terminalskills n8n
Overview
n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool — self-hostable Zapier alternative. Visual editor with 400+ integrations, code nodes (JavaScript/Python), webhooks, cron triggers, and branching logic. Free when self-hosted.
Instructions
Step 1: Self-Host with Docker
# docker-compose.yml — n8n with PostgreSQL persistence
services:
n8n:
image: n8nio/n8n
ports: ["5678:5678"]
environment:
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE: "true"
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER: admin
N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD: changeme
DB_TYPE: postgresdb
DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST: postgres
DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE: n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_USER: n8n
DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD: n8n
WEBHOOK_URL: https://n8n.example.com/
volumes: [n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n]
postgres:
image: postgres:16
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: n8n
POSTGRES_USER: n8n
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: n8n
volumes: [pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data]
volumes:
n8n_data:
pgdata:
Step 2: Webhook Trigger
// n8n receives webhooks and processes them through visual workflows
// Example: Webhook → Slack notification → Google Sheet log
// Trigger URL: https://n8n.example.com/webhook/order-received
// POST body: { "order_id": "123", "customer": "john@example.com", "total": 99.99 }
Step 3: Code Node (JavaScript)
// Inside n8n Code node — transform data between steps
const items = $input.all()
return items.map(item => ({
json: {
fullName: `${item.json.firstName} ${item.json.lastName}`,
email: item.json.email.toLowerCase(),
isVIP: item.json.totalOrders > 10,
}
}))
Step 4: API Workflow
Build workflows visually that:
- Webhook receives order data
- IF node checks if order > $100
- Slack sends notification to #sales
- Google Sheets logs the order
- SendGrid sends confirmation email
- HTTP Request updates CRM
Guidelines
- Self-hosted n8n is free and unlimited. Cloud starts at $20/month.
- 400+ built-in integrations (Slack, Gmail, Airtable, Stripe, Shopify, GitHub, etc.).
- Use Code nodes for complex logic — full JavaScript/Python support.
- Workflows can be triggered by webhooks, cron schedules, or other workflows.