n8n Cheat Sheet Dashboard

 Docker Self-Hosting 

Use Docker to install, update, and run n8n quickly. Adjust volumes,
environment variables, and ports as needed.

Clone the Starter

git clone https://github.com/n8n-io/self-hosted-n8n-starter.git
cd self-hosted-n8n-starter

Pull the Latest Version

sudo docker pull n8nio/n8n:latest

Stop Existing Container

sudo docker stop n8n

Remove Container
sudo docker rm n8n

Example Docker Run

docker run -it --rm \
--name n8n \
-p 5678:5678 \
-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
-e WEBHOOK_URL="https://n8n.example.com/" \
-e N8N_SMTP_HOST="mail.server.com" \
-e N8N_SMTP_PORT="587" \
-e N8N_SMTP_USER="YOUR_EMAIL" \
-e N8N_SMTP_PASS="YOUR_EMAIL_PW" \
-e N8N_SMTP_SENDER="n8n" \
-e N8N_SMTP_SSL=false \
-e GENERIC_TIMEZONE="Asia/Seoul" \
-e N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY="RANDOM_STRING" \
-e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true \
-e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER="n8nAdmin" \
-e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD="n8nPassword" \
-e EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=3600 \
-e EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX=7200 \
n8nio/n8n:latest
 n8n Hints & Tips

⌨ Keyboard Shortcuts 

A selection of default shortcuts you can use while editing workflows

in n8n:

Category Detail Shortcut / Gesture

Workflow Create New Ctrl + Alt + N

Control Workflow

Open Workflow Ctrl + O

Save Current Ctrl + S

Workflow

Undo Ctrl + Z

Redo Ctrl + Shift + Z

Run Workflow Ctrl + Enter

Stop Workflow Alt + S

Canvas Zoom Zoom In +

Zoom Out -

Reset Zoom 0

Fit Workflow to 1
View

Zoom In/Out Ctrl + Mouse Wheel

Canvas Move Node (View) Ctrl + Left Mouse +

Navigation Drag

Move Node (View) Middle Mouse + Drag

Move Node (View) Space + Drag

Move Node (View) Two Fingers (Touch)

Canvas Nodes Select All Nodes Ctrl + A

Copy Node(s) Ctrl + C

Paste Node(s) Ctrl + V

Delete Node(s) Delete

Category Detail Shortcut / Gesture

Disable / Enable Ctrl + K / Ctrl + E

Node

⚡ Getting Started with Triggers 

Trigger Node (Start)

A Trigger node is the entry point to a workflow, defining when and
how a workflow should start.

Manual: For quick tests or debugging

Schedule: Time-based triggers (e.g. every hour)
Webhook: External events (HTTP POST, etc.)

Common flow: Trigger Node transform/validate data next

Node(s) final action

Examples
Type Description

Manual Trigger Click “Execute Workflow” in n8n UI to run workflow

immediately

Schedule Define CRON expression or time intervals for auto

Trigger runs

Webhook Waits for an HTTP request, runs with the request’s

Trigger data

 Expressions 

**Expressions** let you dynamically set or transform values within

n8n. Some sample expressions:

Type Expression Description

Basic {{ $json.field }} Access field from

the incoming
JSON data

Specific {{ Access data from

Node $node["NodeName"].json["value"] a different node’s
}} output
Type Expression Description

Ternary {{ $json["count"] > 10 ? "High" Conditional logic

: "Low" }} in-line

Date {{ new Date().toISOString() }} Generate an ISO

timestamp

Built-ins $json, $binary, $itemIndex, etc. Special references

in n8n
(environment,
node meta, etc.)

 Built-in Nodes 

Common nodes that ship with n8n:

Category Node Name Description

Trigger Node Manual, Schedule, Start or schedule workflow

Webhook... execution

Core Node Function Run custom JS code to

manipulate data

Core Node HTTP Request Make REST or API calls

Data Edit Fields Add/modify fields in incoming

Transform data

Data Filter Remove items that don’t meet

Transform certain conditions

Data Merge Combine data from two

Transform different sources

Data Split In Batches Chunk incoming items into

Transform smaller batches

File Read Binary File Load file data as binary

Operations

File Write Binary File Write binary data to disk

Operations

Utility Stop And Error Intentionally stop the workflow

or throw an error
 AI Agent 

The AI Agent node (or custom node) integrates Large Language

Models or other AI services into your workflow. Possible uses:

LLM prompt or chat interactions

Context memory stored in external DB or memory node
Search results or knowledge base used as context for the AI

Flow example: Webhook AI Agent Memory Node Output

OpenAI, Cohere, or custom endpoints are feasible.

 HTTP Request (API) 

HTTP Request Node: Used to call external REST APIs. You can
also import a cURL command to auto-populate the fields.

