Getting Started with n8n: Your First Workflow in 10 Minutes

New to n8n? This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through creating your first workflow in just 10 minutes. No coding experience required!

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you'll need:

• An n8n instance (deploy one on ranx.cloud in 2 minutes)
• A Gmail account (for our example workflow)
• A Slack workspace (optional, but recommended)

Step 1: Access Your n8n Instance

Once you've deployed n8n on ranx.cloud, you'll receive your unique URL (e.g., yourname.ranx.cloud). Open it in your browser to access the n8n interface.

Step 2: Create Your First Workflow

Click the "Create Workflow" button. You'll see a blank canvas with a single "+" button. This is where the magic happens!

Understanding Nodes

In n8n, workflows are built using "nodes" - individual blocks that perform specific actions:

• Trigger Nodes - Start the workflow (e.g., "when email arrives")
• Action Nodes - Perform tasks (e.g., "send Slack message")
• Logic Nodes - Add conditions and transformations

Step 3: Add a Trigger

Let's create a workflow that monitors Gmail for new emails:

1. Click the "+" button
2. Search for "Gmail Trigger"
3. Select "Gmail Trigger" node
4. Click "Connect my account" and authorize Gmail
5. Set "Event" to "Message Received"

Step 4: Add an Action

Now, let's send a Slack notification when an email arrives:

1. Click the "+" on the Gmail Trigger node
2. Search for "Slack"
3. Select "Slack" node
4. Connect your Slack account
5. Choose your channel
6. Write your message (use expressions to include email data)

Using Expressions

n8n's expressions let you use data from previous nodes. For example:

New email from: {{ $json.from }}

Step 5: Test Your Workflow

Before activating, test your workflow:

1. Click "Execute Workflow" in the top right
2. Send a test email to your Gmail
3. Check if the Slack message appears
4. Review the data passed between nodes

Step 6: Activate Your Workflow

Once testing is successful, toggle the "Active" switch in the top right. Your workflow now runs automatically!

Next Steps

Now that you've created your first workflow, try these:

• Add a filter to only notify for important emails
• Save email data to Google Sheets
• Create a workflow that posts to multiple channels
• Explore the 400+ integrations available