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Set up n8n, understand nodes and workflows, and build your first automation.
Read through the lesson, mark it complete when the concept is clear, then move to the next lesson in the sequence or jump back to the module map.
n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform. It connects apps, services, and APIs visually — no code required for simple workflows, code available when needed.
Unlike Zapier or Make, n8n is self-hostable. Run it on your own server for free (or use their cloud). This matters for privacy, cost at scale, and customization.
Nodes — individual steps in a workflow. Each node represents one action: "send email," "query database," "call API," "transform data."
Connections — arrows connecting nodes. Data flows from left to right. Each connection passes the output of one node to the input of the next.
Workflows — the complete graph of nodes and connections. A workflow defines one automation.
Triggers — special nodes that start a workflow. Types: webhook (HTTP request), schedule (cron), manual, event (app-specific).
Create a simple Slack notification when a form is submitted:
Test it by sending a POST request to the webhook URL.
n8n passes data between nodes as JSON arrays. Each item in the array represents one record. Most nodes can process multiple items in a single execution (looping automatically).
You can access data from previous nodes using expressions: {{ $node["NodeName"].json["field"] }}
n8n works best for: integration-heavy workflows (connecting 3+ services), moderate complexity (too complex for simple webhooks, too simple for custom code), and scenarios where you want visual debugging.