n8n
Definition
n8n is a workflow automation tool where you build automations by linking steps, called nodes, on a visual canvas, starting from a trigger such as a schedule or an incoming webhook. Workflows can include AI steps and can run on n8n's cloud or on your own server.
By Ronan Liedmeier, fractional head of growth and course author · Published 17 October 2026 · Last updated 17 October 2026
Also called: n8n.io
It suits workflows that people who don't code still need to read, and setups where data must stay on servers you control.
How it works
A workflow is a chain of nodes. The first is a trigger, for example a webhook or a timer. After it come nodes that call apps, nodes that branch on conditions, code nodes and AI nodes. Each run is saved as an execution showing what every node received and returned.
You can use n8n Cloud, which n8n hosts for you, or self-host it, for example with Docker. The source code is on GitHub under n8n's Sustainable Use License. That license lets you use or modify the software only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use. Self-hosted without a license key, n8n runs as the free Community edition, and paid plans add extra features.
Example
A B2B marketer builds a lead intake workflow. A webhook receives each website form submission, an AI node labels it as sales, support or partnership, a branch sends sales leads into the CRM with that label, and a Slack node pings the right person. Failed runs go down a separate error path that posts the execution link to her own channel.
Common mistake
Building only the happy path. When an app is down or a field is missing, a workflow with no error path stops silently and can stay broken for weeks. Add an error path from the start, and turn on retries only for steps that are safe to run twice.
Learn it in AI Academy
- Orchestration: n8n at DepthExpert · 9 min
- Your First Real Automation in n8n/ZapierAdvanced · 15 minFree
- The Automation LayerExpert · 7 min
Related terms
- No-code automation
- No-code automation is building workflows that move data between apps by connecting visual blocks instead of writing code. Each workflow starts with a trigger, like a new email, and runs a set of steps, like creating a task, every time that trigger fires.
- Webhook
- A webhook is a message one app sends to a web address you choose the moment something happens, such as a form being submitted or a payment going through. It lets another system react straight away instead of checking for changes on a timer.
- AI orchestration
- AI orchestration is coordinating the steps around an AI model so a task runs reliably from start to finish: what starts it, which tools and data it gets, what happens when a step fails, and when a person must approve. The model is one step in that chain.
- AI workflow
- An AI workflow is a fixed series of steps, set in advance by a person or by code, in which an AI model handles one or more of the steps. The steps run in the same order every time, which makes a workflow easy to test and check.