n8n

What this skill does

# n8n Workflow Automation Skill

Master n8n for visual workflow automation, API integrations, and self-hosted automation pipelines. This skill covers workflow design, node configuration, triggers, credentials management, custom nodes, and production deployment patterns.

## When to Use This Skill

### USE when:
- Building integrations between 400+ services (Slack, Gmail, Notion, Airtable, etc.)
- Creating visual workflows accessible to non-developers
- Self-hosting is required for data sovereignty and compliance
- Need webhook-triggered automations with real-time processing
- Building internal tool automations and business process automation
- Connecting APIs without writing extensive code
- Rapid prototyping of automation workflows
- Need human-in-the-loop approval workflows

### DON'T USE when:
- Orchestrating complex data pipelines with dependencies (use Airflow)
- CI/CD pipelines tightly coupled with git (use GitHub Actions)
- Need sub-second latency requirements (use direct API calls)
- Processing massive datasets (use dedicated ETL tools)
- Require enterprise audit compliance out-of-box (evaluate requirements)
- Simple single-trigger cron jobs (use systemd timers)

## Prerequisites

### Installation Options

**Option 1: npm (Development)**
```bash
# Install globally
npm install n8n -g

# Start n8n
n8n start

# Access UI at http://localhost:5678
```

**Option 2: Docker (Recommended)**
```bash
# Quick start with Docker
docker run -it --rm \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

# Access UI at http://localhost:5678
```

**Option 3: Docker Compose (Production)**
```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=UTC
      - TZ=UTC
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=${N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY}
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
      - ./custom-nodes:/home/node/.n8n/custom
    depends_on:
      - postgres

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    restart: always
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=n8n
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      - POSTGRES_DB=n8n
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U n8n"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  postgres_data:
```

```bash
# Start with docker-compose
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f n8n
```

**Option 4: Kubernetes with Helm**
```bash
# Add n8n Helm repo
helm repo add n8n https://n8n-io.github.io/n8n-helm
helm repo update

# Install n8n
helm install n8n n8n/n8n \
  --namespace n8n \
  --create-namespace \
  --set ingress.enabled=true \
  --set ingress.hosts[0].host=n8n.example.com

# Get initial admin password
kubectl get secret -n n8n n8n -o jsonpath="{.data.password}" | base64 --decode
```

### Development Setup
```bash
# Clone for custom node development
git clone https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n.git
cd n8n

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build
pnpm build

# Start development server
pnpm dev
```

## Core Capabilities

### 1. Basic Workflow Structure

```json
{
  "name": "Basic Data Pipeline",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {},
      "id": "start-node",
      "name": "Start",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.start",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [240, 300]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "url": "https://api.example.com/data",
        "authentication": "predefinedCredentialType",
        "nodeCredentialType": "httpHeaderAuth",
        "options": {
          "response": {
            "response": {
              "responseFormat": "json"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "id": "http-request",
      "name": "Fetch Data",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "typeVersion": 4.1,
      "position": [460, 300],
      "credentials": {
        "httpHeaderAuth": {
          "id": "1",
          "name": "API Key"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "mode": "runOnceForEachItem",
        "jsCode": "// Transform each item\nconst item = $input.item.json;\n\nreturn {\n  id: item.id,\n  name: item.name.toUpperCase(),\n  processed_at: new Date().toISOString(),\n  source: 'n8n-pipeline'\n};"
      },
      "id": "transform",
      "name": "Transform Data",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [680, 300]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "resource": "row",
        "operation": "create",
        "tableId": "={{ $env.AIRTABLE_TABLE_ID }}",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "airtable",
      "name": "Save to Airtable",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.airtable",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [900, 300],
      "credentials": {
        "airtableTokenApi": {
          "id": "2",
          "name": "Airtable Token"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Start": {
      "main": [
        [{ "node": "Fetch Data", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]
      ]
    },
    "Fetch Data": {
      "main": [
        [{ "node": "Transform Data", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]
      ]
    },
    "Transform Data": {
      "main": [
        [{ "node": "Save to Airtable", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]
      ]
    }
  },
  "settings": {
    "executionOrder": "v1"
  }
}
```

### 2. Webhook Triggers

```json
{
  "name": "Webhook Handler",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "httpMethod": "POST",
        "path": "incoming-webhook",
        "responseMode": "responseNode",
        "options": {
          "rawBody": true
        }
      },
      "id": "webhook",
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "typeVersion": 1.1,
      "position": [240, 300],
      "webhookId": "unique-webhook-id"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "conditions": {
          "string": [
            {
              "value1": "={{ $json.event_type }}",
              "operation": "equals",
              "value2": "payment.completed"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "id": "filter",
      "name": "Filter Payment Events",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.filter",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [460, 300]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "jsCode": "// Validate webhook signature\nconst crypto = require('crypto');\n\nconst payload = $input.item.json;\nconst signature = $input.item.headers['x-signature'];\nconst secret = $env.WEBHOOK_SECRET;\n\nconst expectedSignature = crypto\n  .createHmac('sha256', secret)\n  .update(JSON.stringify(payload))\n  .digest('hex');\n\nif (signature !== expectedSignature) {\n  throw new Error('Invalid webhook signature');\n}\n\nreturn {\n  ...payload,\n  validated: true,\n  processed_at: new Date().toISOString()\n};"
      },
      "id": "validate",
      "name": "Validate Signature",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [680, 300]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "channel": "#payments",
        "text": "=Payment received!\n\nAmount: ${{ $json.amount }}\nCustomer: {{ $json.customer_email }}\nTransaction ID: {{ $json.transaction_id }}",
        "otherOptions": {}
      },
      "id": "slack",
      "name": "Notify Slack",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "typeVersion": 2.1,
      "position": [900, 300],
      "credentials": {
        "slackApi": {
          "id": "3",
          "name": "Slack Bot"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "respondWith": "json",