{"id":69514,"date":"2025-05-19T08:20:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T08:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/n8n"},"modified":"2026-10-02T11:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T11:32:20","slug":"n8n","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/n8n","title":{"rendered":"n8n"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"n8n\"Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n

n8n<\/strong> is an automation platform that connects applications, transforms data and performs tasks through visual workflows. It combines configurable nodes with expressions and code to build processes that can start manually, on a schedule or when an event occurs.<\/p>\n

It is available as a hosted service and as software that can be installed on your own infrastructure. It also allows artificial intelligence models and tools to be incorporated into automations.<\/p>\n\n

How n8n workflows work<\/h2>\n

A workflow connects nodes that receive, process and send information. A trigger starts the execution, while other nodes query services, transform data or perform actions.<\/p>\n

The connections determine how information moves through the workflow. A workflow can include conditions, different branches and data-merging operations. For example, a request received through a form can be checked, recorded in another application and used to generate a notification.<\/p>\n

The editor allows users to inspect node inputs and outputs to understand what happened during an execution. The visual interface makes it easier to build the process, but complex integrations may require knowledge of programming and the connected applications.<\/p>\n

Integrations, APIs and code<\/h2>\n

n8n provides nodes for working with external applications and services. When no dedicated node is available, it can use HTTP requests to communicate with a compatible API.<\/p>\n

Credentials authenticate these connections. The available operations depend on the permissions granted and the service’s capabilities: having an integration does not imply unlimited access to its data.<\/p>\n

Expressions allow values to be used and transformed within nodes. Code adds custom logic when visual configuration is not enough. The availability of libraries and certain features depends on the execution environment.<\/p>\n

n8n Cloud and self-hosting<\/h2>\n

n8n Cloud provides an environment managed by the provider. In a self-hosted installation, the organization manages the infrastructure, updates and backups.<\/p>\n

Self-hosting the software<\/a> allows control over where it runs, but does not by itself guarantee privacy, security or regulatory compliance. Workflows can send information to the external applications and providers they connect to.<\/p>\n

Collaboration, administration and access-control features depend on the edition and plan in use.<\/p>\n

The n8n license<\/h2>\n

The n8n source code is available, but this availability should not be confused with an open-source license without restrictions on commercial use.<\/p>\n

Most of the project is distributed under the Sustainable Use License<\/a>, which permits certain internal, personal and non-commercial uses and sets limitations on other uses and forms of distribution. Some enterprise components have a different license.<\/p>\n

Therefore, being able to install n8n on your own server does not mean that every way of commercializing it or providing it to third parties is permitted.<\/p>\n

Automation with artificial intelligence<\/h2>\n

n8n allows language models, tools and information sources to be incorporated into a workflow. This can be used to classify messages, extract information or prepare responses that continue through defined steps.<\/p>\n

An agent node can use a model to decide which tools to use within its configuration. Other steps follow explicit rules, such as checking a field or saving a result.<\/p>\n

n8n is not a language model: it organizes connections and process execution. The quality of the results also depends on the model, the available data and the checks included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What n8n is, how its workflows, integrations and AI agents work, and the differences between n8n Cloud, self-hosting and licensing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":79495,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1452,1318,1464],"class_list":["post-69514","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-ai-agent-infrastructure","encyclopedia-tag-automated-integration","encyclopedia-tag-productivity-and-automation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/69514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=69514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}