n8n

n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Thanks to its low-code and modular architecture, it enables users to easily automate data exchange between different applications. The platform is suitable for both technical and non-technical users and supports the creation of workflows via a visual interface using a drag-and-drop method. Founded in Berlin in 2019 by Jan Oberhauser, n8n aims to combine the flexibility of open source software with commercial sustainability through its fair-code licensing model.

Features and Use Cases

n8n supports over 400 pre-built application integrations and allows users to establish custom API connections via HTTP requests or webhooks. Users can create basic automations using the visual workflow editor while also integrating advanced data processing tasks through support for JavaScript and Python.

The platform offers a wide range of use cases including marketing automation, customer relationship management (CRM), document processing, IT operations (ITOps), security operations (SecOps), artificial intelligence enabled processes and software development. For example, customer data collected from form applications such as Jotform and Typeform can be easily sent to validation services, integrated into CRM systems and trigger actions based on predefined events.

Steps Used in an n8n Workflow (n8n)

Configuration and Deployment Options

n8n offers both a cloud-based service (n8n Cloud) and self-hosted versions that users can deploy on their own infrastructure using Docker or Kubernetes. Enterprise users can run n8n even in air-gapped networks and benefit from security measures such as ISO/SOC 2 compliance. Multi-environment support enables separation of development, testing and production environments; Git-based version control is also supported.

Pricing Model

n8n employs a flexible pricing model based solely on full workflow executions. Monthly execution quotas are defined for the Starter and Pro plans, while the Community Edition is completely free and open source. For enterprise customers, support packages with SLAs and billing options are available.

Enterprise Use

The n8n Enterprise version supports high-volume operations with configurations capable of executing over 220 workflows per second. System administrators can also leverage features such as event logging integration (Datadog, Sentry), encrypted credential management, LDAP/SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) integration and external secret storage sources (AWS Secrets Manager, GCP, HashiCorp Vault).

n8n supports internal AI nodes and LLM (Large Language Model) integrations to automate tasks such as RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) scenarios based on private data sources, multi-agent systems, content classification and document summarization. AI agents are integrated into visually editable workflows, enabling both rapid prototyping and scalable production use.

n8n is supported by a large open source community with over 90,000 stars on GitHub. With more than 4,000 ready-made workflow templates and over 500 application integrations, it provides users with rapid onboarding. Educational templates, AI agents, CRM scenarios, document generation, API endpoint creation and many more are accessible via the n8n Template Library.

Investment and Growth Journey

Starting from a prototype developed by its founder Jan Oberhauser, n8n quickly attracted investor interest and raised $12 million in Series A funding in 2021 led by Felicis Ventures. Other investors in this round included Sequoia Capital, firstminute Capital and Harpoon Ventures. With this investment, the company expanded its Berlin-based team and enhanced the platform’s enterprise capabilities.

n8n seeks to democratize automation in software development processes and increase organizational efficiency. The platform aims to provide flexible and sustainable solutions for modern business processes through enterprise scalability, security compliance, AI-powered workflow creation and developer-friendly open source principles. The fair-code licensing model seeks to unite commercial sustainability with community contribution.