n8n Interface Tour (Video or Annotated Screenshots)

n8n is a node-based workflow automation platform. If you've never used a visual automation tool, the interface looks like a flowchart editor where each box represents an action (send email, update spreadsheet, query database). You connect boxes with lines to define the sequence.

This guide walks you through the n8n canvas, shows you where everything lives, and gets you building a working workflow in under 10 minutes.

When you first open n8n (typically at http://localhost:5678 for self-hosted or your cloud instance URL), you land on the workflow editor. Here's what each section does:

Top Toolbar (Left to Right)

• Workflow name field (click to rename)
• Save button (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S)
• Execute Workflow button (runs the entire workflow once)
• Activate toggle (turns the workflow on/off for automatic execution)
• Settings gear (workflow-level configurations)

Left Sidebar: Node Panel

• Search bar at top (type "Gmail" or "HTTP Request")
• Categorized node list below (Triggers, Actions, Core Nodes)
• Click any node to add it to the canvas

Center: The Canvas

• Drag to pan around
• Scroll to zoom in/out
• Right-click for quick actions menu
• Nodes appear here as rounded rectangles

Right Panel: Node Configuration

• Opens when you click a node
• Shows all parameters for that specific node
• Execute Node button (tests just this one node)
• Close with X or click canvas background

Bottom Bar

• Executions tab (shows workflow run history)
• Error messages appear here
• Execution time and status indicators

Every workflow starts with a trigger. Triggers tell n8n when to run the workflow.

Step 1: Add a Manual Trigger

1. Click the "+" button in the center of the empty canvas
2. Type "manual" in the search box
3. Click "Manual Trigger" from the results
4. The node appears on the canvas

The Manual Trigger is the simplest option. It runs when you click "Execute Workflow" in the toolbar. Use this while building and testing.

Step 2: Add an Action Node

1. Hover over the Manual Trigger node
2. Click the "+" icon that appears on the right edge
3. Type "HTTP Request" in the search
4. Select "HTTP Request" from Core Nodes

You now have two nodes connected by a line. The line shows data flows from Manual Trigger to HTTP Request.

Click the HTTP Request node. The right panel opens with configuration options.

Required Fields for HTTP Request:

• Method: Select GET from dropdown
• URL: Enter https://api.github.com/users/github

Optional Fields You'll Use Often:

• Authentication: Choose from None, Basic Auth, OAuth2, etc.
• Query Parameters: Add URL parameters as key-value pairs
• Headers: Set custom HTTP headers
• Body: For POST/PUT requests

Leave everything else at defaults for now.

Before running the full workflow, test individual nodes.

1. Click the HTTP Request node
2. Click "Execute Node" button in the right panel
3. Wait 1-2 seconds
4. The node turns green (success) or red (error)
5. Click "Output" tab in the right panel to see the API response

You should see JSON data about the GitHub user. This confirms the node works.

Common Test Errors:

• Red node with "Network Error": Check your internet connection
• "Authentication failed": Verify API

  API

  Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

  credentials
• "Invalid URL": Check for typos in the URL field

Build a three-node workflow: Manual Trigger → HTTP Request → Set Node.

Add the Set Node:

1. Hover over HTTP Request node
2. Click the "+" on its right edge
3. Type "Set" and select it
4. Click the Set node to configure it

Configure the Set Node:

The Set node transforms data. Extract just the username and bio from the GitHub API

response.

1. Click "Add Value" button
2. Select "String" from dropdown
3. Name: username
4. Value: Click the field, then click "Expression" toggle
5. Enter: {{ $json.login }}
6. Click "Add Value" again
7. Name: bio
8. Value: {{ $json.bio }}

The {{ }} syntax pulls data from the previous node. $json.login means "get the login field from the JSON output."

1. Click "Execute Workflow" in the top toolbar
2. Watch each node light up in sequence
3. Green checkmarks appear on successful nodes
4. Click any node to see its output data

The workflow runs left to right. Data from HTTP Request flows into Set, which outputs only the fields you specified.

Click the Set node after execution. The right panel shows two tabs:

Input Tab:

• Shows data received from the previous node (HTTP Request)
• Full GitHub API

  API

  Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

  response with 30+ fields

Output Tab:

• Shows data this node sends to the next node
• Only username and bio (the two fields you set)

This input/output pattern applies to every node. Always check both tabs when debugging.

You don't have to use the "+" shortcut. Connect any two nodes:

1. Click and hold the small circle on the right edge of a node
2. Drag to the left edge of another node
3. Release to create the connection

Delete a connection by clicking the line and pressing Delete key.

Trigger Nodes:

• Webhook: Receives HTTP requests from external services
• Schedule: Runs on a cron schedule (every hour, daily at 9am, etc.)
• Email Trigger (IMAP): Monitors an inbox for new emails

Action Nodes:

• HTTP Request: Call any REST API

  API

  Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.
• Gmail: Send emails, read inbox, manage labels
• Google Sheets: Read/write spreadsheet data
• Code: Run custom JavaScript or Python

Utility Nodes:

• Set: Transform and filter data
• IF: Branch workflow based on conditions
• Merge: Combine data from multiple paths
• Split In Batches: Process large datasets in chunks

Save Your Work:

• Click "Save" in toolbar or press Ctrl+S
• Give the workflow a descriptive name: "GitHub User Lookup" not "Workflow 1"
• Saved workflows appear in the left sidebar under "My Workflows"

Activate for Automatic Execution:

• Toggle the "Active" switch in the top toolbar
• Only works with automatic triggers (Webhook

  Webhook

  Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

  , Schedule, Email Trigger)
• Manual Trigger workflows can't be activated (they only run when you click Execute)

Check Execution History:

1. Click "Executions" in the bottom bar
2. See every workflow run with timestamp and status
3. Click any execution to see detailed logs
4. Filter by success/error status

• Ctrl+S / Cmd+S: Save workflow
• Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter: Execute workflow
• Delete: Remove selected node or connection
• Ctrl+C / Cmd+C: Copy selected nodes
• Ctrl+V / Cmd+V: Paste nodes
• Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z: Undo last action

Build a workflow that posts to Slack when you send it a webhook

.

Step 1: Add Webhook

Trigger

1. Add "Webhook

   Webhook

   Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

   " node to canvas
2. Set HTTP Method to POST
3. Set Path to slack-alert
4. Copy the webhook

   webhook

   Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

   URL shown (looks like http://localhost:5678/webhook/slack-alert)

Step 2: Add Slack Node

1. Connect Slack node to Webhook

   Webhook

   Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.
2. Select Operation: Post Message
3. Authentication: Click "Create New Credential"
4. Follow OAuth flow to connect your Slack workspace
5. Channel: Select #general or create a test channel
6. Text: {{ $json.body.message }}

Step 3: Test It

1. Click "Execute Workflow"
2. Open a new terminal or use Postman
3. Send: curl -X POST http://localhost:5678/webhook/slack-alert -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"message":"Test from n8n"}'
4. Check Slack for your message

Step 4: Activate

• Toggle "Active" in toolbar
• Now any POST request to that webhook

  webhook

  Click to read the full definition in our AI & Automation Glossary.

  URL triggers the workflow automatically

You've built a working integration. The same pattern applies to hundreds of services: trigger receives data, action nodes process it, output goes to your destination system.