Got it—no hyperlinks. Here’s a clear explanation of n8n, without any links.

🧠 What Is n8n?

n8n (pronounced “n-eight-n”) is an open-source workflow automation tool that lets you connect different apps and services to automate tasks. It’s like building a flowchart where each step performs an action—such as sending an email, querying a database, or posting to Slack.

The name stands for “nodemation”, combining “node” (as in steps in a workflow) and “automation.”

🧩 How It Works

• Workflows: These are visual sequences of tasks. You build them by connecting nodes.
• Nodes: Each node represents a specific action or service (e.g., Gmail, Google Sheets, HTTP request).
• Trigger Node: Starts the workflow (e.g., when a form is submitted or a webhook is received).
• Action Nodes: Perform tasks like sending messages, transforming data, or calling APIs.
• Data Flow: Data moves between nodes as structured items (usually JSON objects).

🛠️ Key Features

• Visual Editor: Drag-and-drop interface for building workflows.
• Over 400 Integrations: Includes services like Slack, Airtable, GitHub, and databases.
• Custom Code: You can write JavaScript inside nodes for advanced logic.
• Self-Hosting: You can run n8n on your own server for full control.
• Fair-Code License: Free to use and modify, with some commercial restrictions.

🚀 Why Use n8n?

• Automate repetitive tasks across apps
• Build AI-powered workflows (e.g., chatbots, RAG systems)
• Sync data between platforms (e.g., Google Sheets ↔ Notion)
• Monitor systems and trigger alerts
• Schedule reports or backups

🧠 Example Use Cases

• Marketing: Automatically send follow-up emails when someone fills out a form.
• Sales: Sync CRM data with spreadsheets or Slack notifications.
• DevOps: Monitor server logs and trigger alerts or actions.
• AI Agents: Build workflows that use OpenAI or other models to respond to queries or summarize documents.