N8N Automation Platform

n8n

n8n is a flexibile automation solution that has a cloud offering but can be selfhosted too. As such it is a free option when running locally and can be hosted on own (cheap) servers as well.

Can use in Docker and has MCP support.

n8n nodes

In n8n, a node is a building block of your workflow. Each node performs a specific action—such as retrieving data from an API, transforming data, sending emails, or interacting with databases and cloud services. Workflows are created by connecting these nodes together.

Categories of n8n Nodes

n8n offers hundreds of nodes, which can be grouped into several broad categories:

1. Trigger Nodes

• Purpose: Start workflows based on events.
• Examples:
  • Webhook (trigger on HTTP requests)
  • Cron (trigger on schedule)
  • IMAP Email (trigger on new email)
  • Telegram Trigger (trigger on new message)

2. API & Service Integration Nodes

• Purpose: Connect to third-party services and APIs.
• Examples:
  • Google Sheets
  • Slack
  • GitHub
  • Trello
  • Notion
  • Airtable
  • Discord
  • Twitter

3. Data Transformation Nodes

• Purpose: Manipulate, filter, or transform data.
• Examples:
  • Set (set or modify fields)
  • Merge (combine data from multiple sources)
  • SplitInBatches (process items in batches)
  • IF (conditional logic)
  • Switch (multi-way branching)

4. Utility Nodes

• Purpose: Provide general-purpose functions.
• Examples:
  • HTTP Request (make arbitrary HTTP calls)
  • Function / Function Item (run custom JavaScript code)
  • Wait (pause workflow for a set time)
  • Execute Command (run shell commands)

5. Database Nodes

• Purpose: Interact with databases.
• Examples:
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • MongoDB
  • SQLite

6. File & Storage Nodes

• Purpose: Handle files and storage.
• Examples:
  • Read Binary File / Write Binary File
  • FTP / SFTP
  • AWS S3

7. Messaging & Notification Nodes

• Purpose: Send messages or notifications.
• Examples:
  • Email Send
  • SMS via Twilio
  • Microsoft Teams

How to Explore Available Nodes

• In the n8n editor, click the ”+” button to add a node and browse/search the full list.
• The official n8n documentation maintains an up-to-date list of all nodes and their capabilities.

Example Workflow

A simple workflow might look like:

1. Trigger Node: Webhook receives data.
2. Data Transformation Node: Set node formats the data.
3. API Node: Google Sheets node adds a row to a spreadsheet.