This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Dilum Darshana
Hello devs,
As a full-stack developer working mostly with JavaScript, I often build internal tools and data pipelines. I found myself writing a lot of boilerplate Node.js code to glue together APIs and databases — until I discovered n8n.
This blog is my personal reference and a shared guide for anyone looking to get serious about workflow automation
Installing and Running n8n Locally
Running n8n with Docker is the easiest and most consistent way to set it up locally. It keeps your environment isolated, reproducible, and production-ready. No need to worry about system dependencies. But, it is available in Saas as well. https://app.n8n.cloud/login
docker-compose.yml
services:
n8n:
image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
container_name: my-n8n-workflow
restart: always
ports:
- "5678:5678"
environment:
# - DOMAIN_NAME=example.com
# - SUBDOMAIN=n8n
# - N8N_HOST=n8n.example.com
# - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
# - N8N_PORT=5678
# - WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com
# - NODE_ENV=production
- GENERIC_TIMEZONE=${GENERIC_TIMEZONE}
- N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false
volumes:
- ./n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
.env
GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Colombo
Note: There can be a user ownership issue in the n8n_data folder. Run the following command from the folder where container running,
$ sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./n8n_data
Now, do the composer up,
$ docker-compose up -d
If everything goes well, n8n should be runs on http://localhost:5678. Fill the user registration to create an account, then fill the survey (as of now) to go into the dashboard.
n8n UI and Core Concepts
Building a Real-World Workflow
To understand how triggers, API calls, data transformation, and external services come together in n8n, let’s build a simple real-world workflow.
Use Case: Send a random joke to your email every 5 minutes using Resend
Workflow: [Cron Node] → [Fetch Joke (HTTP Request)] → [Send Email (Resend HTTP Request)]
Step 1: Create a New Workflow
- Open the n8n editor.
- Click “New Workflow” and give it a name, for example: Send Joke to Email
Step 2: Add a Cron Trigger
- Click “+” Add Node.
- Search for Schedule Trigger and select the Schedule Trigger Node.
- Configure it to run every 5 minutes, continuously.
Step 3: Fetch a Joke via HTTP Request
- Click “+” Add Node.
- Search for HTTP Request.
- Configure it with response format as JSON. URL: https://icanhazdadjoke.com/, method: GET
This should return a json something like this:
{
"joke": "I once lost a banana at court but then I appealed."
}
Step 4: Send the Joke via Email Using Resend
Now send the joke to email using Resend's email API. To do this, need to create a Resend account and API key.
Configure the Email Node,
Since n8n doesn’t have a native Resend node, use HTTP Request again.
- Click “+” Add Node.
- Select HTTP Request.
- Configure it,
URL: https://api.resend.com/emails
Method: POST
Headers:
- Authorization: Bearer RESEND_API_KEY
- Content-Type: application/json
- Send body:
{
"from": "Jokes <onboarding@resend.dev>",
"to": "dilum.dar@gmail.com",
"subject": "Here's Your Joke",
"text": "{{$json.joke}}"
}
Now, everything ready for test. The whole workflow looks like this,
Run the workflow manually by clicking “Execute Workflow”. Should receive an email with a joke :)
If it works, click “Activate” to make it run automatically every 5 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're automating your daily tasks, integrating multiple services, or building your own AI pipelines—n8n gives you the flexibility of code with the simplicity of a visual editor.
This was just the beginning.
Cheers....
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Dilum Darshana
Dilum Darshana | Sciencx (2025-07-14T06:00:45+00:00) Build Visual Workflows with n8n and Automate Everything. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/07/14/build-visual-workflows-with-n8n-and-automate-everything/
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