The Ultimate n8n Automation Cheatsheet 2025

Field Manual for Automation Engineers
This cheatsheet distills 20+ years of enterprise automation experience into actionable patterns, shortcuts, and best practices for building lightning-fast, reliable, and scalable workflows in n8n.

1. Introduction

What is n8n?

n8n is an open-source, self-hostable workflow automation platform that enables you to connect APIs, services, and databases without writing code. Unlike Zapier or Make, n8n gives you complete control over your data, infrastructure, and execution logic.

Key Differentiators:

Self-hostable - Run on your infrastructure
Open-source - Full transparency and customization
Visual workflow builder - Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
Code nodes - Write custom JavaScript/TypeScript when needed
Webhook-first - Built for event-driven architectures
Cost-effective - No per-task pricing, unlimited executions

The Automation Mindset

⚠️ Pro Tip: Before building, ask: "What manual process am I replacing, and what's the failure cost?"

Core Principles:

Modularity - Build reusable workflow components
Resilience - Design for failure with retries and fallbacks
Observability - Log everything, monitor execution times
Scalability - Batch operations, avoid rate limits
Security - Encrypt credentials, validate webhook signatures

2. Setup & Configuration

Installation Methods

Desktop App (Quick Start)

bash

1# Download from n8n.io/download
2# Or via Homebrew (macOS)
3brew install n8n

Docker (Recommended for Production)

bash

1docker run -it --rm \
2  --name n8n \
3  -p 5678:5678 \
4  -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
5  n8nio/n8n

Docker Compose (Full Stack)

bash

1version: '3.8'
2services:
3  n8n:
4    image: n8nio/n8n
5    ports:
6      - "5678:5678"
7    environment:
8      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
9      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
10      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_PASSWORD}
11      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
12      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
13      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
14      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
15      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
16    volumes:
17      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
18    depends_on:
19      - postgres
20
21  postgres:
22    image: postgres:15
23    environment:
24      - POSTGRES_DB=n8n
25      - POSTGRES_USER=n8n
26      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
27    volumes:
28      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
29
30volumes:
31  n8n_data:
32  postgres_data:

Cloud (n8n Cloud)

Sign up at n8n.io
Instant setup, managed infrastructure
Free tier: 2,000 executions/month

Environment Configuration

Essential Environment Variables:

yaml

1# Authentication
2N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
3N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
4N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
5
6# Database (PostgreSQL recommended for production)
7DB_TYPE=postgresdb
8DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=localhost
9DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
10DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
11DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=your-db-password
12
13# Encryption (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
14N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-char-encryption-key
15
16# Webhook URL (for self-hosted)
17WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-domain.com/
18
19# Timezone
20TZ=UTC
21
22# Execution Settings
23EXECUTIONS_PROCESS=main
24EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
25EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=336  # 14 days in hours

Best Practice: Use environment variables for all sensitive data. Never hardcode credentials in workflows.

Credential Management

Secure Credential Storage:

1. Environment Variables - Use for API keys, secrets

yaml

1# In .env file
2OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
3SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=https://hooks.slack.com/...

2. n8n Credentials - Encrypted storage in database

Access via: Settings → Credentials
Supports OAuth2, API keys, basic auth

3. External Vaults (Advanced)

HashiCorp Vault integration
AWS Secrets Manager
Azure Key Vault

Version Control & Backup

Workflow Versioning:

markdown

1# Export workflows as JSON
2# Via UI: Workflow → Download
3# Via API:
4curl -X GET \
5  "https://your-n8n-instance.com/api/v1/workflows" \
6  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: your-api-key" \
7  > workflows-backup.json

Automated Backup Script:

markdown

1#!/bin/bash
2# backup-n8n.sh
3DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
4BACKUP_DIR="./backups"
5mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
6
7# Export workflows
8curl -X GET \
9  "http://localhost:5678/api/v1/workflows" \
10  -H "X-N8N-API-KEY: $N8N_API_KEY" \
11  > "$BACKUP_DIR/workflows_$DATE.json"
12
13# Backup database (PostgreSQL)
14pg_dump -h localhost -U n8n n8n > "$BACKUP_DIR/db_$DATE.sql"
15
16echo "Backup completed: $DATE"

🧠 Pro Tip: Set up daily automated backups. Workflows are code—treat them like code.

