n8n Tutorial: From Beginner to First Workflow in 30 Minutes

Want to learn n8n but feeling overwhelmed? In this beginner-friendly guide, we'll take you step-by-step from installation to your first working workflow. No programming knowledge required.

What is n8n?

n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n") is an open-source platform for workflow automation. Think of it as a digital assembly line: data comes in, gets processed, and goes out transformed.

Why n8n?

• Free to use (self-hosted)
• German company (Berlin)
• 400+ integrations
• Visual editor (no code required)
• Extendable with code when needed

Option 1: n8n Cloud (Fastest Start)

For beginners, we recommend n8n Cloud - no installation, start immediately.

Step 1: Create Account

Go to n8n.io

Click "Get started free"

Enter email and password

Confirm email

Step 2: First Steps

After logging in, you'll see:

• Workflows - This is where your automations live
• Credentials - Access credentials for external services
• Executions - Log of all runs

Tip: n8n Cloud offers 2,500 free executions for testing.

Option 2: n8n Self-Hosted (For More Control)

Option A: Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisite: Docker installed (Docker Desktop)

# Start n8n with Docker
docker run -it --rm \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

Then open http://localhost:5678 in your browser.

Option B: npm (For Developers)

# Install n8n globally
npm install -g n8n

# Start n8n
n8n start

Option C: Cloud Server (Production)

For production use, we recommend a cloud server:

Create server: Choose your cloud provider - New Server - Ubuntu 22.04

Install Docker:

apt update && apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

Deploy n8n: Create docker-compose.yml and start

Detailed guide: See our article "Installing n8n on a Cloud Server"

Understanding the n8n Interface

The Workflow Editor

+------------------------------------------------------------+
|  [Save]  [Execute]  [Activate]              Workflow Name   |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                             |
|    +---------+      +---------+      +---------+           |
|    | Trigger | ---> |  Node   | ---> |  Node   |           |
+---------+      +---------+      +---------+
[+ Add Node]
+------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Node Panel | Settings | Output |                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------+

Important Terms

Your First Workflow: Weather Notification

Let's build a workflow that sends you a daily weather update.

Step 1: Create New Workflow

Click "New Workflow"

Name it: "Daily Weather Info"

Step 2: Add Trigger

Click the + symbol

Search for "Schedule"

Select "Schedule Trigger"

Configure:

- Trigger Times: 1

- Mode: Every Day

- Hour: 7

- Minute: 0

Step 3: Fetch Weather Data

Click + after the Schedule node

Search for "HTTP Request"

Configure:

- Method: GET

- URL: https://wttr.in/London?format=3

Click "Test step"

Result: You'll see the current weather for London.

Step 4: Send Email

Click + after the HTTP node

Search for "Send Email"

Choose your email provider (Gmail, Outlook, SMTP)

Create credentials:

- For Gmail: OAuth2 or App Password

- For SMTP: Server, Port, User, Password

Configure the email:

- To: your@email.com

- Subject: "Weather today in London"

- Body: {{ $json.data }}

Step 5: Test and Activate

Click "Execute Workflow"

Check if the email arrives

Click "Activate" (top right)

Done! Every morning at 7 AM, you'll receive a weather email.

Second Workflow: RSS to Slack

Automatically post new blog articles to a Slack channel.

Step 1: RSS Trigger

New workflow: "RSS to Slack"

Add node: "RSS Feed Trigger"

Feed URL: e.g., https://blog.n8n.io/rss/

Poll Times: Every 15 minutes

Step 2: Slack Message

Add node: "Slack"

Operation: Send Message

Create credentials:

- Slack OAuth2 or Webhook

Configure:

- Channel: #news

- Message:

New Article: {{ $json.title }}

   {{ $json.link }}

Step 3: Activate

Activate the workflow - new RSS entries will automatically appear in Slack.

Third Workflow: Google Sheets Automation

Automatically process new form entries.

Step 1: Google Sheets Trigger

New workflow: "Form Processing"

Node: "Google Sheets Trigger"

Credentials: Set up Google OAuth2

Document: Select your Google Sheet

Sheet: Select the worksheet

Trigger: On Row Added

Step 2: Process Data

Node: "Set"

Assign fields:

name: {{ $json.Name }}

   email: {{ $json.Email }}
   message: {{ $json.Message }}

Step 3: Send Email

Node: "Send Email"

To: {{ $json.email }}

Subject: "Thank you for your inquiry"

Body: "Hello {{ $json.name }}, we have received your message..."

Important Concepts in n8n

Expressions

Expressions access data from previous nodes:

If/Switch (Conditions)

Email incoming
    |
IF (contains "complaint")
    -> Yes: Create ticket
    -> No: Standard response

Add "IF" node and configure condition.

Loop (Iterations)

Do something for each entry in a list:

Google Sheet with 100 rows
    |
SplitInBatches (10 batches)
    |
For each row: Send email

Error Handling

Error Trigger: Starts on workflow errors

Stop and Error: Abort workflow with error message

Continue on Fail: Continue despite errors

Common Beginner Mistakes

Mistake 1: Credentials Not Set Up

Symptom: Node shows red exclamation mark Solution: Credentials -> Add Credential -> Select service

Mistake 2: Wrong Expression Syntax

Symptom: Value is empty or shows error Solution: Always use {{ }} around expressions

Mistake 3: Workflow Not Activated

Symptom: Trigger doesn't fire Solution: Click "Activate" in top right

Mistake 4: Webhook URL Not Accessible

Symptom: External services can't reach webhook Solution: For self-hosted: Open port 5678, use Nginx/Traefik in front if needed

Mistake 5: API Limits Exceeded

Symptom: "Rate limit exceeded" error Solution: Add delays between requests (Wait node)

Useful Nodes for Beginners

Resources for Further Learning

Official Documentation

• n8n Docs - Complete reference
• n8n Community - Forum with discussions

YouTube Tutorials

• "n8n Complete Course for Beginners" - 2 hours of basics
• Various advanced workflow tutorials

Templates

n8n offers over 1,000 ready-made templates:

Workflows -> Templates

Search by use case

Click "Use this workflow"

Customize

Conclusion

You've now:

• Installed n8n (Cloud or Self-Hosted)
• Built three working workflows
• Understood the key concepts

Next Steps:

Identify a manual process in your daily work

Build a workflow that automates it

Test, improve, expand

Learning n8n is like Lego for adults - the more you build, the more creative your solutions become.

Next Steps With Us

Want to progress faster? We offer:

n8n Workshop - Get ready for your first projects in 4 hours

Workflow Review - We review and optimize your workflows

Managed n8n - We host and maintain your instance

Automation doesn't have to be complicated - with the right guidance, you'll progress quickly.