Connecting apps into a workflow
n8n is a workflow tool that connects applications and APIs to automate repeated work. The name is officially pronounced n-eight-n.
You arrange components called nodes on a canvas to build sequences such as receive an email, save the attachment, summarize it with AI, and post the result to chat. It starts with little code, with JavaScript or direct API calls available where you need finer control.
What you can automate
- Saving form submissions into a spreadsheet or database
- Periodically fetching web or internal data and producing a report
- Sending notifications to email or chat
- Processing text with models from OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini
- Letting an AI agent use search and external tools
Fixed-order workflows and agents that choose their own tools can be combined. For consequential steps such as sending mail, you can insert a human check before execution.
Compared with ChatGPT and Zapier
Conversational AI answers a person’s request in the moment. n8n defines the trigger, the order, the connections, and the behavior on failure, so the same job runs repeatedly.
Zapier and Make are comparable automation tools. n8n makes detailed branching and data transformation easier to build, and offers self-hosting alongside its cloud service. Note that n8n describes its license as fair-code, which is not the same as conventional open source.
Cautions
Automation requires credentials for Gmail, Google Drive, databases, and so on. Grant no more permission than needed, separate development from production, and keep credentials out of workflow bodies and shared files.
Allowing an agent to send, delete, or publish turns a wrong judgment into a real action. Start on test data, set up execution history and error alerts, and keep human approval on anything irreversible. Self-hosting also makes updates, backups, exposure, and security your responsibility.