3. Core Concepts

Nodes, Connections, and Execution Flow

Node Types:

Trigger Nodes - Start workflows (Webhook, Cron, Schedule)
Action Nodes - Perform operations (HTTP Request, Database, API calls)
Transform Nodes - Modify data (Set, Code, Merge, Split)
Control Nodes - Control flow (IF, Switch, Wait, Error Trigger)

Execution Flow:

markdown

1Trigger → Transform → Action → Transform → Action → End

Data Passing:

Each node receives data from the previous node as an array of items. Access data using:

javascript

1// In Code Node
2const inputData = $input.all();
3const firstItem = $input.first();
4const itemValue = $input.item.json.fieldName;

JSON Structure Handling

Understanding n8n Data Format:

json

1[
2  {
3    "json": {
4      "id": 1,
5      "name": "John",
6      "email": "john@example.com"
7    },
8    "binary": {},
9    "pairedItem": null
10  }
11]

Common Access Patterns:

javascript

1// Get all items
2const items = $input.all();
3
4// Get first item's JSON
5const first = $input.first().json;
6
7// Map over items
8const emails = items.map(item => item.json.email);
9
10// Filter items
11const filtered = items.filter(item => item.json.status === 'active');

Workflow Activation

Activation Methods:

Manual Execution - Click "Execute Workflow"
Production Mode - Toggle "Active" switch (workflow runs automatically)
Webhook Trigger - Workflow activates on HTTP POST
Schedule Trigger - Cron-based activation
API Call - Trigger via REST API

Production Activation Checklist:

[ ] Test workflow in manual mode
[ ] Add error handling nodes
[ ] Set up monitoring/alerting
[ ] Document workflow purpose
[ ] Enable "Active" toggle

4. Node Reference

Trigger Nodes

Webhook

Use Case: HTTP POST/GET endpoints
Pro Tip: Use for real-time integrations
Example Config: Method: POST, Path: /webhook/my-workflow

Cron

Use Case: Scheduled tasks
Pro Tip: Use cron syntax: 0 9 * * * (daily at 9 AM)
Example Config: Expression: 0 */6 * * * (every 6 hours)

Schedule Trigger

Use Case: Simple recurring tasks
Pro Tip: Easier than Cron for basic schedules
Example Config: Every: 1 hour, Starting at: 09:00

IMAP Email

Use Case: Email-triggered workflows
Pro Tip: Filter by subject/from to reduce noise
Example Config: Folder: INBOX, Options: Unread only

WebSocket

Use Case: Real-time bidirectional communication
Pro Tip: Use for live data streams
Example Config: URL: wss://api.example.com/stream

Polling

Use Case: Check APIs at intervals
Pro Tip: Set reasonable intervals to avoid rate limits
Example Config: Interval: 5 minutes

Data Transformation Nodes

Code (JavaScript)

Use Case: Custom logic, data mapping
Pro Tip: Use $input.all() for batch processing
Example: See Code Node Mastery section

Set

Use Case: Add/modify fields
Pro Tip: Use dot notation: user.email
Example: Field: fullName, Value: {{$json.firstName}} {{$json.lastName}}

Merge

Use Case: Combine data from multiple nodes
Pro Tip: Choose merge mode: "Merge By Index" or "Merge By Key"
Example: Mode: Merge By Key, Key: id

Split In Batches

Use Case: Process large datasets
Pro Tip: Set batch size based on API limits
Example: Batch Size: 100, Options: Reset

Use Case: Conditional branching
Pro Tip: Use expressions: {{$json.status === 'active'}}
Example: Condition: {{$json.amount > 1000}}

Switch

Use Case: Multi-path routing
Pro Tip: Use multiple rules for complex routing
Example: Rule 1: {{$json.type === 'email'}}, Rule 2: {{$json.type === 'sms'}}

Regex

Use Case: Extract/transform text
Pro Tip: Test regex patterns before using
Example: Pattern: (\d{4}), Replace: ****

Integration Nodes

HTTP Request

Use Case: Call any REST API
Pro Tip: Use authentication in headers
Example: Method: POST, URL: https://api.example.com/data, Headers: Authorization: Bearer {{$env.API_KEY}}

MySQL/Postgres

Use Case: Database operations
Pro Tip: Use parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection
Example: Query: SELECT * FROM users WHERE status = :status, Parameters: {"status": "active"}

Google Sheets

Use Case: Spreadsheet operations
Pro Tip: Use named ranges for better performance
Example: Operation: Append, Sheet: "Data", Range: "A1:D100"

