n8n is designed to coordinate how systems interact behind the scenes. It allows users to define workflows made up of triggers, logic, transformations, and actions that run automatically across connected tools and services. Workflows can be deployed in the cloud or self-hosted, giving teams flexibility over infrastructure, data flow, and execution environments.
Unlike basic trigger-action automation tools, n8n supports complex branching logic, error handling, and direct API access, making it well suited for advanced automation and orchestration use cases.
Core Capabilities
n8n’s core capabilities center on backend workflow orchestration:
- Visual workflow builder using connected nodes for triggers, logic, and actions
- Custom code support for advanced logic and edge cases
- API-first automation, including generic HTTP requests and webhooks
- Multi-step workflows with branching, retries, and error handling
- Flexible deployment, including cloud and self-hosted options
- Execution logs and debugging tools for monitoring workflow behavior