What is n8n?

In a landscape where businesses lose countless hours each month wrestling with disconnected apps and manual processes, n8n is redefining what workflow automation can achieve. 

n8n is an open, source-available workflow automation platform designed to connect, orchestrate, and automate tasks across a vast ecosystem of apps, APIs, and data sources. 

Unlike many automation tools that force you to choose between code or a visual interface, n8n delivers both: a drag-and-drop workflow builder for rapid prototyping, and the ability to inject custom JavaScript or Python code wherever you need more control.

It’s not just another automation tool with a few AI nodes tacked on—n8n is AI-native, empowering businesses to build sophisticated, multi-step AI agents, automate complex data flows, and create custom, context-aware chatbots or assistants directly within their workflows. 

If you’re opting to self-host for maximum data privacy or prefer the convenience of their managed cloud, n8n provides the flexibility to automate workflows at any scale.

Here’s how n8n gets the job done:

Who Should Use n8n?

n8n is designed for technical teams and businesses that want to harness automation and AI without being boxed in by rigid platforms. Its sweet spot includes:

• IT operations teams who need to automate onboarding, ticketing, or data synchronization across multiple systems.
• Security operations (SecOps) teams looking to enrich incident tickets and automate threat intelligence enrichment.
• DevOps and engineering teams who want to convert natural language into API calls, or orchestrate complex CI/CD pipelines.
• Sales and customer-facing teams who want to generate insights from grouped reviews, automate CRM updates, or build custom AI-powered chatbots for customer engagement.
• AI and data engineers who want to build, test, and deploy multi-step AI agents, vector search pipelines, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems.

If your business values flexibility, control, and the ability to deeply customize automations—especially those involving AI—n8n is a compelling choice.

What Can n8n Be Used For?

n8n’s versatility means it can automate everything from the mundane to the highly complex. Here are some practical examples:

• Onboarding new employees: Automatically provision accounts, set permissions, and notify stakeholders across HR, IT, and security systems.
• Security incident response: Enrich tickets with threat intelligence, trigger automated workflows for investigation, and maintain audit trails.
• Natural language to API: Convert user commands into structured API calls—think “create a Jira ticket for this bug” or “fetch the latest sales data”—all powered by LLMs.
• Customer insights: Aggregate and analyze reviews or support tickets, then summarize findings using AI for actionable insights.
• AI-powered chatbots: Build bots that can answer questions using your company’s own data, leveraging vector search and LLMs for context-aware responses.
• Data processing pipelines: Automate ETL (extract, transform, load) for AI applications, including generating and storing embeddings in vector databases.
• Autonomous AI agents: Create agents that plan, reason, and act—such as scheduling appointments, summarizing documents, or even making decisions based on live data.

n8n’s 1,700+ workflow templates and 500+ integrations mean you can jumpstart automation in virtually any business function.

How Should You Use n8n?

Create an account on n8n Cloud for a managed experience or self-host n8n for full data control.

Open the editor, start a new workflow. Simply click the Create Workflow tab in orange color found in the upper right corner of the dashboard.

You will be redirected to a blank workspace. Click the plus sign at the center of the black dashboard. A side panel will appear on the right, showing various trigger options.

In our example, we’ll create a form that, when new data is submitted, automatically updates a Google Spreadsheet and sends an email notification. To start, click the “On form submission” trigger.

You’ll be redirected to the next screen. Right-click the form icon and select “Open.”

A pop-up window will appear, allowing us to customize form fields such as First Name, Last Name, Email, and Occupation.

Once you've finished specifying the form fields, click the orange "Execute Step" button in the upper-right corner of the box.

An output page for the submission form will be generated. Simply fill out the form and click the Submit button.

Next, we'll add Google Sheets as the next step in our workflow. Once a user submits the form, the data will automatically be added to the linked Google Sheet.

Once linked to the Google Spreadsheet, simply drag each field name to the corresponding field indicated by the red arrow below.

After dragging each field to its respective spot, click the bright orange "Execute Step" button indicated by the red arrow.

