In today’s digital age, automation has become a key driver for individuals and businesses to optimize productivity. Among a sea of tools, N8N stands out as a flexible and powerful solution that allows you to build complex workflows and integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) — all without needing advanced coding skills.

Pronounced “n-eight-n”, N8N stands for “Node Automation”. It empowers users to connect various applications and services, opening up endless opportunities for automation and innovation.

N8N: Khai Phá Sức Mạnh Tự Động Hóa Dành Cho Mọi Người

🚀 What Is N8N and Why Is It Unique?

Workflow automation refers to executing a series of steps automatically to complete a task. N8N is the tool that lets you do just that.

Imagine being able to:

Automatically post a blog about Ethereum prices
Send emails when new data appears in Google Sheets
Or even create AI-generated video ads — all without touching a line of code.

So how does N8N compare to other tools?

🔧 Compared to Manual Coding

Manual coding offers ultimate flexibility at low cost, if you’re a developer. But it requires significant technical knowledge and is not ideal for non-technical users.

🧩 Compared to Zapier (No-Code)

Zapier is known for its ease of use and drag-and-drop interface — perfect for non-coders. However, it has limitations in customization and can become costly at scale.

⚙️ N8N – The Best of Both Worlds (Low-Code)

N8N is positioned as a low-code automation tool, combining the strengths of both coding and no-code tools:

Visual drag-and-drop interface for beginners
Custom code support for advanced users needing deeper control

💡 Expert Tips to Maximize N8N’s Power

To fully harness N8N, consider these pro tips:

🔁 Robust Error Handling

Retry on Fail: Automatically retry failed steps due to temporary issues (like network errors).
On Error Workflow: Don’t let one error halt the entire process. Trigger a dedicated error-handling workflow that logs the issue and sends alerts (e.g., via Telegram or email).

📦 Smart Data Management

Code Nodes: Use these to store and manipulate data dynamically.
Set Nodes: Ideal for reshaping, organizing, and merging data from various sources.
Understand || vs ??:
- || replaces falsy values (false, 0, “”, null, undefined).
- ?? replaces only null and undefined, preserving values like 0 and “”.

🛠️ Build Sustainable Workflows

Direct Node Referencing: Always reference the original node (e.g., {{ $node["Your_Node"].json.data }}) instead of just the previous node — more robust when modifying workflows.
Test Incrementally: Debug step-by-step, not after building the entire workflow — save time and catch bugs early.

💰 Make Money with N8N & AI: New Income Opportunities

N8N isn’t just a productivity tool — it’s also a gateway to monetization. Here’s how you can turn your skills into income:

Sell N8N & AI Templates: Build reusable automation solutions and sell them on platforms like n8n.io or Etsy.
Offer Subscription Communities: Provide exclusive workflows, training sessions, and support to members.
Custom Workflow Services: Create personalized solutions for clients via platforms like Fiverr or Upwork.
Teach Online Courses: Turn your N8N knowledge into paid courses on Udemy or Teachable.
Affiliate Marketing: Recommend tools and services (e.g., DigitalOcean, OpenAI) used in your workflows and earn commissions.
Launch a Pet Portrait AI Business: Combine N8N and AI to fully automate an eCommerce business — from order intake to AI image generation and delivery.

🤖 Harnessing AI in N8N: From Content to Chatbots

N8N allows seamless AI integration across workflows. Here are powerful use cases:

📰 RSS Feeds + AI Summarization

Auto-fetch news from RSS
Filter with Set Node
Use OpenAI to summarize articles

🌐 News Search + Web Scraping + Google Sheets

Use Serper.dev for Google News
Scrape pages with Fircrawl
Summarize via OpenAI
Store in Google Sheets

💬 Build AI Telegram Chatbots with Google Integration

Use AI Agent Node as the brain
Connect to Google Sheets, Calendar, Docs, and Gmail
Chatbot reads, updates, creates events and sends emails — all via Telegram!

🎥 Scene-by-Scene AI Video Ads

Input product or business info
AI generates script, characters, and scenes
Use tools like Google Flow (Veo 3), Foul.ai, or HeyGen
N8N orchestrates the entire flow — from concept to publishing

🧩 Hosting N8N: Should You Self-Host?

Choose between self-hosting for full control or cloud services for convenience.

🌐 Hosting Options:

Render / Railway: Quick cloud deployment with minimal setup
DigitalOcean / Hostinger VPS: One-click server templates for more control
Heroku: Deploy via GitHub repositories
Local Docker: Highest performance, but requires local Docker setup and networking config

🔓 Final Thoughts: N8N Empowers Everyone