n8n is a workflow automation platform for technical teams with 400+ integrations, native AI capabilities, combining visual building with custom code, self-hosted or cloud.
Introduction#
n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform designed for technical teams. It uses a fair-code license, offering a unique experience that combines the flexibility of code with the speed of no-code. n8n enables technical teams to build powerful automation workflows while maintaining full control over their data and deployments.
Key Features#
Code and Visual Combined#
- Code When Needed: Write JavaScript/Python, add npm packages, or use the visual interface
- Flexible Building: Perfectly blend visual drag-and-drop with custom code
- Code-First: Switch to code mode whenever the visual interface isn't enough
AI-Native Platform#
- AI Agent Workflows: Build multi-step AI agents based on LangChain
- Custom Data & Models: Use your own data and models
- Local AI Support: Fully self-host AI models to protect data privacy
Enterprise-Ready#
- Advanced Permissions: Fine-grained access control
- Single Sign-On: SSO SAML and LDAP support
- Isolated Deployment: Air-gapped deployment support
- Version Control: Git integration and version management
Active Ecosystem#
- 400+ Integrations: Covering various applications and services
- 900+ Templates: Ready-to-use workflow templates
- Active Community: 200k+ community members
Technical Architecture#
n8n uses a modern tech stack:
- Frontend: Vue.js (7.7%), SCSS (0.6%)
- Backend: TypeScript (90.8%), Node.js
- Others: Python (0.4%), JavaScript (0.4%), Handlebars (0.1%)
- Deployment: Supports Docker, npm, self-hosting and more
Quick Start#
Using npx (requires Node.js)#
npx n8n
Using Docker#
docker volume create n8n_data
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 \
-v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
Access the editor at http://localhost:5678.
Use Cases#
- IT Ops: Employee onboarding, system monitoring, incident response
- DevOps: API integration, CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation
- SecOps: Security incident handling, threat detection and response
- Sales & Marketing: Customer data sync, lead management, report generation
- Data Processing: ETL workflows for data extraction, transformation, and loading
Highlights#
- Fair-code License: Source code always visible, self-hostable, extensible
- Dual Mode: Both visual building and code writing supported
- Rapid Iteration: Single-step re-execution, data replay, fast debugging
- Template-Driven: 1700+ workflow templates to accelerate development
- Enterprise-Ready: Complete security, performance, and collaboration features
- Highly Extensible: Add custom nodes and functionality
License#
n8n uses a fair-code license:
- Sustainable Use License: Core license
- n8n Enterprise License: Enterprise license
Features:
- Source Available
- Self-Hostable
- Extensible
- Enterprise licenses available for additional features and support