🤖 Do It Yourself: n8n Automation Guide

Learn how to automate your workflows, connect your tools, and save hours every week with n8n. This guide covers the basics, most useful nodes, and real-life automation flow diagrams—plus a quick comparison with Make and Zapier.

What is n8n?

n8n (“node-eight-node”) is an open-source workflow automation tool. It lets you connect all your cloud apps, databases, APIs, and internal tools—with unlimited flexibility and no per-step cost. You can:

Automate manual tasks (emails, notifications, data updates, etc.)
Integrate different tools (Slack, Gmail, Notion, Google Sheets, APIs, CRMs…)
Build complex, branching flows with logic, conditions, and variables
Host on your own server (for privacy/GDPR) or use n8n.cloud

Example n8n workflow: new Gmail → create task in Notion → Slack notification

🚀 Getting Started with n8n (Step-by-Step)

Sign up at n8n.cloud or self-host on your server (Docker, npm, etc).
Create a new workflow. Drag a “Trigger” node onto the canvas.
Add more nodes: search for apps like Gmail, Notion, Google Sheets, HTTP, Slack, Airtable, etc.
Connect nodes by dragging the arrows: Trigger → Email → Slack
Configure each node (auth, data fields, custom logic, etc).
Use “IF” nodes, “Set” nodes, or “Switch” nodes to branch and transform data.
Test your workflow using sample data or live runs.
Activate your workflow—now it runs automatically!

🔗 Visual Example: Automate Leads from Webform to Slack & Google Sheets

          Webhook Trigger → Set Node → Google Sheets → Slack
        

Whenever someone fills your form:
Data is added to a Google Sheet and your team gets a Slack notification.

🔧 Most Useful n8n Nodes (What They Do)

🔔 Trigger Nodes

Webhook: Start a flow when an external app calls a special URL. (Use for web forms, Stripe, Typeform, etc.)
Schedule: Run automations at intervals (every day, hour, etc.)
App Triggers: Gmail, Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, etc. fire on new email, new row, new record, etc.

📝 Data Nodes

Set: Build/transform variables for later steps
Merge: Combine data from different nodes/branches
IF / Switch: Add conditional logic (“if amount > $100, do X”)

📡 API & HTTP Nodes

HTTP Request: Connect to any REST API, get or send data anywhere
Webhook: Expose your workflow as an API endpoint (use for incoming automations)

📧 Email & Communication

Email: Send emails (custom, personalized, with attachments)
Gmail: Read/send Gmail messages, search mailboxes
Slack: Send messages, alerts, upload files to any channel
Telegram/Discord: Send direct or group notifications

📊 Databases & Spreadsheets

Google Sheets: Add, update, search, or read rows
Airtable: Add/find/update records in your bases
MySQL/Postgres: Query, insert, and update database records

🧠 AI & Utility

OpenAI / ChatGPT: Summarize, classify, or generate text (customer support, social posts, content)
Function: Run custom JavaScript on your data
Wait: Pause the flow (e.g., wait 2 days then follow up)

🌐 Example DIY n8n Flows

Lead Enrichment & CRM Update

          Webhook → HTTP Request (enrichment API) → Google Sheets → Slack/CRM
        

New web signup? Instantly enrich contact data, update Google Sheets, and post to Slack.

Automated Social Media Posting

          Schedule → Set (prepare text) → Twitter/LinkedIn Node → Success Slack/Email
        

Plan weekly content, auto-publish, and get notified when posts go live.

Automated Support Ticket Routing

          Gmail → IF (check subject) → Create Jira Ticket → Slack alert
        

When new support emails arrive, classify and route them automatically to Jira and notify the right team.

💡 Node Configuration Tips

Always test nodes individually before connecting the full flow
Use the “Set” node to prepare and map data between apps
Use “Wait” nodes for delays—great for reminders or “drip” sequences
For APIs: Most APIs need auth tokens. Save these in n8n credentials for easy, secure use.
Read logs and error outputs to debug any failed runs—n8n is super transparent