Lesson 29 lessons
Setting Up Your First Workflow
Anatomy of a workflow
Every n8n workflow starts with a trigger node (what starts it: a webhook, schedule, or form submission) followed by action nodes (what happens next: send email, update spreadsheet, call an API).
Building your first flow
Start simple: a Manual Trigger → an HTTP Request node that fetches data from a public API → a Set node that formats the data. Click "Execute Workflow" to test each step and see the data flow visually.
Reading node output
Click any node after execution to see its JSON input/output in the side panel. This is how you debug — trace exactly what data each node received and produced.
Key Takeaways
- Every workflow needs a trigger node and at least one action node.
- Test workflows step-by-step using "Execute Workflow".
- Click any node to inspect its exact input/output JSON.
- Start simple, then add complexity once the basic flow works.
Build a 3-node workflow
Create a workflow: Manual Trigger → HTTP Request (any public API) → Set node to extract one field. Execute it and confirm the output.