Slack

Use Case: Team notifications
Pro Tip: Use blocks for rich formatting
Example: Channel: #alerts, Message: {{$json.message}}

Telegram

Use Case: Personal/bot notifications
Pro Tip: Use Markdown for formatting
Example: Chat ID: {{$env.TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}}, Text: *Alert*: {{$json.title}}

Notion

Use Case: Knowledge base operations
Pro Tip: Use page IDs, not URLs
Example: Operation: Create Page, Parent: {{$json.parentId}}

GitHub

Use Case: Repository automation
Pro Tip: Use personal access tokens with minimal scopes
Example: Operation: Create Issue, Repository: owner/repo, Title: {{$json.title}}

Utility Nodes

Wait

Use Case: Pause execution
Pro Tip: Use for rate limiting or delays
Example: Wait For: 5 seconds

Delay

Use Case: Time-based delays
Pro Tip: Use for scheduled retries
Example: Wait For: 1 hour

Error Trigger

Use Case: Catch and handle errors
Pro Tip: Place after nodes that might fail
Example: Continue On Fail: true

Execute Workflow

Use Case: Call other workflows
Pro Tip: Use for modular design
Example: Workflow ID: {{$env.MAIN_WORKFLOW_ID}}

Function Item

Use Case: Per-item processing
Pro Tip: Use for item-level transformations
Example: See Code Node examples

5. Code Node Mastery

Basic Patterns

Accessing Input Data:

javascript

1// Get all items as array
2const items = $input.all();
3
4// Get first item
5const firstItem = $input.first().json;
6
7// Get specific field
8const email = $input.item.json.email;
9
10// Get binary data
11const imageData = $input.item.binary.data;

Returning Data:

javascript

1// Return single item
2return {
3  json: {
4    id: 1,
5    name: "John",
6    processed: true
7  }
8};
9
10// Return multiple items
11return items.map(item => ({
12  json: {
13    ...item.json,
14    processed: true,
15    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
16  }
17}));

Data Transformation Examples

Mapping and Filtering:

javascript

1// Filter active users
2const activeUsers = $input.all()
3  .filter(item => item.json.status === 'active')
4  .map(item => ({
5    json: {
6      id: item.json.id,
7      email: item.json.email,
8      name: item.json.name
9    }
10  }));
11
12return activeUsers;

API Response Parsing:

javascript

1// Parse nested API response
2const response = $input.first().json;
3
4const transformed = {
5  json: {
6    userId: response.data.user.id,
7    userName: response.data.user.name,
8    email: response.data.user.email,
9    metadata: {
10      createdAt: response.data.user.created_at,
11      lastLogin: response.data.user.last_login
12    }
13  }
14};
15
16return transformed;

Batch Processing:

javascript

1// Process items in chunks
2const items = $input.all();
3const batchSize = 10;
4const batches = [];
5
6for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i += batchSize) {
7  batches.push(items.slice(i, i + batchSize));
8}
9
10// Return first batch (use Split In Batches node for full solution)
11return batches[0].map(item => ({
12  json: {
13    ...item.json,
14    batchNumber: 1
15  }
16}));

Reusable Functions

Helper Functions:

javascript

1// Date formatting helper
2function formatDate(dateString, format = 'YYYY-MM-DD') {
3  const date = new Date(dateString);
4  const year = date.getFullYear();
5  const month = String(date.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
6  const day = String(date.getDate()).padStart(2, '0');
7  
8  return format
9    .replace('YYYY', year)
10    .replace('MM', month)
11    .replace('DD', day);
12}
13
14// Email validation
15function isValidEmail(email) {
16  return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email);
17}
18
19// Use helpers
20const items = $input.all();
21return items.map(item => ({
22  json: {
23    ...item.json,
24    formattedDate: formatDate(item.json.createdAt),
25    isValidEmail: isValidEmail(item.json.email)
26  }
27}));

Error Handling Patterns

Try-Catch in Code Node:

javascript

1const items = $input.all();
2const results = [];
3
4for (const item of items) {
5  try {
6    // Process item
7    const processed = {
8      json: {
9        ...item.json,
10        processed: true,
11        error: null
12      }
13    };
14    results.push(processed);
15  } catch (error) {
16    // Handle error gracefully
17    results.push({
18      json: {
19        ...item.json,
20        processed: false,
21        error: error.message
22      }
23    });
24  }
25}
26
27return results;

