n8n Quick Start Tutorial: Build Your First Workflow [2025] n8n Workflow Fundamentals n8n workflows are built upon key fundamentals including triggers, actions, and the flow of data. Triggers are responsible for initiating the workflow, while actions perform specific steps within it. Data is meticulously worked, mapped, transformed, and routed between these steps based on defined business logic, allowing for seamless integration and automation across various applications and services. Citation: Workflow Triggers Triggers serve as the starting point for any n8n workflow, kicking off its execution based on a specific event. Different types of triggers are available, allowing workflows to be initiated by an event in an application, a chat message, or a form submission. The choice of trigger depends on the desired entry point for your automation. Example : To automate a web form, you would typically start with an "On Form Submission" trigger, as n8n provides a web form for end-users to fill out, directly initiating the workflow upon submission. Citation: N-Items and Data Handling In n8n, data is processed and passed between nodes in the form of an array of "items." Every node in a workflow, including the initial trigger, outputs an array of zero to many items, which then serves as the payload for the next step. Most nodes are designed to perform their designated action on each individual item within this incoming array, facilitating efficient processing of multiple data entries. Data can be visualized in various formats, such as JSON, tables, or a schema view. Citation: Workflow Testing and Pinning Data n8n provides robust tools for testing workflows before they go live. You can execute individual steps or the entire workflow to inspect the output data and ensure correct functionality. For situations where replicating specific trigger events (like a complex subscription event) is difficult, you can "pin data" to a node. Example : Pinning data on a trigger node allows subsequent test runs to use that stored payload, bypassing the need to re-execute the trigger repeatedly. This feature is invaluable for development and troubleshooting but is not utilized during production executions. Citation: Conditional Routing with If Node Conditional routing introduces decision-making logic into your workflows, enabling different execution paths based on specific conditions. The "If" node is a primary tool for this, creating distinct output branches that activate depending on whether a defined condition evaluates to true or false. This allows for dynamic and intelligent workflow behavior tailored to varying business requirements. Example : An "If" node can be used to route a new installation request to a Slack channel only if the preferred installation date is within the next seven days, otherwise, the workflow might follow a different path. Citation: Expressions and Data Mapping Expressions in n8n are powerful tools for working with dynamic data and values within your workflow. Any content enclosed in double curly brackets {{...}} is treated as an expression and evaluated at runtime. This allows you to combine static text with dynamic data pulled from previous nodes, which can be easily mapped by dragging and dropping. Example : To check if a date is within seven days from now, an expression might combine a mapped date value from a previous node with a helper function like {{$now.plus(7, 'days')}} for comparison. Citation: Workflow Activation and Production Runs Once a workflow has been built and thoroughly tested, it must be "activated" to run automatically in a production environment. Until activated, workflows only execute manually for testing purposes. Production runs are recorded in the workflow's "Executions" tab, distinguished from test runs (which are marked with a beaker icon), providing a clear history for monitoring and troubleshooting. Example : After activating a web form workflow, filling out its live production URL will trigger an actual production execution, which can then be inspected in the executions tab for its status and details. Citation: [[512960.00000000006)) n8n Community Resources n8n offers a vibrant community and a wealth of resources to support users in their automation journey, providing help, learning materials, and pre-built solutions. Official Community Forums : community.n8n.io serves as a platform for users to post questions, share knowledge, and receive assistance from the community and n8n team. n8n Templates Library : n8n.io/workflows provides a collection of pre-built workflow templates that users can leverage to kickstart their automation projects. Citation: [[512960.00000000006))