n8n is a workflow automation platform that lets you visually connect apps and services, then drop into code whenever the visual builder isn't enough.

n8n's own tutorial for building a first workflow walks through the real mechanism step by step.

Trigger, then actions, in sequence

A workflow starts with a trigger node, added first. n8n's tutorial uses a Schedule Trigger set to run weekly. A trigger can just as easily fire from an incoming webhook or an event in a connected app instead.

Once the trigger fires, action nodes run one after another. Each one performs a task, such as fetching data from an API, checking a condition, or sending data somewhere else.

The tutorial's example fetches solar flare data from NASA's public API. It then uses an If node to branch the workflow into two paths, based on the classification of the data returned. It sends a different report down each path.

Expressions carry data between nodes

Static values aren't always enough. n8n's expressions let you insert dynamic data into any field instead of typing a fixed value.

The tutorial's own example generates a date seven days before the current date. That way, the NASA node fetches only the past week's flares rather than its default 30-day window.

A later step in the same tutorial drags a field named classType straight from one node's output into another node's input. n8n turns this into the reference {{$json["classType"]}} automatically.

What happens when a node fails

Node settings control what happens on error. Retry On Fail reruns a failed node until it succeeds.

On Error offers three modes. Stop Workflow halts everything, and Continue moves on using the last valid data.

Continue (using error output) passes the error itself to the next node, so the workflow can handle it explicitly rather than just carrying on blind.

n8n's own homepage frames this directly as a choice it doesn't force you to make. "Code when you need it, UI when you don't."

Where a built-in node can't do what you need, you can write JavaScript or Python directly inside a Code node. It sits in the same workflow, next to the visual nodes around it.

n8n's GitHub README describes this as combining visual building with custom code and npm packages, treating code as part of the tool rather than a separate escape hatch outside it. Wikipedia's independent account confirms the same pattern: where visual nodes fall short, users write JavaScript or Python in a code node instead of switching to an entirely different system.

n8n's docs draw a clear line between an edition, the software variant you run, and a plan, the subscription tier you pay for.

The free, self-hosted Community edition

Every self-hosted installation runs on the same underlying product. Without a license key, that's the Community edition, free indefinitely, with what n8n's own docs call "almost the complete feature set."

Registering it with an email unlocks a few extra free features, such as folders for organizing workflows, still at no cost. n8n can be self-hosted using npm, Docker, or a cloud provider like AWS or Azure.

Paid plans, cloud and self-hosted

n8n Cloud is the fully managed option. You sign up and build, and n8n handles servers, updates, and security patches.

n8n's own pricing page puts the cloud Starter plan at €20 a month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions a month with unlimited steps.

Pro runs to €50 a month, billed annually, for 10,000 executions. Business runs to €667 a month, billed annually, for 40,000 executions, and is self-hosted rather than running on n8n's own infrastructure, adding features like SSO and Git-based version control.

Enterprise pricing is custom, with a custom number of executions, available either hosted by n8n or self-hosted. Companies under 20 employees can also apply for a Start-up Plan, which n8n's pricing page states gets 50% off Business.

Why a team might pick one over the other

n8n's own Community edition and Business/Enterprise licensed editions cover self-hosted deployment for teams that need to keep infrastructure and data under their own control. Cloud removes that operational burden entirely.

n8n's docs put the choice plainly. Self-host for free with almost the full feature set, or use Cloud if you'd rather not manage infrastructure at all.

n8n's source code is visible and free to self-host. The Sustainable Use License draws a specific line around what you can build on top of it.

What the license permits and restricts

n8n created the Sustainable Use License itself in 2022. It modeled the license on the Elastic License 2.0, replacing an earlier Apache 2.0 plus Commons Clause arrangement.

It grants a free right to use, modify, and redistribute the software, with three limits. You can only use or modify it for your own internal business, non-commercial, or personal purposes. You can only redistribute it free of charge for non-commercial purposes.

And you can't remove n8n's own licensing or copyright notices.

In practice, n8n's own FAQ says this means all use is allowed unless the value of what you're selling comes substantially from n8n itself. White-labeling n8n and reselling it to your customers, or hosting it and charging people to access it, aren't allowed.

Using n8n internally to sync your own company's data and building an integration node for your own product are both allowed. So is offering paid consulting to build n8n workflows for clients.

Why n8n calls this fair-code, not open source

Because the license restricts use, n8n doesn't call itself open source under the Open Source Initiative's definition, which doesn't allow use restrictions at all. n8n coined the term "fair-code" instead, to describe a model that keeps source code open and self-hostable while carrying commercial restrictions on top.

Enterprise customers who need something the Sustainable Use License doesn't cover get a separate proprietary agreement instead, the n8n Enterprise License.