The fastest way to understand n8n is to build something small and watch it run. This guide walks through the entire loop - create a workflow, add a trigger, add an action, connect them, and execute it - using nothing but the free tier, whether you're on n8n Cloud or a local self-hosted instance.
Step 1: Create a new workflow
From the n8n dashboard, click "New Workflow." You'll land on a blank canvas - this is where every workflow lives, and it's the same canvas whether you end up with three nodes or thirty.
Step 2: Add a trigger
Every workflow needs exactly one way to start. Click the "+" on the canvas and search for the Manual Trigger node - it's the simplest option, and it just means "run when I click the button," which is perfect for testing. Later guides cover the other trigger types: schedules, webhooks, and app-specific triggers like "new row in a spreadsheet."
Step 3: Add an action node
Click the "+" again and search for the HTTP Request node - one of the most useful nodes in n8n, since it lets you call literally any API. Point it at a free public API for testing, for example https://api.github.com/repos/n8n-io/n8n, and leave the method as GET.
Step 4: Connect the nodes
Drag from the small dot on the right edge of the Manual Trigger node to the left edge of the HTTP Request node. That connection is the workflow's logic: "when this runs, do that next." Everything in n8n - simple two-node workflows and sprawling AI agent pipelines alike - is built from this same pattern of nodes and connections.
Step 5: Run it
Click "Execute Workflow" (or "Test workflow" depending on version) in the bottom bar. You'll see the Manual Trigger node flash, then the HTTP Request node run, then a green checkmark on both. Click the HTTP Request node afterward to see the actual JSON response it received - this is your first look at how n8n shows you data at every step, not just at the end.
Save it
Name the workflow something descriptive (not "My workflow"), save it, and toggle it "Active" if you want it to run automatically going forward - though with a Manual Trigger, you'll still need to click Execute each time. The next guide covers the different node and trigger types so you can move past Manual Trigger into automations that actually run on their own.