Validation Pattern:

javascript

1const item = $input.first().json;
2
3// Validate required fields
4const required = ['email', 'name', 'phone'];
5const missing = required.filter(field => !item[field]);
6
7if (missing.length > 0) {
8  throw new Error(`Missing required fields: ${missing.join(', ')}`);
9}
10
11// Validate format
12if (!/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(item.email)) {
13  throw new Error('Invalid email format');
14}
15
16return { json: item };

Dynamic Variable Usage

Environment Variables:

javascript

1// Access environment variables
2const apiKey = $env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
3const webhookUrl = $env.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL;
4
5// Use in API calls
6return {
7  json: {
8    apiKey: apiKey, // Don't expose in production!
9    webhookUrl: webhookUrl
10  }
11};

Node Output References:

javascript

1// Reference previous node outputs
2const webhookData = $('Webhook').first().json;
3const dbResult = $('Postgres').all();
4
5// Combine data
6return {
7  json: {
8    webhookId: webhookData.id,
9    dbRecords: dbResult.length,
10    combined: {
11      ...webhookData,
12      records: dbResult
13    }
14  }
15};

6. Workflow Design Patterns (Expert Section)

Parallel Execution Strategy

Running Multiple Operations Simultaneously:

markdown

1Webhook Trigger
2    ├─→ HTTP Request (API 1)
3    ├─→ HTTP Request (API 2)
4    └─→ Database Query
5        ↓
6    Merge Node (Wait for all)
7        ↓
8    Process Combined Results

✅ Best Practice: Use Merge node with "Wait for all inputs" to synchronize parallel operations.

Example: Parallel API Calls

javascript

1// In Merge node, combine results
2const api1Data = $input.all()[0].json; // First input
3const api2Data = $input.all()[1].json; // Second input
4const dbData = $input.all()[2].json;   // Third input
5
6return {
7  json: {
8    api1: api1Data,
9    api2: api2Data,
10    database: dbData,
11    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
12  }
13};

Error-Resilient Automation

Try/Catch Pattern with Error Trigger:

markdown

1HTTP Request
2    ↓
3Error Trigger (Continue On Fail: true)
4    ├─→ Success Path → Process Data
5    └─→ Error Path → Log Error → Send Alert → Fallback Action

Retry Mechanism:

javascript

1// Retry logic in Code Node
2async function retryOperation(operation, maxRetries = 3) {
3  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
4    try {
5      return await operation();
6    } catch (error) {
7      if (i === maxRetries - 1) throw error;
8      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000 * (i + 1)));
9    }
10  }
11}
12
13// Use in workflow
14const result = await retryOperation(() => {
15  // Your operation here
16  return fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
17});

Deduplication Pattern:

javascript

1// Track processed items
2const processedIds = new Set();
3const items = $input.all();
4
5const uniqueItems = items.filter(item => {
6  const id = item.json.id;
7  if (processedIds.has(id)) {
8    return false; // Duplicate
9  }
10  processedIds.add(id);
11  return true;
12});
13
14return uniqueItems.map(item => ({ json: item.json }));

Event-Driven Architecture

Webhook-First Design:

markdown

1External Service → Webhook → n8n → Process → Trigger Actions
2                                      ↓
3                                 Multiple Workflows
4

Webhook Security:

javascript

1// Verify webhook signature (in Code Node)
2const crypto = require('crypto');
3
4const secret = $env.WEBHOOK_SECRET;
5const signature = $input.first().headers['x-signature'];
6const payload = JSON.stringify($input.first().json);
7
8const expectedSignature = crypto
9  .createHmac('sha256', secret)
10  .update(payload)
11  .digest('hex');
12
13if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
14  throw new Error('Invalid webhook signature');
15}
16
17return $input.all();

Modular Workflow Design

Using Execute Workflow Node:

markdown

1Main Workflow
2    ├─→ Execute Workflow: Data Processing
3    ├─→ Execute Workflow: Notification
4    └─→ Execute Workflow: Reporting

Benefits:

Reusability across workflows
Easier testing and debugging
Better organization
Independent versioning

Passing Data Between Workflows:

json

1// In calling workflow
2{
3  "workflowId": "&#123;&#123;$env.PROCESSING_WORKFLOW_ID&#125;&#125;",
4  "data": {
5    "items": $input.all(),
6    "config": {
7      "mode": "production",
8      "notify": true
9    }
10  }
11}
12

