n8n Workflow Patterns

Build robust workflow automations with n8n - the open-source workflow automation tool.

Overview

n8n is a self-hostable workflow automation platform that connects apps and services. Key features:

Visual workflow builder with 400+ integrations
Self-hosted or cloud deployment
Code nodes for custom logic (JavaScript/Python)
Webhook triggers for real-time automation
Sub-workflows for modular design

Core Concepts

Workflow Structure

┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│   Trigger   │───▶│    Node     │───▶│   Output    │
│  (Start)    │    │  (Process)  │    │  (Action)   │
└─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘

Node Types

Type	Purpose	Examples
Trigger	Start workflow	Webhook, Schedule, App trigger
Action	Perform operations	HTTP Request, Database, Email
Transform	Modify data	Set, Code, IF, Switch
Flow	Control execution	Merge, Split, Wait, Loop

Trigger Patterns

Webhook Trigger

json

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "parameters": {
        "httpMethod": "POST",
        "path": "my-webhook",
        "responseMode": "responseNode",
        "options": {
          "rawBody": true
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices:

Use
```
responseNode
```
for custom responses
Enable
```
rawBody
```
for signature verification
Add authentication (Header Auth, Basic Auth)

Schedule Trigger

json

{
  "name": "Schedule Trigger",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
  "parameters": {
    "rule": {
      "interval": [
        {
          "field": "cronExpression",
          "expression": "0 9 * * 1-5"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Common Schedules:

```
0 * * * *
```
- Every hour
```
0 9 * * 1-5
```
- Weekdays at 9 AM
```
0 0 * * 0
```
- Weekly on Sunday midnight
```
*/15 * * * *
```
- Every 15 minutes

App Trigger (Polling)

json

{
  "name": "GitHub Trigger",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.githubTrigger",
  "parameters": {
    "owner": "{{$env.GITHUB_OWNER}}",
    "repository": "{{$env.GITHUB_REPO}}",
    "events": ["issues", "pull_request"]
  }
}

Data Transformation Patterns

Set Node (Transform Data)

json

{
  "name": "Transform Data",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
  "parameters": {
    "mode": "manual",
    "duplicateItem": false,
    "assignments": {
      "assignments": [
        {
          "name": "fullName",
          "value": "={{ $json.firstName }} {{ $json.lastName }}",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "timestamp",
          "value": "={{ DateTime.now().toISO() }}",
          "type": "string"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Code Node (JavaScript)

javascript

// Process items with custom logic
const results = [];

for (const item of $input.all()) {
  const data = item.json;

  // Transform data
  results.push({
    json: {
      id: data.id,
      processed: true,
      score: calculateScore(data),
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
    }
  });
}

function calculateScore(data) {
  return data.value * 0.8 + data.bonus * 0.2;
}

return results;

Code Node (Python)

python

# Enable Python in n8n settings
import json
from datetime import datetime

results = []

for item in _input.all():
    data = item.json

    # Transform data
    results.append({
        "json": {
            "id": data.get("id"),
            "processed": True,
            "timestamp": datetime.now().isoformat()
        }
    })

return results

Control Flow Patterns

IF Node (Conditional)

json

{
  "name": "Check Status",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
  "parameters": {
    "conditions": {
      "options": {
        "caseSensitive": true,
        "leftValue": "",
        "typeValidation": "strict"
      },
      "conditions": [
        {
          "leftValue": "={{ $json.status }}",
          "rightValue": "active",
          "operator": {
            "type": "string",
            "operation": "equals"
          }
        }
      ],
      "combinator": "and"
    }
  }
}

Switch Node (Multi-branch)

json

{
  "name": "Route by Type",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.switch",
  "parameters": {
    "mode": "rules",
    "rules": {
      "values": [
        {
          "outputKey": "order",
          "conditions": {
            "conditions": [
              {
                "leftValue": "={{ $json.type }}",
                "rightValue": "order",
                "operator": { "type": "string", "operation": "equals" }
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        {
          "outputKey": "refund",
          "conditions": {
            "conditions": [
              {
                "leftValue": "={{ $json.type }}",
                "rightValue": "refund",
                "operator": { "type": "string", "operation": "equals" }
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    "fallbackOutput": "extra"
  }
}

Loop Over Items

json

{
  "name": "Loop Over Items",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches",
  "parameters": {
    "batchSize": 10,
    "options": {
      "reset": false
    }
  }
}

