The Only n8n Guide You Actually Need

Hey friend,

I spent months learning n8n. Built dozens of workflows. Broke things. Fixed things. Discovered what actually matters versus what's noise.

And here's what I found:

Most n8n tutorials are either too basic ("here's how to connect two apps!") or way too advanced ("let me show you my 47-node AI agent system").

There's almost nothing in between.

This guide is everything I wish existed when I started.

I've organised it into 4 sections:

1. What is n8n (and why it's eating Zapier's lunch)

2. Core concepts you'll use every single day

3. Building workflows that don't break

4. AI agents - where automation gets interesting

If you're brand new, start from the top.

If you've played with n8n before, skip to section 3 or 4.

If you just want the AI agent stuff, jump straight to sections 4 and 5.

Part 1: What is n8n (and why should you care?)

The 30-Second Explanation

n8n is a workflow automation tool.

You connect apps together. When something happens in App A, it automatically triggers actions in App B, C, and D.

Simple example:

• Someone fills out your contact form

• n8n automatically adds them to your CRM

• Sends them a welcome email

• Creates a follow-up task for your sales team

• Posts a notification in Slack

All without you lifting a finger.

That's workflow automation.

Why n8n Instead of Zapier?

I get this question constantly. Here's the honest answer:

Zapier is like renting an apartment. Easy to move in. Someone else handles maintenance. But you're paying rent forever, you can't knock down walls, and good luck if you want to do anything custom.

n8n is like owning a house. More setup upfront. But you can do whatever you want, you own your data, and there's no monthly rent if you self-host.

Zapier has more integrations out of the box. That's true.

But n8n lets you connect to literally anything with an API using the HTTP Request node. And you can write custom JavaScript when you need to do something weird.

For basic stuff? Either works.

For AI agents, complex logic, or anything requiring custom code? n8n wins. It's not even close.

How n8n Actually Works

Every workflow has three parts:

1. Triggers - What starts the workflow

• New email received

• Form submitted

• Webhook called

• Scheduled time (every day at 9am)

2. Processing nodes - Transform and route data

• Filter out spam

• Format text

• Make decisions (if X then Y)

• Call AI models

3. Action nodes - Do something

• Send email

• Update spreadsheet

• Post to Slack

• Create CRM record

You drag and drop these nodes together visually. Data flows from left to right. Each node does one thing and passes the result to the next node.

That's it. That's the whole mental model.

Setting Up n8n (Two Options)

Option 1: n8n Cloud (Recommended for beginners)

Go to n8n.io, create an account, and start building.

That's literally it. Takes 2 minutes.

$20/month gets you 2,500 workflow executions. More than enough to start.

Option 2: Self-Hosting (Free, but more work)

You run n8n on your own server. Completely free. Unlimited everything.

Best options:

• Docker on a $5/month VPS (DigitalOcean, Vultr)

• Railway or Render (one-click deploys)

• Your own hardware if you're feeling spicy

Part 2: Core Concepts (The Stuff You'll Use Daily)

Understanding Nodes

Nodes are the building blocks. Each node does exactly one thing.

Trigger nodes (orange lightning bolt icon):

• Webhook - starts when a URL is called

• Schedule - starts at specific times

• Gmail Trigger - starts when you get an email

• Execute Workflow - starts when another workflow calls it

Regular nodes (everything else):

• HTTP Request - call any API

• Filter - only let certain data through

• Merge - combine data from multiple sources

• Code - run custom JavaScript

You connect nodes with lines. Data flows through the lines.

The output of one node becomes the input of the next.

The Nodes You'll Use 80% of the Time

After building dozens of workflows, these are the ones I reach for constantly:

1. Edit Fields (Set) Node

Takes data in, restructures it, passes it on.

Use it when you need to:

• Rename fields

• Add new fields

• Remove fields you don't need

• Format data for the next step

2. HTTP Request Node

Calls any API. GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.

This is your escape hatch. If n8n doesn't have a native integration, you can still connect to anything.

3. IF Node

Makes decisions. If condition is true, go path A. If false, go path B.

Example: If email contains "urgent", send to Slack. Otherwise, just log it.

4. Code Node

Run custom JavaScript.

I use ChatGPT/Claude to write the code for me. Works 90% of the time. Copy, paste, done.

5. Merge Node

Combines data from multiple branches back into one flow.

Essential for complex workflows where you split and rejoin.

Read these docs to get more info:

https://docs.n8n.io/workflows/components/nodes/

https://community.n8n.io/t/code-node-for-beginners/22031

Understanding Data in n8n

This is where most beginners get confused. Let me make it simple.

Every node outputs data as JSON. JSON looks like this:

{ "name": "John", "email": "[email protected]", "company": { "name": "Acme Inc", "size": 50 } }

To access data from previous nodes, you use expressions:

From the immediately previous node:

{{ $json.name }}

Result: "John"

Nested data:

{{ $json.company.name }}

Result: "Acme Inc"

From a specific earlier node:

{{ $node ["Webhook"].json.email }}

That's 90% of what you need to know.