Sample cURL
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/data \ -H "Content-Type:
application/json" \ -d '{"name": "Alice", "email":
"alice@example.com"}'

After pasting the cURL, click “Parse to HTTP Request” in n8n to

automatically fill in method, URL, headers, and body.

⚙ Nodes Common Settings 

Common settings and error handling options in many nodes:

Setting Description

Always Output Data Outputs an empty item if no data is found.

Helpful, but can break loops or filters.

Execute Once Node only processes the first incoming item,

ignoring others.

Retry on Fail Node automatically retries on error (API

timeouts, etc.).

Error Handling: Entire workflow stops immediately if this node

Stop Workflow errors.
Setting Description

Error Handling: Ignores errors and continues the workflow

Continue with the last valid data.

Error Handling: Sends error details on a separate error output,

Pass Error Data letting the workflow proceed.

Node Notes Adds a note or comment visible in the

workflow for documentation.

Workflow Diagram Sample (Mermaid) 

This is a sample Mermaid diagram showing a simple n8n workflow

flowchart.

Passes Filter HTTP Request Send Email Node

Webhook Trigger Filter Node

Fails Filter Stop

 Authentication & Credentials 

n8n has a built-in credentials manager that lets you securely store
and re-use your authentication details. Supported credential types
include:

API Key (e.g. Bearer token, Query param)

OAuth2, including refresh tokens
Basic Auth / Username & Password

Once configured, you can select these credentials in your nodes.

Example:

Setting up OAuth2:
1. Go to Credentials > Create New > OAuth2
2. Provide Client ID, Secret, Auth URLs
3. Grant n8n access (manual or PKCE flow)

For more details, see n8n Docs: Credentials.

n8n uses a secure credentials management system to handle
authentication for hundreds of external services. This allows you to
connect your workflows to various platforms without exposing
sensitive information directly in your workflow logic. Credentials are
encrypted and stored securely within your n8n instance.

Here's a list of some popular service connections you can manage

credentials for:

Icon Title Description

 Trello Manage your projects and

collaborate with your team.

 Raindrop Save and organize your bookmarks

and online content.

 Microsoft (e.g., Access various Microsoft services for

Outlook, OneDrive) email, file storage, and more.

 Amazon (e.g., S3, Integrate with Amazon Web Services

SNS, SES) for storage, messaging, and email.

 Dropbox Access and manage your files stored

in Dropbox.

 Google (e.g., Gmail, Connect to Google services for

Sheets, Calendar) email, spreadsheets, and calendar
events.

 Slack Send and receive messages and

interact with your Slack workspace.

 Twitter/X Post tweets, retrieve data, and

interact with the Twitter/X API.

 GitHub Automate tasks related to your

GitHub repositories and workflows.

✉ Email (SMTP/IMAP) Send and receive emails using

standard email protocols.

 Databases (e.g., Connect to and interact with various

PostgreSQL, MySQL) database systems.

 Airtable Work with data stored in Airtable

bases.

☁ OneDrive Access and manage files on

Microsoft OneDrive.
Icon Title Description

 Box Manage and access content stored in

Box.

 Shopify Automate tasks related to your

Shopify store.

 Stripe Manage payments and customer

data through Stripe.

 Discord Interact with Discord servers and

channels.

 LinkedIn Engage with the LinkedIn platform

for professional networking.

 Jira Manage projects and track issues

with Jira.

 Salesforce Automate workflows involving your

Salesforce CRM data.

 Community Nodes 

The n8n community is a vibrant ecosystem that significantly extends

the platform's capabilities through custom-built nodes.


Explore Hundreds of Community Nodes
Discover a vast collection of community-developed nodes on npm.
These nodes provide integrations with a wide array of services and
tools, enabling you to connect to platforms not natively supported
by n8n. Browse Community Nodes on npm 


Extend n8n's Functionality
Community nodes allow you to seamlessly incorporate specialized
functionalities into your n8n workflows. From interacting with niche
APIs to performing unique data transformations, these nodes
empower you to automate complex tasks with ease.


Build Your Own Custom Nodes
If you have a specific integration in mind that isn't available, you can
leverage n8n's powerful SDK to build your own custom nodes. The
n8n documentation offers comprehensive guides to assist
developers in creating and sharing their contributions with the
community.

The active community ensures a constantly growing library of

nodes, making n8n an incredibly adaptable and versatile automation
platform.

⚠ Advanced Error Handling 

For complex workflows, n8n provides robust debugging features:

Error Trigger Node: Automatically catches unhandled errors

across workflows
Execution Logs: Track each run (success or error), see full
input/output data
Pinned Data: Temporarily store data at a node for repeated
local testing
Retry Logic: Built into some nodes or can be orchestrated with
loops

Example debugging flow might send error details to Slack or email

you logs. Combine this with the “Stop on Error” or “Continue on
Error” settings, depending on your needs.