AI-Powered Automations

Integrating OpenAI:

javascript

1// OpenAI API call pattern
2const items = $input.all();
3const results = [];
4
5for (const item of items) {
6  const response = await fetch('https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', {
7    method: 'POST',
8    headers: {
9      'Authorization': `Bearer ${$env.OPENAI_API_KEY}`,
10      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
11    },
12    body: JSON.stringify({
13      model: 'gpt-4',
14      messages: [
15        {
16          role: 'system',
17          content: 'You are a helpful assistant that summarizes data.'
18        },
19        {
20          role: 'user',
21          content: `Summarize this: ${JSON.stringify(item.json)}`
22        }
23      ],
24      temperature: 0.7
25    })
26  });
27  
28  const data = await response.json();
29  results.push({
30    json: {
31      ...item.json,
32      summary: data.choices[0].message.content
33    }
34  });
35}
36
37return results;

AI-Driven Decision Making:

javascript

1// Use AI to classify or route items
2const classification = await classifyItem(item.json);
3
4if (classification.category === 'urgent') {
5  // Route to urgent handling workflow
6} else if (classification.category === 'normal') {
7  // Route to standard processing
8}

7. Debugging & Optimization

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Missing error handling

Symptom: Workflow fails silently
Fix: Add Error Trigger nodes

Not handling empty arrays

Symptom: "Cannot read property of undefined"
Fix: Check $input.all().length > 0

Rate limit issues

Symptom: API calls fail intermittently
Fix: Add Wait nodes, implement retry logic

Memory leaks

Symptom: Workflow slows over time
Fix: Use Split In Batches, limit data retention

Hardcoded values

Symptom: Workflow breaks when data changes
Fix: Use expressions: {{$json.field}}

Infinite loops

Symptom: Workflow runs forever
Fix: Add execution time limits, break conditions

Performance Tuning

Batch Size Optimization:

javascript

1// Optimal batch size depends on:
2// 1. API rate limits
3// 2. Memory constraints
4// 3. Processing time
5
6// For most APIs: 50-100 items per batch
7// For heavy processing: 10-20 items per batch
8// For simple operations: 200-500 items per batch

Lazy Loading Pattern:

javascript

1// Only fetch what you need
2const items = $input.all();
3const ids = items.map(item => item.json.id);
4
5// Fetch details only for active items
6const activeItems = items.filter(item => item.json.status === 'active');
7// Process only active items

Data Trimming:

javascript

1// Remove unnecessary fields to reduce memory
2const items = $input.all();
3return items.map(item => ({
4  json: {
5    id: item.json.id,
6    email: item.json.email,
7    // Only keep essential fields
8  }
9}));

Monitoring and Logging

Execution Logging:

javascript

1// Log to console (visible in n8n execution log)
2console.log('Processing item:', item.json.id);
3console.error('Error occurred:', error.message);
4
5// Log to external service
6await fetch($env.LOGGING_WEBHOOK, {
7  method: 'POST',
8  body: JSON.stringify({
9    level: 'info',
10    message: 'Workflow executed',
11    data: item.json,
12    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
13  })
14});

Performance Monitoring:

javascript

1// Track execution time
2const startTime = Date.now();
3
4// ... your processing ...
5
6const executionTime = Date.now() - startTime;
7
8return {
9  json: {
10    ...item.json,
11    _metadata: {
12      executionTimeMs: executionTime,
13      timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
14    }
15  }
16};

Alerting on Failures:

markdown

1Error Trigger
2    ↓
3Code Node (Format Error)
4    ↓
5Slack/Telegram/Email Notification

javascript

1// Format error for notification
2const error = $input.first().json;
3
4return {
5  json: {
6    alert: true,
7    severity: 'high',
8    message: `Workflow failed: ${error.error.message}`,
9    workflow: error.workflow?.name || 'Unknown',
10    node: error.node?.name || 'Unknown',
11    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
12    details: error
13  }
14};

8. Real-World Examples

Example 1: Google Sheets → Airtable → Slack Pipeline

Use Case: Sync data from Google Sheets to Airtable and notify team in Slack.

markdown

1Schedule Trigger (Daily at 9 AM)
2    ↓
3Google Sheets (Read Data)
4    ↓
5Code Node (Transform Data)
6    ↓
7Airtable (Create/Update Records)
8    ↓
9IF Node (Check for new records)
10    ├─→ Yes → Slack (Send notification)
11    └─→ No → End

