n8n is a program that connects applications to one another through workflows: when something happens in one application, it does something in another, without you writing code each time. It is open-source software made by a third party, and you install it on a server of your own. Interweb does not sell n8n: we sell the server it can run on.
A workflow is drawn in the browser, as boxes joined by arrows. Each box is a node: it reads, writes, decides or waits. What changes from one workflow to the next is only the combination.
The parts of a workflow
| Part |
What it does |
Example |
| Trigger |
Starts the workflow. |
A request reaches a webhook, a set time comes round, an e-mail arrives. |
| Action node |
Does one thing in one application. |
Add a row to a spreadsheet, send an e-mail, create a post. |
| Logic |
Decides, filters, merges or splits data. |
Carry on only if the order value is above a minimum you chose. |
| Credential |
Holds the access to an application. |
The password of a mailbox, an API key. |
What is usually worth automating
| 2 |
Shop orders. A paid order triggers a notice by e-mail or message and is logged where your team works.
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| 3 |
Scheduled reports. Every morning the workflow gathers figures from several places and sends a summary. See Schedule Trigger or cron.
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| 4 |
Housekeeping. Alerts for failed backups, domains about to expire, pages that stopped answering.
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What to know before you start
| Question |
Answer |
| Where does it run? |
On a server of your own, a VPS with root access. The n8n project also runs a hosted service of its own; that one is theirs, not ours. See do you need a VPS for n8n? |
| Who installs it? |
You do. n8n is third-party software on an unmanaged VPS, so installing and maintaining it is your side of the line. See how far our support goes. |
| What does the program cost? |
It depends on the edition and the licence. The figures and the terms are on the project’s own site, and that is where to confirm them. |
| Which applications does it connect? |
Those the project ships as nodes, and any service with an API through the HTTP request node. The current list is in the n8n documentation. |
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Read the licence if you plan to resell n8n. According to the project’s documentation, n8n uses a licence of its own (“fair-code”), which is not the same as the classic open-source licences. For automating your own business it is a simple matter; to resell it, or to build a product on top of it, read the terms first.
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Start with a small, harmless workflow that only reads and notifies. Once you trust it, move on to workflows that write, delete or message customers.
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Need a server to run n8n on? See the VPS plans and pick the operating system when you order.
See the VPS servers
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Connecting n8n to the rest
Once n8n is running, these are the connections most people build first.
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