 Sub-Workflows & Reusability 

The Execute Workflow node can call another workflow (a “sub-

workflow”) for reusability and modular design.

Extract common tasks (e.g. CSV to JSON conversion) into a

dedicated workflow
Reference that “utility” workflow from many other main
workflows
Pass data in/out seamlessly between calling workflow and sub-
workflow

Tip: Keep your sub-workflows small and dedicated to one function,

so they’re easy to maintain.
 Security & Hardening 

When self-hosting, ensure your instance is secure:

HTTPS: Use reverse proxies (e.g. Nginx, Caddy) or direct SSL

for all traffic
Basic Auth: Enable N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true plus
username/password variables
Encryption Key: Always set N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY for your
environment
Restrict IP ranges or firewall inbound traffic for Webhook
endpoints
Avoid exposing your n8n container directly to the internet
without a proxy

 Community & Resources 

The n8n community is active and growing. Check out:

Official Docs: docs.n8n.io

Community Forum: community.n8n.io
Discord Chat: discord.gg/n8n
GitHub (Issues, PRs, source code): n8n-io/n8n

Community contributed nodes and examples can often be found on

GitHub or in the forum. Keep an eye on the n8n blog for release
notes and new features.

 Core Nodes Workflows 

Here are three example workflows using key n8n core nodes. These
diagrams are generated via Mermaid.js. Make sure to avoid HTML
tags in your labels to prevent syntax errors.

1) Schedule → Function → HTTP Request

Runs on a time-based trigger, modifies data in a Function node, and
sends it via HTTP Request.

Function Node HTTP Request

Schedule Trigger Stop and Error (Optional)
Transform Data (POST to API)
2) Webhook → Filter → Merge → Send Email
A webhook receives incoming data, then a Filter node checks
conditions. If it passes, data merges and eventually is sent via
Email.

Merge Node
Pass Send Email Node
Combine Streams

Filter Node
Webhook Trigger
Check Condition

Stop Node
Fail
No Email

3) Multiple Branches & Merge

Splits data into batches, processes each with different HTTP calls,
merges them, and applies a Function node for final transformation.

Schedule Trigger
(Every 6h)

SplitInBatches

HTTP Request #1 HTTP Request #2 HTTP Request #3

Merge Node

Function Node
Clean & Reshape Data

Final Action
(e.g. Save to DB)

 n8n Hints & Tips 

Below are some useful hints and tips to help you master n8n:
 Use Expression Mode
Activate by clicking the "=" icon in node parameters.
Leverage built-in variables like $json, $node, $env, and
others.
Modular Workflows
Break complex workflows into reusable sub-workflows
using the Execute Workflow node.
This makes maintenance and scaling easier.
Debugging Techniques
Review the execution logs to identify and correct errors.
Pin node data to capture transient issues for
troubleshooting.
Enable detailed logging by configuring your environment
variables.
Credential Management
Store API keys, OAuth2 tokens, and other secrets in the
n8n credentials manager.
Use environment variables to secure sensitive information.
Performance Optimization
Use the SplitInBatches node for processing large data
sets.
Implement error handling and retries to prevent workflow
disruptions.
Community Resources
Join the n8n Community Forum and Discord for
troubleshooting and best practices.
Check out the official n8n documentation for regular
updates.

 Data Transformation & Nodes 

This section explains how data is transformed within an n8n

workflow using core nodes. In many workflows, raw data is received
from an external source, transformed, filtered, and merged before
being delivered to the final destination.

Function Node: Execute custom JavaScript code to

manipulate data.
Set Node: Define or modify data fields directly.
Filter Node: Check conditions and only allow data that meets
the criteria.
Merge Node: Combine data from different sources or
branches.
The following Mermaid diagram illustrates a workflow that
demonstrates a data transformation process:

Merge Node Final Action

Pass
(Combine Results) (Output/Store Data)

Webhook Trigger Set Node Function Node Filter Node

(Receive JSON Data) (Define Fields) (Custom Transformation) (Validate/Filter Data)

Stop Node
Fail
(Handle Errors)

In this workflow:
A receives the data. B preps the data structure. C applies custom
transformations; for example, converting date formats or computing
new fields. D then filters the data based on your conditions. If the
data passes, it is merged and sent to F; otherwise, the flow is
stopped at G.

 Database Lookup, Replace Function & Looping 

This workflow demonstrates a common pattern in n8n where data is

first retrieved from a database, then processed with a replace
function, and finally looped for further processing.