Merge Node (Combine Data)

json

{
  "name": "Merge Results",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.merge",
  "parameters": {
    "mode": "combine",
    "mergeByFields": {
      "values": [
        {
          "field1": "id",
          "field2": "userId"
        }
      ]
    },
    "options": {}
  }
}

Error Handling Patterns

Try/Catch with Error Trigger

json

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Error Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.errorTrigger",
      "parameters": {}
    },
    {
      "name": "Send Alert",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "parameters": {
        "channel": "#alerts",
        "text": "Workflow failed: {{ $json.workflow.name }}\nError: {{ $json.execution.error.message }}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Retry on Failure

json

{
  "name": "HTTP Request",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "parameters": {
    "url": "https://api.example.com/data",
    "options": {}
  },
  "retryOnFail": true,
  "maxTries": 3,
  "waitBetweenTries": 1000
}

Stop and Error Node

json

{
  "name": "Validation Failed",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stopAndError",
  "parameters": {
    "errorMessage": "Invalid input: {{ $json.error }}"
  }
}

Sub-Workflow Pattern

Execute Workflow Node

json

{
  "name": "Process Order",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflow",
  "parameters": {
    "source": "database",
    "workflowId": "order-processing-workflow-id",
    "mode": "each",
    "options": {
      "waitForSubWorkflow": true
    }
  }
}

Best Practices:

Use sub-workflows for reusable logic
Pass minimal data between workflows
Set
```
waitForSubWorkflow
```
based on needs
Use workflow tags for organization

HTTP Request Patterns

REST API Call

json

{
  "name": "API Request",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "parameters": {
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://api.example.com/v1/resource",
    "authentication": "predefinedCredentialType",
    "nodeCredentialType": "httpHeaderAuth",
    "sendHeaders": true,
    "headerParameters": {
      "parameters": [
        {
          "name": "Content-Type",
          "value": "application/json"
        }
      ]
    },
    "sendBody": true,
    "bodyParameters": {
      "parameters": [
        {
          "name": "data",
          "value": "={{ JSON.stringify($json) }}"
        }
      ]
    },
    "options": {
      "timeout": 30000,
      "response": {
        "response": {
          "fullResponse": false,
          "responseFormat": "json"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Pagination Pattern

javascript

// Code node for API pagination
const allResults = [];
let page = 1;
let hasMore = true;

while (hasMore) {
  const response = await this.helpers.httpRequest({
    method: 'GET',
    url: `https://api.example.com/items?page=${page}&limit=100`,
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${$env.API_TOKEN}`
    }
  });

  allResults.push(...response.data);
  hasMore = response.hasNextPage;
  page++;

  // Rate limiting
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 100));
}

return allResults.map(item => ({ json: item }));

Credential Management

Environment Variables

javascript

// Access in expressions
{{ $env.API_KEY }}
{{ $env.DATABASE_URL }}

// Access in Code node
const apiKey = $env.API_KEY;

Credential Types

Type	Use Case
`httpBasicAuth`	Basic authentication
`httpHeaderAuth`	API key in header
`oAuth2Api`	OAuth 2.0 flows
`httpQueryAuth`	API key in query string

Self-Hosting Patterns

Docker Compose

yaml

version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://${N8N_HOST}/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=UTC
      - N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=${N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY}
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
      - EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - postgres

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

volumes:
  n8n_data:
  postgres_data:

Environment Variables (.env)

bash

# n8n Configuration
N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
N8N_USER=admin
N8N_PASSWORD=secure-password-here
N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)

# Database
POSTGRES_USER=n8n
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secure-db-password

# Optional: Queue mode for scaling
EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue
QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis

Queue Mode (Scaling)

yaml

# docker-compose.queue.yml
services:
  n8n:
    environment:
      - EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue
      - QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis
      - QUEUE_HEALTH_CHECK_ACTIVE=true

  n8n-worker:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    command: worker
    environment:
      - EXECUTIONS_MODE=queue
      - QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis
    deploy:
      replicas: 3

