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Learn n8n

Fair-code workflow automation with a visual editor, AI agents and self-hosting

25 lessons · 5 hours · 4 levels · covers n8n 2.x (stable 2.43, Oct 2026)

n8n is a workflow automation tool: you connect nodes on a canvas so that an event (a form entry, a webhook, a schedule) flows through steps that read, transform and send data between apps. It has hundreds of integrations, an HTTP Request node for any API, a Code node for custom logic, and LangChain-based AI nodes for building agents. You can use n8n Cloud or run it yourself with Docker, which makes it popular with teams that want control over their data.

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Before you start

n8n builds on these; the tree links to the exact lessons you need.

AI & LLM fundamentalsEssentials level

How deep do you want to go?

1. EssentialsRead and write simple code, do the everyday basics8 lessons · 1 hour in total
2. PracticalUse it productively at work, with the usual idioms15 lessons · 2 hours in total
3. AdvancedThe less common features, performance and trade-offs21 lessons · 4 hours in total
4. ExpertInternals and the edge cases experts know25 lessons · 5 hours in total

The n8n tree

n8nWhat n8n is: workflows, cloud or self-hostedWhat n8n is:workflows, cloud o…The editor: canvas, nodes and test runsThe editor: canvas,nodes and test runsTrigger nodes: how workflows startTrigger nodes: howworkflows startCredentials: connecting your accountsCredentials:connecting your ac…Data between nodes: items and JSONData between nodes:items and JSONMapping fields with expressionsMapping fields withexpressionsSaving, publishing and executionsSaving, publishingand executionsEdit Fields and other data nodesEdit Fields and otherdata nodesIF and Switch: branchingIF and Switch:branchingMerge: combining branches and dataMerge: combiningbranches and dataLoops and batchingLoops and batchingExpressions in depth: nodes, dates, variablesExpressions in depth:nodes, dates, varia…HTTP Request: call any APIHTTP Request: callany APIWebhooks: start workflows from any systemWebhooks: startworkflows from an…The AI Agent node: model, prompt and chatThe AI Agent node:model, prompt and…Calling a model through an APICalling a modelthrough an APIPrompts, messages and rolesPrompts, messagesand rolesWriting clear promptsWriting clear prompts
Essentials and Practical shown (15 of 25 lessons); the full list is below. Click a lesson to read it.

All 25 lessons, in order

Workflows and nodes

  1. What n8n is: workflows, cloud or self-hosted · Essentials · 8 min

    Understand what n8n does, how a workflow is built from nodes, and the difference between n8n Cloud and self-hosting.

  2. The editor: canvas, nodes and test runs · Essentials · 9 min

    Find your way around the editor: add and connect nodes, open a node's input and output, and run the workflow manually.

  3. Trigger nodes: how workflows start · Essentials · 8 min

    Choose the right trigger: manual, schedule, app events, forms, chat or webhooks.

  4. Credentials: connecting your accounts · Essentials · 8 min

    Create credentials so nodes can log in to your apps, and understand how n8n keeps them safe.

  5. Saving, publishing and executions · Essentials · 8 min

    Understand n8n 2.x autosave and Publish, why production runs use the published version, and how to read past executions.

Data and expressions

  1. Data between nodes: items and JSON · Essentials · 11 min

    Learn n8n's data model: nodes pass a list of items, each item holds JSON fields, and most nodes run once per item.

  2. Mapping fields with expressions · Essentials · 10 min

    Drag fields from the input into parameters, and read the {{ $json.field }} expressions this creates.

  3. Edit Fields and other data nodes · Essentials · 9 min

    Reshape data without code using Edit Fields (Set), Filter, Sort, Limit, Remove Duplicates, Split Out and Aggregate.

  4. Expressions in depth: nodes, dates, variables · Practical · 11 min

    Reference any earlier node by name, work with dates using $now, use helpers like $if, and read workflow variables.

Flow logic

  1. IF and Switch: branching · Practical · 9 min

    Send items down different branches with the If node (true/false) and the Switch node (many routes).

  2. Merge: combining branches and data · Practical · 9 min

    Bring branches back together and join data from two sources with the Merge node's Append, Combine and Choose Branch modes.

  3. Loops and batching · Practical · 10 min

    Know when n8n loops for you, when to use Loop Over Items in batches, and how to slow down for rate limits.

APIs and webhooks

  1. HTTP Request: call any API · Practical · 12 min

    Use the HTTP Request node to talk to services that have no dedicated n8n node: method, URL, auth, query, body, cURL import and pagination.

  2. Webhooks: start workflows from any system · Practical · 11 min

    Use the Webhook node to receive data from other systems, understand test vs production URLs, and send a response back.

AI agents

  1. The AI Agent node: model, prompt and chat · Practical · 12 min

    Build your first AI agent with the AI Agent node, a chat model sub-node and a Chat Trigger, and control it with a system message.

  2. Agent tools, memory and human review · Advanced · 14 min

    Give an agent tools (app nodes, HTTP, sub-workflows), let the model fill parameters with $fromAI, add memory, and require approval for risky calls.

  3. Vector stores and RAG · Advanced · 13 min

    Let an agent answer from your own documents: load and split them, store them in a vector store, and attach the store as a tool.

  4. MCP: n8n as server and client · Expert · 12 min

    Expose n8n workflows to AI assistants through instance-level MCP or the MCP Server Trigger, and use outside MCP tools in agents.

Errors, sub-workflows and code

  1. Error handling: retries and error workflows · Advanced · 12 min

    Make workflows survive failures with Retry On Fail, error outputs, the Stop and Error node, and a central error workflow.

  2. Sub-workflows: reusable building blocks · Advanced · 11 min

    Split big workflows into smaller ones and call them with Execute Sub-workflow, passing defined inputs and getting results back.

  3. The Code node (JavaScript and Python) · Advanced · 12 min

    Write small JavaScript or Python snippets in the Code node when built-in nodes get awkward, and know its limits in n8n 2.x.

Self-hosting and operations

  1. Self-hosting n8n with Docker · Advanced · 14 min

    Run n8n yourself with Docker: persistent data volume, encryption key, PostgreSQL, time zone, updates and HTTPS.

  2. Scaling with queue mode · Expert · 14 min

    Scale a self-hosted n8n with queue mode: a main instance, workers, Redis and PostgreSQL, plus optional webhook processors.

  3. Versions, source control and environments · Expert · 12 min

    Move workflows safely from development to production with Git-backed source control, credential stubs and one-way promotion.

  4. Security hardening for n8n · Expert · 13 min

    Harden n8n: SSO and 2FA, blocked nodes, task-runner isolation, SSRF protection, redaction, audits, and safe AI agent design.