Database Lookup: Uses a database node (e.g. MySQL,

PostgreSQL) to fetch related data.
Replace Function: A Function node is used to search through
the data and replace parts of it—for instance, replacing
tokenized strings with real values.
Looping: The SplitInBatches node is applied to process
multiple records iteratively.

The following Mermaid diagram illustrates this workflow:

 Start Trigger
(e.g. Webhook)

Database Lookup
(Fetch Data)

Function Node
(Replace Tokens)

SplitInBatches
(Loop Over Records)

Process Each Record

(Additional Transformation)

Final Action
(Store/Output Results)

Workflow Explanation:
A initiates the workflow (e.g., via a webhook or schedule). Then, B
performs a lookup in your database for related data. The retrieved
data is passed to a Function Node (C) where a replace operation
occurs (e.g., using regular expressions or simple string
replacements). The result is split into individual records by the
SplitInBatches Node (D), allowing you to process each record in a
loop. Finally, each record is further transformed or enriched at E,
and the output is sent to the final destination at F.

⚡ Triggers & Webhook Responses 

This section explains how n8n triggers work and how workflows
respond to HTTP requests using webhooks. n8n supports several
trigger types including manual, scheduled, and webhook triggers.
 Webhook Trigger: Initiates a workflow when an HTTP request
is received. It can handle various HTTP methods such as GET,
POST, etc.
Response Handling: Once the workflow processes the
request, you can send back a custom HTTP response (e.g., 200
OK, 400 Bad Request) with custom headers and a message.
Authentication & Security: Webhook triggers can be secured
using secret tokens, IP whitelisting, or Basic Auth to ensure that
only authorized requests trigger the workflow.
Debugging Tip: Use the Execution Logs and Pin Node Data to
troubleshoot webhook responses and data processing.

The following Mermaid diagram illustrates a typical webhook

workflow where a webhook triggers the workflow, a Function node
validates the incoming payload, and an HTTP Response is returned
based on the validation result.

HTTP Response
Yes
(200 OK)

Webhook Trigger Function Node

Is Data Valid?
(Receive Request) (Validate Data)

HTTP Response
No
(400 Bad Request)

In this example, when the Webhook Trigger receives data, the

Function Node checks the payload. Depending on whether the data
is valid or not, the workflow returns a 200 OK or 400 Bad Request
response.

 Complementary Software Stack 

The following software components can help build a robust

environment around n8n. They manage server processes, provide
reverse proxy services, secure connections, and enhance
development, multimedia, and security capabilities.

Icon Software Description

JavaScript runtime environment for

 Node.js running server-side code—essential for
n8n and other backend processes.

 Python 3 A versatile programming language for

scripting, data science, and automation,
Icon Software Description

complementing n8n for custom scripts

or AI/ML workflows.

High-performance web server and

 Nginx reverse proxy to efficiently manage
HTTP traffic and provide load-balancing.

A modern web server with automatic

HTTPS using Let's Encrypt, offering
 Caddy
simpler configuration compared to
traditional servers.

A tool for obtaining and renewing

 Certbot SSL/TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt,
ensuring secure connections.

Production process manager for Node.js

 PM2 applications, ensuring reliable service
and automatic restarts on failure.

Containerisation platform that simplifies

 Docker deployment and scaling by packaging
your services into portable containers.

An open-source local LLM runner

enabling offline use of AI models, ideal
 OLLAMA
for privacy-focused or air-gapped
environments.

A distributed version control system to

 Git efficiently manage code changes and
collaborate on workflow developments.

A robust open-source relational

database for managing persistent data,
 PostgreSQL
with alternatives like MySQL or
MongoDB available.

An in-memory data store used as a

 Redis cache or message broker, enhancing
performance with fast data retrieval.

 FFmpeg A powerful multimedia framework to

decode, encode, transcode, and stream
 Icon Software Description

audio/video files—useful for processing

media in workflows.

An extensive image processing tool for

creating, editing, and composing bitmap
 ImageMagick
images, ideal for dynamic image
transformations.

A progressive JavaScript framework for

building interactive user interfaces,
 Vue.js
perfect for developing custom
dashboards or control panels.

Custom nodes contributed by the

n8n
community that extend n8n's native
 Community
functionality, providing integrations and
Nodes
features not available out of the box.

A web-based interface to manage

GNU/Linux servers, monitor
 Cockpit performance, and handle
storage/networking tasks easily via a
graphical dashboard.

A security monitoring solution designed

to provide threat detection, integrity
Whazu
 Security
monitoring, and incident response,
ensuring your infrastructure remains
secure.

 Performance & Specs Comparison 

Use this guide to plan and gauge your deployment environments.

The table below outlines recommended server specifications for
different stages: Prototype, Test, and Production.

    Additional
Environment CPU RAM  Storage Features

1-2 2-4 20-50 GB Basic logging,

Prototype
Cores GB SSD minimal load