Code Node Transformation:

javascript

1const sheetsData = $input.all();
2
3return sheetsData.map(item => ({
4  json: {
5    fields: {
6      'Name': item.json.name,
7      'Email': item.json.email,
8      'Status': item.json.status,
9      'Last Updated': new Date().toISOString()
10    }
11  }
12}));
13

Platform-Specific Formatting:

javascript

1const post = $input.first().json;
2
3// Twitter format (280 chars)
4const twitterPost = {
5  text: post.content.substring(0, 280),
6  media_ids: post.imageId ? [post.imageId] : undefined
7};
8
9// LinkedIn format
10const linkedInPost = {
11  author: `urn:li:person:${$env.LINKEDIN_PERSON_URN}`,
12  lifecycleState: 'PUBLISHED',
13  specificContent: {
14    'com.linkedin.ugc.ShareContent': {
15      shareCommentary: {
16        text: post.content
17      },
18      shareMediaCategory: 'ARTICLE',
19      media: post.imageUrl ? [{
20        status: 'READY',
21        media: post.imageUrl
22      }] : undefined
23    }
24  },
25  visibility: {
26    'com.linkedin.ugc.MemberNetworkVisibility': 'PUBLIC'
27  }
28};
29
30return [
31  { json: { platform: 'twitter', data: twitterPost } },
32  { json: { platform: 'linkedin', data: linkedInPost } }
33];

9. Security, Scalability & Maintenance

Webhook Security

Signature Verification:

javascript

1// Verify webhook signature
2const crypto = require('crypto');
3const secret = $env.WEBHOOK_SECRET;
4const signature = $input.first().headers['x-signature'];
5const payload = JSON.stringify($input.first().json);
6
7const expectedSignature = crypto
8  .createHmac('sha256', secret)
9  .update(payload)
10  .digest('hex');
11
12if (signature !== `sha256=${expectedSignature}`) {
13  throw new Error('Invalid webhook signature');
14}
15

IP Whitelisting:

javascript

1// Check allowed IPs
2const allowedIPs = $env.ALLOWED_IPS.split(',');
3const clientIP = $input.first().headers['x-forwarded-for'] || 
4                 $input.first().headers['x-real-ip'];
5
6if (!allowedIPs.includes(clientIP)) {
7  throw new Error('IP not allowed');
8}

Rate Limiting:

javascript

1// Simple rate limiting (use Redis for production)
2const rateLimitKey = `ratelimit:${clientIP}`;
3// Check against stored count
4// Increment on each request
5// Block if exceeds limit

Scaling n8n

Docker Compose for High Availability:

yaml

1version: '3.8'
2services:
3  n8n:
4    image: n8nio/n8n
5    deploy:
6      replicas: 3
7    environment:
8      - EXECUTIONS_PROCESS=main
9      - QUEUE_BULL_REDIS_HOST=redis
10    depends_on:
11      - postgres
12      - redis
13
14  redis:
15    image: redis:7-alpine
16    volumes:
17      - redis_data:/data
18
19  postgres:
20    image: postgres:15
21    environment:
22      - POSTGRES_DB=n8n
23    volumes:
24      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Kubernetes Deployment:

javascript

1apiVersion: apps/v1
2kind: Deployment
3metadata:
4  name: n8n
5spec:
6  replicas: 3
7  template:
8    spec:
9      containers:
10      - name: n8n
11        image: n8nio/n8n
12        env:
13        - name: DB_TYPE
14          value: postgresdb
15        - name: DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST
16          value: postgres-service

Database Maintenance

Backup Strategy:

bash

1# Daily PostgreSQL backup
20 2 * * * pg_dump -h localhost -U n8n n8n | gzip > /backups/n8n_$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sql.gz
3
4# Retention: Keep 30 days
5find /backups -name "n8n_*.sql.gz" -mtime +30 -delete

Data Pruning:

markdown

1# Environment variables for automatic pruning
2EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE=true
3EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=336  # 14 days
4EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT=10000

High-Throughput Optimizations

Batch Processing:

javascript

1// Process in optimal batch sizes
2const BATCH_SIZE = 100; // Adjust based on API limits
3const items = $input.all();
4
5for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i += BATCH_SIZE) {
6  const batch = items.slice(i, i + BATCH_SIZE);
7  // Process batch
8  // Use Split In Batches node for automatic handling
9}