On the right side, you’ll see the output, confirming that the data was successfully added to your Google Spreadsheet.

To confirm, open the linked Google Sheet—you should see the newly added data there as shown below.

Lastly, add the Gmail trigger to notify you whenever new data is added to the Google Spreadsheet. Click the plus button after the Google Sheets icon, then search for and select Gmail in the side window.

Once the Gmail trigger is selected, a pop-up will appear asking you to connect your Google account, specify the recipient email for notifications, and confirm the linked Google Spreadsheet.

Execute the step again and check the email you specified in the Gmail settings. The notification should appear in the recipient’s inbox, as shown in the image below.

It’s super simple. This example is great for repetitive tasks like lead generation. You can add a filter and another Gmail trigger to send messages only to targeted people—say, data scientists—or exclude groups.

What are the Key Features and Benefits of n8n?

1. Flexible AI Workflow Automation

• Multi-step AI agents: Build agentic systems that can reason, plan, and call custom tools—all on a single screen.
• AI-native nodes: Integrate LLMs, vector databases, and memory systems for advanced AI workflows (e.g., chatbots, summarization, RAG pipelines.
• Custom code when needed: Drop into JavaScript or Python, import npm or PyPI libraries, and paste cURL requests for ultimate flexibility.

2. Visual and Code-Driven Development

• Drag-and-drop editor: Rapidly prototype and iterate on workflows visually.
• Branching and merging: Go beyond simple splits—merge branches and dynamically adapt flows based on AI outputs.

3. Advanced Debugging and Testing

• Step-level reruns: Re-run individual workflow steps without starting over.
• Data replay and mocking: Test changes without waiting for external services.
• Inline logs: Debug efficiently with logs shown alongside your workflow steps.

4. Enterprise-Grade Security and Collaboration

• Self-hosting: Keep all data (including AI models and vector stores) on-premises for privacy and compliance.
• SSO, RBAC, and encrypted secrets: Enterprise features for secure, multi-user environments.
• Version control and audit logs: Track changes, roll back updates, and maintain full visibility.

5. Massive Integration Ecosystem

• 500+ app integrations: Automate across SaaS, databases, and internal tools.
• 1700+ workflow templates: Start fast with proven automations for common business needs.

6. White-labeling and Customization

• Brandable automation: Offer automation to your customers under your brand, powered by n8n’s white-labeled tech.

What Makes n8n Different?

• AI-Native from the Ground Up: Most automation tools bolt on AI as an afterthought. n8n’s architecture is built to make AI a first-class citizen, with native support for LLMs, agentic workflows, vector search, and memory management. You can build autonomous agents that don’t just respond—they plan, reason, and act using your business data.
• True Flexibility and Extensibility: n8n doesn’t force you to choose between no-code and pro-code. You can visually assemble workflows, then drop into code wherever needed—using both JavaScript and Python, and importing any external library. This hybrid approach is rare in the automation space.
• Self-Hosting and Data Privacy: For organizations concerned about data sovereignty, n8n can be fully self-hosted—including your AI models and vector stores. This is a major differentiator for industries with strict compliance requirements.
• Open and Transparent: With its source code available on GitHub and a vibrant open-source community, n8n is transparent, extensible, and avoids vendor lock-in. You’re free to audit, customize, or extend the platform as your business evolves.
• AI Agents as Decision Makers: Unlike static prompt-based automations, n8n’s AI agent flows allow LLMs to act as decision-makers—choosing which tools to use, when, and how. This unlocks a new class of intelligent, autonomous workflows that adapt to real-world business logic.

Final Thoughts on n8n

In 2025, n8n stands out as a leading AI-native automation platform. With visual workflows, deep AI integration, and full self-hosting—including custom AI models—it’s built for technical teams seeking power and flexibility.

From IT operations to autonomous agents and AI-powered customer workflows, n8n adapts to your needs with an open, extensible architecture that avoids vendor lock-in. For businesses serious about AI-driven automation with full control and customization, n8n is a smart, future-ready choice backed by a fast-growing community.

Frequently Asked Questions