n8n Getting Started

What n8n Is

n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n") is an open-source workflow automation platform. It connects your apps and services through visual workflows, allowing you to automate processes without writing traditional code. Its key differentiators:

Open source: The n8n engine is open source. You can inspect the code, extend it, self-host it, and contribute to the community. For businesses, this means no vendor lock-in and full transparency.

Self-hostable: n8n can run on your own infrastructure — a VPS, Docker, Kubernetes. This gives you control over data residency, costs, and performance. At high workflow volumes, self-hosted n8n is dramatically more economical than cloud-only alternatives.

Developer-friendly: n8n includes Code nodes that let you write JavaScript or Python for complex logic. Workflows are stored as JSON and can be version-controlled. API access allows programmatic management of workflows.

AI-native: n8n has built AI deeply into its platform — LangChain nodes, AI Agent nodes, vector store connections, and native integrations with OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), and other AI providers.

Setting Up n8n

n8n Cloud (easiest start):

1. Go to app.n8n.io and create an account
2. Choose a plan (the Starter plan at $20/month is sufficient to start)
3. Your n8n instance is immediately available at a cloud URL
4. No infrastructure setup required

n8n Self-hosted with Docker (recommended for production):

Prerequisites: a VPS (Digital Ocean, Hetzner, Linode), Docker installed

For a persistent deployment with SSL, use Docker Compose with Traefik or Nginx as a reverse proxy. The n8n documentation provides complete setup guides for most cloud providers.

Understanding the Interface

n8n's interface has three main areas:

Workflow canvas: The central area where you build and view workflows. Nodes appear as rounded rectangles; connections between them appear as lines. Click any node to configure it.

Node library: The left panel (or accessible via the + button) shows all available nodes — triggers, actions, transformations, and AI nodes. Search for specific apps or node types.

Execution list: The right panel shows recent workflow executions — successful runs in green, failures in red. Click any execution to see the data at each step.

Your First Workflow

Build a simple test workflow to understand the basics:

1. Click "New workflow" in the top right
2. Click "Add first step" or the + button
3. Search for "Manual Trigger" and add it — this lets you run the workflow manually
4. Click the + after the trigger and search for "Set" node — this transforms data
5. In the Set node, add a field: Name = "greeting", Value = "Hello from n8n!"
6. Click the play button to run — you'll see the output in the execution panel

For your first real automation:

1. Add a trigger appropriate to your use case (Webhook for external events, Schedule for time-based)
2. Add data-fetching nodes (HTTP Request, or app-specific nodes like HubSpot, Gmail)
3. Add an AI node (Anthropic for Claude, OpenAI) with your prompt
4. Add action nodes (update CRM, send email, create task)

Setting Up Credentials

n8n stores API credentials securely in its credential manager. Before building integrations:

1. Go to Settings → Credentials
2. Click "Create new credential"
3. Search for the service (e.g., "Anthropic")
4. Add your API key
5. Test the credential to confirm it works

Once created, credentials are available in all relevant nodes. Never paste API keys directly in node configurations — always use the credential manager.

Recommended Tools

• n8n Cloud — Start here if you want zero infrastructure setup
• n8n Community — Active forum for questions and examples
• Claude API — Connect for AI-powered automation
• HubSpot — CRM integration for sales and marketing workflows
• Airtable — Flexible database for workflow data storage

“n8n has a learning curve. The first workflow takes time; the tenth takes minutes. Invest in learning the platform and it pays back quickly.”