The expression editor has autocomplete. Start typing, and it'll show you what's available. Don't memorise - just explore.

Connecting Third-Party Services

Three ways to connect external apps:

1. Native nodes (easiest)

n8n has 300+ built-in integrations. Google Sheets, Slack, Notion, Airtable, etc.

Just add the node, authenticate with OAuth, done.

2. HTTP Request node (for everything else)

Any service with an API can be connected.

You'll need:

• The API endpoint URL

• Authentication (usually an API key)

• The data format they expect

3. Community nodes (hidden gems)

The community builds custom nodes for services n8n doesn't officially support.

Check the n8n community before building something custom - someone probably already made it.

Authentication types you'll encounter:

• OAuth2: Google, Facebook, etc. Click a button, authorize, done.

• API Key: Most services. Copy key from their dashboard, paste into n8n.

• Basic Auth: Username and password. Rare these days.
   

Part 3: Building Workflows That Don't Break

The Workflow Design Process

Most people dive straight into building. Bad idea.

Here's my process:

Step 1: Define the trigger

What event starts this workflow?

• New form submission?

• Scheduled time?

• Webhook from another service?

Step 2: Map the happy path

What should happen when everything goes right?

Write it out in plain English:

1. Form submitted

2. Check if email is valid

3. Add to CRM

4. Send welcome email

5. Notify sales team

Step 3: Identify failure points

What could go wrong?

• Invalid email format

• CRM API is down

• Duplicate contact already exists

Step 4: Build incrementally

Don't build all 15 nodes at once.

Build nodes 1-3. Test. Works? Add nodes 4-5. Test. Repeat.

Step 5: Add error handling

Only after the happy path works.

Execution Modes

Manual execution: You click "Execute Workflow" to run it. Use this while building and testing.

Production execution: Workflow runs automatically when triggered. You must activate the workflow first (toggle in top right).

Common mistake: Building a workflow, testing it manually, then wondering why it's not running automatically. You forgot to activate it.

Error Handling (Don't Skip This)

Your workflow WILL fail eventually. Plan for it.

Option 1: Continue On Fail

Tell individual nodes to keep going even if they error.

Good for: Non-critical steps where failure is acceptable.

Option 2: Error Workflow

Create a separate workflow that runs when any workflow fails.

Set it up once, forget about it. I have mine send a Slack message with the error details.

Steps:

1. Create new workflow

2. Add "Error Trigger" node

3. Add notification node (Slack, email, whatever)

4. In your main workflows, set this as the error handler in settings

Option 3: Error branches

Some nodes have error outputs. Connect them to handle specific failures.

Good for: Retrying failed API calls, logging specific errors, and fallback actions.

Part 4: AI Agents (Where It Gets Interesting)

What's an AI Agent?

An AI agent is an automation with a brain.

Regular automation: "When X happens, do Y."

AI agent: "When X happens, figure out the best response and do that."

The difference is in decision-making.

A regular workflow follows a fixed path. An AI agent can evaluate situations, choose between options, and adapt.

Example:

Regular automation:

• Email comes in → Forward to support team

AI agent:

• Email comes in

• AI reads it and categorises (sales inquiry, support issue, spam)

• If sales → Extract company info, check CRM, route to appropriate rep

• If support → Analyse urgency, check knowledge base, draft response

• If spam → Delete

Same trigger, wildly different capabilities.

AI Nodes in n8n

n8n has built-in AI capabilities:

AI Agent Node: The main one. Connects to LLMs (GPT-4, Claude, etc.) and can use tools.

Basic LLM Chain: Simple prompt → response. Good for straightforward tasks.

Summarisation Chain: Condenses long text. Great for processing documents.

Q&A Chain: Answer questions based on the provided context.

Retrieval chains: Query vector databases for relevant information.

Each node can connect to:

• OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o)

• Anthropic (Claude)

• Google (Gemini)

• Local models (Ollama)

• Others via API

What Now?

You've got the complete picture. Here's how to actually move forward:

If you've never used n8n:

1. Sign up for n8n Cloud (takes 2 minutes)

2. Build the Gmail → Slack notification workflow

3. Let it run for a week

4. Build something slightly more complex

If you've dabbled but never built anything serious:

1. Pick ONE repetitive task that annoys you

2. Map out the workflow on paper first

3. Build it node by node, testing as you go

4. Add error handling

5. Activate and monitor

If you want to go deep on AI agents:

1. Get comfortable with basic workflows first

2. Start with simple AI tasks (classification, summarisation)

3. Progress to agent-based workflows

4. Experiment with different models and prompts

The most important thing:

Start small. Ship fast. Improve later.

The best workflow is the one that actually gets built.