How to Automate Anything with n8n: A Complete Guide

n8n lets you connect apps, process data, and build automations — with code or without. This guide walks you through your first workflow.

Step 1: Install n8n (2 minutes)

npm install -g n8n

n8n start

Open http://localhost:5678. You're now looking at the n8n editor.

Or use n8n.cloud for a hosted version.

Step 2: Understand the Building Blocks

Every n8n workflow has three parts:

1. Trigger — What starts the workflow. Could be a schedule, a webhook, or an app event.

2. Nodes — The steps that do work. Each node connects to an app or processes data.

3. Connections — Lines between nodes that pass data forward.

Step 3: Build Your First Workflow (5 minutes)

Let's build: "When I get a new Gmail, log it to Google Sheets."

1. Add a Gmail Trigger node — set it to watch for new emails

2. Add a Google Sheets node — select your spreadsheet

3. Connect them — Gmail output flows into Sheets

4. Click Execute Workflow — done!

That's it. You've automated email logging.

Step 4: Add Logic (3 minutes)

Now let's make it smarter. Add a Filter node between Gmail and Sheets:

Only process emails from `boss@company.com`

Only process emails with "urgent" in the subject

Now your spreadsheet only gets important emails.

Step 5: Go Further

From here, you can:

Add more apps: Slack, Discord, Shopify, Stripe — n8n connects to 400+

Write code: Add a Function node and write JavaScript for custom logic

Schedule it: Set your workflow to run every hour, every day, or on a cron schedule

Use AI: Connect to OpenAI or local LLMs for text generation and analysis

Deploy: Export your workflow as JSON and share it with your team

Need a Head Start?

We've built 15 pre-made templates covering the most common automations:

Shopify → Slack notifications

Stripe → Invoice + Email

GitHub → Trello sync

And 12 more →

Each includes a full setup guide. No coding required.