.js file, you can find this in the addon_configs HA folder:

addon_configs\a0d7b954_nodered\settings.js

Modifying this file is required for only a few specialist ‘extra options’ such as turning on file-persistent context memory, adding a credential password, or changing the order of the palette nodes in the left hand pick list in the NR editor.

IF you ever do change the NR settings file

  • keep a backup first
  • do not change any of the App specific removed or UI set options

Thank you very much. I was able to update the button and NR 4.1 gave me a welcome. Thank you.