n8n: a workflow automation tool

n8n is a workflow automation tool that lets you connect applications, pass data between them and create sequences of actions. The platform can be used to integrate services in marketing, sales, CRM and other areas of business.

What n8n is and how the platform appeared

The company n8n was founded by Jan Oberhauser in Berlin in 2019.

The original material also mentions funding of the startup by Sequoia Capital in the amount of 600,000 euros.

n8n is a workflow automation tool.

The platform lets you combine different applications and set up data exchange between them.

Let’s look in more detail at how this approach works.

n8n and automation with iPaaS

In the article n8n is considered an iPaaS platform.

iPaaS is a set of cloud services that let you develop, run and maintain integration flows.

Such flows connect on-premises and cloud services, applications, processes and data inside one or several organizations.

Such tools can be used for different business tasks:

• Marketing.
• Human resources management.
• CRM.
• Sales.
• Administration.
• Accounting.

Automation lets you combine processes and organize information exchange between services.

At the same time n8n is not the only tool in this category.

The article also covers competing solutions: Zapier, Make and Power Automate.

n8n capabilities for process automation

n8n offers a visual interface for building workflows and integrating applications through APIs.

Users can configure sequences of actions without having to write code for each stage.

This helps organize data exchange between services and manage related processes.

The original material speaks of support for more than 90 applications.

The platform lets you synchronize information between applications and databases.

The possibility of transforming data without constantly consulting API documentation and manually solving CORS-related problems is also mentioned.

To build more complex processes you can use additional tools:

• JavaScript functions.
• Conditional logic.
• Custom HTTP requests.
• Special nodes for CRM integration.
• Connecting endpoints of your own products.

So workflows can start with simple visual scenarios and gradually grow.

For example, automation tools can be used to organize data exchange between applications related to sales and marketing.

The main audience of n8n is companies interested in automating repetitive operations and integrating work tools.

What makes n8n special

The article singles out four features of the platform.

Open source

One of the advantages of n8n in the original material is its open source.

It lets you host the tool yourself and control the infrastructure on which workflows run.

Self-hosting gives you the chance to decide who gets access to the system and where data is stored.

The platform’s source code is available through n8n.io.

The n8n cloud version

Besides self-hosting, the platform offers a cloud way of using it.

Through n8n.cloud users can work with the tool on n8n’s infrastructure.

This lets you use the service without organizing server hosting yourself.

The original material states support for more than 150 integrated applications in the cloud version.

Community support

The article separately notes the role of the community of n8n users and developers.

When difficulties arise you can turn to the available materials and discussions related to the platform’s work.

Feedback from users can also take part in the further development of the tool.

A node-based approach

One of the main features of n8n is organizing workflows with nodes.

Each node represents a separate action or stage of data processing.

By connecting nodes you can form sequences of operations and link different applications.

This approach lets you create both simple and more complex automation scenarios.

Which tasks n8n suits

n8n can be seen as a tool for companies that need to combine applications and automate work processes.

The platform lets you configure integrations, transform data and form sequences of actions.

Depending on the tasks you can use visual scenarios without writing code or extend them with JavaScript and HTTP requests.

The possibility of self-hosting and the existence of a cloud version let you choose a suitable way of working with the platform.