  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data

Common Workflow Templates

Webhook to Database

json

{
  "name": "Webhook to Database",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "parameters": {
        "httpMethod": "POST",
        "path": "ingest",
        "responseMode": "responseNode"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Validate",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
      "parameters": {
        "conditions": {
          "conditions": [
            {
              "leftValue": "={{ $json.id }}",
              "rightValue": "",
              "operator": { "type": "string", "operation": "notEmpty" }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Insert",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.postgres",
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "insert",
        "table": "events",
        "columns": "id,type,data,created_at"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Success Response",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.respondToWebhook",
      "parameters": {
        "respondWith": "json",
        "responseBody": "={{ { \"success\": true, \"id\": $json.id } }}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Scheduled Sync

json

{
  "name": "Daily Data Sync",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Schedule",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [{ "field": "cronExpression", "expression": "0 2 * * *" }]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Fetch Source",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "parameters": {
        "url": "https://api.source.com/data",
        "authentication": "predefinedCredentialType"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Transform",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
      "parameters": {
        "jsCode": "return $input.all().map(item => ({ json: { ...item.json, synced_at: new Date().toISOString() } }));"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Upsert Destination",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.postgres",
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "upsert",
        "table": "synced_data"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Event-Driven Notification

json

{
  "name": "Alert Pipeline",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook",
      "parameters": { "path": "alert" }
    },
    {
      "name": "Route by Severity",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.switch",
      "parameters": {
        "rules": {
          "values": [
            { "outputKey": "critical", "conditions": { "conditions": [{ "leftValue": "={{ $json.severity }}", "rightValue": "critical" }] } },
            { "outputKey": "warning", "conditions": { "conditions": [{ "leftValue": "={{ $json.severity }}", "rightValue": "warning" }] } }
          ]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Page On-Call",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.pagerDuty"
    },
    {
      "name": "Slack Alert",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack"
    }
  ]
}

Expression Cheat Sheet

Expression	Description
`{{ $json.field }}`	Access field from current item
`{{ $json["field-name"] }}`	Access field with special chars
`{{ $('NodeName').item.json.field }}`	Access data from specific node
`{{ $input.first().json }}`	First input item
`{{ $input.all() }}`	All input items
`{{ $env.VAR_NAME }}`	Environment variable
`{{ $now }}`	Current datetime
`{{ $today }}`	Current date
`{{ $runIndex }}`	Current execution run index
`{{ $itemIndex }}`	Current item index
`{{ $workflow.id }}`	Workflow ID
`{{ $execution.id }}`	Execution ID

Luxon DateTime Examples

javascript

// n8n uses Luxon for dates
{{ $now.toISO() }}                    // ISO format
{{ $now.toFormat('yyyy-MM-dd') }}     // Custom format
{{ $now.plus({ days: 7 }).toISO() }}  // Add 7 days
{{ $now.startOf('month').toISO() }}   // Start of month
{{ DateTime.fromISO($json.date) }}    // Parse ISO string

Best Practices

Naming: Use descriptive node names (verb + noun)
Error Handling: Always add error workflows
Credentials: Never hardcode secrets
Batching: Use
```
splitInBatches
```
for large datasets
Timeouts: Set appropriate timeouts on HTTP nodes
Logging: Use
```
console.log
```
in Code nodes for debugging
Testing: Use manual execution before activating
Version Control: Export workflows as JSON to git
Documentation: Add sticky notes for complex logic
Modular Design: Use sub-workflows for reusability

Debugging Tips

javascript

// In Code node - log to n8n console
console.log('Debug:', JSON.stringify($json, null, 2));

// Return debug info
return [{
  json: {
    debug: true,
    input: $json,
    env: $env.NODE_ENV,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
  }
}];

n8n-patterns

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

n8n Workflow Patterns

Overview

Core Concepts

Workflow Structure

Node Types

Trigger Patterns

Webhook Trigger

Schedule Trigger

App Trigger (Polling)

Data Transformation Patterns

Set Node (Transform Data)

Code Node (JavaScript)

Code Node (Python)

Control Flow Patterns

IF Node (Conditional)

Switch Node (Multi-branch)

Loop Over Items

Merge Node (Combine Data)

Error Handling Patterns

Try/Catch with Error Trigger

Retry on Failure

Stop and Error Node

Sub-Workflow Pattern

Execute Workflow Node

HTTP Request Patterns

REST API Call

Pagination Pattern

Credential Management

Environment Variables

Credential Types

Self-Hosting Patterns

Docker Compose

Environment Variables (.env)

Queue Mode (Scaling)

Common Workflow Templates

Webhook to Database

Scheduled Sync

Event-Driven Notification

Expression Cheat Sheet

Luxon DateTime Examples

Best Practices

Debugging Tips

Resources