Learn n8n in 5 minutes.
n8n is a visual workflow builder you can self-host: nodes for hundreds of apps, code steps when you need them, and AI nodes that call models mid-flow. Your five minutes go to building one workflow that actually runs and knowing where it will break.
Pharos is taking you through this one. Free, and it runs right here. No signup.
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Trigger, nodes, and the data between them
A workflow starts with a trigger, passes items through nodes, and every node sees the output of the one before. Most confusion comes from not looking at that data.
What starts it
A webhook, a schedule, a new row, a form submission. The trigger defines what an item is for the rest of the workflow.
One step each
Each node does one thing: fetch, transform, branch, send. Click into any node to see exactly what went in and came out, which is how you debug.
A model in the middle
An AI node takes the item, applies a prompt, and returns structured output to the next step. Keep prompts specific and validate the output before acting on it.
What you will do in the lesson
You answer and try things. Nobody demonstrates at you for five minutes.
- Build a three-node flow. You wire a schedule trigger to a fetch to a message, run it once, and see real data flow.
- Read the item. You open a node's output and find the field you need for the next step.
- Add a branch. You route items by a condition and send each branch somewhere different.
- Insert an AI step. You classify each item with a prompt and use the label in the next node.
- Handle a failure. You end by breaking a node on purpose and adding the error path that keeps the rest running.
Before you start
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted version is free and open source. The cloud version is paid, with a trial.
n8n, Zapier, or Make?
n8n if you want control and self-hosting; Zapier if integrations matter most; Make if you want the simplest visual UI. This lesson is the n8n side of that choice.
Can agents use it?
Yes. n8n exposes workflows through MCP, so a model can trigger a flow you built. That is how the Scholé team uses it.
Do I need to code?
No, but the code node is there when a transformation is easier to write than to click together.
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