n8n-patterns

n8n Patterns Skill

This skill provides reusable patterns for common n8n workflow scenarios.

Flow Control Patterns

1. Conditional Branching (IF Node)

Trigger → IF (condition) → True Path
                       ↘ → False Path

Use for:

• Route based on data values
• Filter valid/invalid items
• A/B testing logic

2. Multi-Way Branching (Switch Node)

Trigger → Switch (status) → "pending" → Process Pending
                        → "active"  → Process Active
                        → "closed"  → Process Closed
                        → default   → Handle Unknown

Use for:

• Multiple condition routing
• Status-based processing
• Type-based handlers

3. Parallel Processing

Trigger → Branch A ↘
       → Branch B  → Merge → Continue
       → Branch C ↗

Use for:

• Independent API calls
• Multi-system updates
• Parallel data fetching

Data Processing Patterns

4. Batch Processing (Loop Over Items)

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Loop Over Items",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches",
      "parameters": {
        "batchSize": 10
      }
    }
  ]
}

Pattern:

Fetch All → Loop Over Items → Process Batch → Wait → Loop Back
                           ↘ Done → Continue

Use for:

• API rate limit handling
• Large dataset processing
• Memory-efficient operations

5. Data Merging

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Merge",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.merge",
      "parameters": {
        "mode": "combine",
        "mergeByFields": {
          "values": [{"field1": "id", "field2": "id"}]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Merge Modes:

Mode	Description
Append	Combine all items
Combine	Match by fields
Choose Branch	Pick one input
Multiplex	Create all combinations

6. Data Transformation (Code Node)

// Transform array of items
return $input.all().map(item => ({
  json: {
    id: item.json.id,
    fullName: `${item.json.firstName} ${item.json.lastName}`,
    email: item.json.email.toLowerCase(),
    createdAt: new Date().toISOString()
  }
}));