Creating Your First n8n Workflow

Workflows are the heart of n8n. Each workflow is a series of connected nodes that automate a process from start to finish. This guide walks you through creating your first real workflow, explaining key concepts along the way.

Workflow Anatomy

Every n8n workflow consists of:

Step-by-Step: Build a Contact Form Notification Workflow

This example creates a workflow that receives a contact form submission via webhook, saves it to a spreadsheet, and sends a notification.

Step 1 — Create a New Workflow

Step 2 — Add a Webhook Trigger

The webhook node generates a URL that your contact form will send data to.

Step 3 — Add a Google Sheets Node

Step 4 — Add a Slack Notification Node

New contact form submission!
Name: {{ $json.name }}
Email: {{ $json.email }}
Message: {{ $json.message }}

Step 5 — Test the Workflow

curl -X POST https://n8n.example.com/webhook/contact-form \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Jane Doe", "email": "[email protected]", "message": "Hello, I am interested in your services."}'

Step 6 — Activate the Workflow

Once tested successfully:

Working with Data Between Nodes

Data flows through your workflow as JSON objects. Each node receives data from the previous node and passes its output to the next.

Accessing Data

Use expressions to reference data from previous nodes:

• {{ $json.fieldName }} — Access a field from the current node's input.
• {{ $node["Node Name"].json.fieldName }} — Access a specific node's output.
• {{ $input.item.json.fieldName }} — Access current item data.

Transforming Data

Use the Set node to reshape data:

Use the Code node for complex transformations:

// Example: Format a date and combine names
const items = $input.all();
return items.map(item => ({
  json: {
    fullName: ${item.json.firstName} ${item.json.lastName},
    date: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0],
    ...item.json
  }
}));

Common Trigger Types

Error Handling

n8n provides built-in error handling:

Workflow Organization Tips

What to Do Next

• Popular n8n Integrations — Connect n8n to more services.
• Getting Started with Your n8n Instance — Review instance setup.
• What Is n8n? — Learn more about n8n concepts.
• Monitoring Server Performance — Monitor resource usage.