Connection Pooling:

javascript

1// Reuse HTTP connections
2const https = require('https');
3const agent = new https.Agent({
4  keepAlive: true,
5  maxSockets: 50
6});
7
8// Use agent in fetch requests

10. Power Shortcuts & Productivity Hacks

n8n Hotkeys

Save workflow: Cmd/Ctrl + S
Execute workflow: Cmd/Ctrl + Enter
Add node: Space (when node selected)
Delete node: Delete or Backspace
Undo: Cmd/Ctrl + Z
Redo: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z
Zoom in: Cmd/Ctrl + +
Zoom out: Cmd/Ctrl + -
Reset zoom: Cmd/Ctrl + 0

Workflow Templates

Create Reusable Templates:

Build workflow with placeholder values
Export as JSON
Store in version control
Import and customize for new use cases

Template Structure:

json

1{
2  "name": "Template: Data Sync",
3  "nodes": [
4    {
5      "name": "Source",
6      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
7      "parameters": {
8        "url": "&#123;&#123;$env.SOURCE_API_URL&#125;&#125;"
9      }
10    }
11  ]
12}

Community Nodes

Recommended Community Nodes:

n8n-nodes-base.redis - Redis operations
n8n-nodes-base.aws - AWS services integration
n8n-nodes-base.google-cloud - GCP services
n8n-nodes-base.kubernetes - K8s operations

Installation:

bash

1npm install n8n-nodes-base.redis
2# Restart n8n
3

VS Code Integration

Workflow Development Workflow:

Export workflow as JSON
Edit in VS Code with JSON schema validation
Import back to n8n
Use Git for version control

Recommended Extensions:

JSON Tools
Prettier
GitLens

Productivity Tips

🧠 Pro Tip: Use workflow tags and naming conventions for easy discovery.

Naming Conventions:

markdown

1[Category] - [Purpose] - [Environment]
2Examples:
3- "Marketing - Email Campaign - Production"
4- "Data - Sync Sheets to DB - Staging"
5- "Monitoring - Error Alerts - Production"

Workflow Organization:

Group by department/team
Use tags: production, staging, deprecated
Document purpose in workflow notes
Set up workflow folders

11. Bonus: Advanced Automation Frameworks

Integrating with LangChain

n8n + LangChain Pattern:

javascript

1// Call LangChain API from n8n
2const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000/chain/invoke', {
3  method: 'POST',
4  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
5  body: JSON.stringify({
6    input: {
7      question: $input.first().json.question,
8      context: $input.first().json.context
9    }
10  })
11});
12
13const result = await response.json();
14return {
15  json: {
16    answer: result.output,
17    sources: result.sources
18  }
19};

Python Script Integration

Calling Python Scripts:

javascript

1// Execute Python script via HTTP Request
2const pythonResponse = await fetch('http://localhost:5000/process', {
3  method: 'POST',
4  body: JSON.stringify($input.first().json)
5});
6
7return { json: await pythonResponse.json() };

Python Script Example:

javascript

1# process.py
2from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
3
4app = Flask(__name__)
5
6@app.route('/process', methods=['POST'])
7def process():
8    data = request.json
9    # Your processing logic
10    result = {
11        'processed': True,
12        'data': data
13    }
14    return jsonify(result)
15
16if __name__ == '__main__':
17    app.run(port=5000)

GitHub Actions Integration

Trigger n8n from GitHub Actions:

yaml

1# .github/workflows/trigger-n8n.yml
2name: Trigger n8n Workflow
3on:
4  push:
5    branches: [main]
6
7jobs:
8  trigger:
9    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
10    steps:
11      - name: Trigger n8n
12        run: |
13          curl -X POST \
14            "$&#123;&#123; secrets.N8N_WEBHOOK_URL &#125;&#125;" \
15            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
16            -d '{
17              "event": "push",
18              "branch": "$&#123;&#123; github.ref &#125;&#125;",
19              "commit": "$&#123;&#123; github.sha &#125;&#125;"
20            }'

Firebase Functions Integration

n8n → Firebase Functions:

javascript

1// Firebase Function calling n8n
2const functions = require('firebase-functions');
3const axios = require('axios');
4
5exports.triggerN8n = functions.https.onRequest(async (req, res) => {
6  await axios.post(process.env.N8N_WEBHOOK_URL, {
7    data: req.body,
8    source: 'firebase'
9  });
10  
11  res.json({ success: true });
12});

