Complete Guide to n8n Workflow Automation

n8n is a powerful, self-hosted workflow automation tool that lets you connect anything to everything.

What is n8n?

n8n (pronounced “n-eight-n”) is an extendable workflow automation tool. It’s similar to Zapier or Make, but with a key difference: you can host it yourself and extend it with custom code.

Getting Started

Installation

You can install n8n globally using npm:

npm install n8n -g

Or run it with Docker:

docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 n8nio/n8n

Creating Your First Workflow

1. Open n8n at http://localhost:5678
2. Click “New Workflow”
3. Add your first trigger node

Key Concepts

Nodes

Nodes are the building blocks of workflows. Each node performs a specific action:

• Trigger nodes: Start your workflow
• Regular nodes: Process data
• Credential nodes: Store authentication

Expressions

n8n uses expressions to reference data from previous nodes:

{{ $json.fieldName }}
{{ $node["Node Name"].json.value }}

Best Practices

1. Name your nodes clearly - Makes debugging easier
2. Use error handling - Add Error Trigger nodes
3. Test incrementally - Test each node as you build

Conclusion

n8n opens up endless possibilities for automation. Start small, think big, and automate everything!