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Zarif Automates

n8n

n8n is a source-available automation tool. You connect apps, APIs and AI models as boxes on a canvas, and you can run it on your own server.

n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n") is a tool for building automations by connecting apps on a canvas, like a flowchart that actually runs.

Example

A new row lands in a Google Sheet. n8n picks it up, sends the company name to an AI model for a one-line summary, posts that summary in Slack, and adds the lead to your CRM. Each of those steps is a box, called a node, and you draw lines between them to set the order.

How it works

Every workflow starts with a trigger. That can be a webhook (a web address another app calls when something happens), a schedule, an event in a connected app, or you clicking a button.

Data moves from node to node as JSON, a simple text format for structured data. Built-in nodes can filter it, merge it, reshape it or send it down different paths. When no node does what you need, a Code node runs your own JavaScript or Python.

For AI work, n8n has nodes for OpenAI, Anthropic and other model providers. It also connects to vector stores, which let a workflow look up relevant documents before the model answers. Its integration directory lists everything it connects to.

Self-hosted or cloud

You can run n8n free on your own server with Docker, which keeps your data on your own machines. Or you can pay n8n to host it for you. Some features, like SSO and sharing workflows, need a paid license either way, per n8n's plan guide.

n8n isn't open source in the strict sense. Its Sustainable Use License lets you use and change it for your own business or for personal use. Read it before you build a product to sell on top of n8n.

For prices and how it stacks up, see n8n vs Zapier. To build something, try a lead-gen workflow in n8n.

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