CLI Integration

n8n CLI Commands:

bash

1# Install n8n CLI
2npm install -g n8n
3
4# Execute workflow via CLI
5n8n execute:workflow --id=WORKFLOW_ID --data='{"key":"value"}'
6
7# Export workflow
8n8n export:workflow --id=WORKFLOW_ID --output=workflow.json
9
10# Import workflow
11n8n import:workflow --input=workflow.json
12

AI-Driven Automation Orchestration

Pattern: AI Decision Maker → n8n Executor

markdown

1External Event
2    ↓
3AI Classifier (OpenAI/Claude)
4    ↓
5Route to Appropriate n8n Workflow
6    ├─→ Workflow A (High Priority)
7    ├─→ Workflow B (Normal)
8    └─→ Workflow C (Low Priority)

AI Classification Code:

javascript

1const item = $input.first().json;
2
3const classification = await fetch('https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', {
4  method: 'POST',
5  headers: {
6    'Authorization': `Bearer ${$env.OPENAI_API_KEY}`,
7    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
8  },
9  body: JSON.stringify({
10    model: 'gpt-4',
11    messages: [{
12      role: 'system',
13      content: 'Classify items into: urgent, normal, low-priority'
14    }, {
15      role: 'user',
16      content: JSON.stringify(item)
17    }]
18  })
19}).then(r => r.json());
20
21const priority = classification.choices[0].message.content.toLowerCase();
22
23return {
24  json: {
25    ...item,
26    priority: priority,
27    workflowId: priority === 'urgent' 
28      ? $env.URGENT_WORKFLOW_ID 
29      : $env.NORMAL_WORKFLOW_ID
30  }
31};

Error Handling Checklist

[ ] Add Error Trigger nodes after critical operations
[ ] Implement retry logic for transient failures
[ ] Set up alerting for persistent errors
[ ] Log errors with context
[ ] Provide fallback actions
[ ] Test error scenarios

Performance Checklist

[ ] Use Split In Batches for large datasets
[ ] Implement rate limiting
[ ] Trim unnecessary data fields
[ ] Use parallel execution where possible
[ ] Monitor execution times
[ ] Set up data retention policies

Conclusion

This cheatsheet represents decades of automation engineering wisdom distilled into actionable patterns and practices. Use it as your daily reference while building workflows, and remember:

The best automation is invisible - it works so reliably that you forget it exists.

Key Takeaways:

Start simple, iterate complex - Build MVP workflows first
Design for failure - Errors will happen, plan for them
Monitor everything - You can't optimize what you don't measure
Document as you build - Future you will thank present you
Reuse and modularize - Don't repeat yourself

Next Steps:

Set up your n8n instance with proper security
Build your first workflow using the patterns above
Join the n8n community for support
Contribute your own patterns and share knowledge

Happy Automating! 🚀

This cheatsheet is a living document. Update it as you discover new patterns and best practices.

The Ultimate n8n Automation Cheatsheet 2025

1. Introduction

What is n8n?

The Automation Mindset

2. Setup & Configuration

Installation Methods

Desktop App (Quick Start)

Docker (Recommended for Production)

Docker Compose (Full Stack)

Cloud (n8n Cloud)

Environment Configuration

Credential Management

Version Control & Backup

3. Core Concepts

Nodes, Connections, and Execution Flow

JSON Structure Handling

Workflow Activation

4. Node Reference

Trigger Nodes

Data Transformation Nodes

Integration Nodes

Utility Nodes

5. Code Node Mastery

Basic Patterns

Data Transformation Examples

Reusable Functions

Error Handling Patterns

Dynamic Variable Usage

6. Workflow Design Patterns (Expert Section)

Parallel Execution Strategy

Error-Resilient Automation

Event-Driven Architecture

Modular Workflow Design

AI-Powered Automations

7. Debugging & Optimization

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Performance Tuning

Monitoring and Logging

8. Real-World Examples

Example 1: Google Sheets → Airtable → Slack Pipeline

9. Security, Scalability & Maintenance

Webhook Security

Scaling n8n

Database Maintenance

High-Throughput Optimizations

10. Power Shortcuts & Productivity Hacks

n8n Hotkeys

Workflow Templates

Community Nodes

VS Code Integration

Productivity Tips

11. Bonus: Advanced Automation Frameworks

Integrating with LangChain

Python Script Integration

GitHub Actions Integration

Firebase Functions Integration

CLI Integration

AI-Driven Automation Orchestration

Error Handling Checklist

Performance Checklist

Conclusion

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