Set up your development environment
This document lists the essential dependencies for developing a node, as well as guidance on setting up your editor.
Set up your development environment
This document lists the essential dependencies for developing a node, as well as guidance on setting up your editor.
Requirements
To build and test a node, you need:
- Node.js and npm. Minimum version Node 18.17.0. You can find instructions on how to install both using nvm (Node Version Manager) for Linux, Mac, and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) here. For Windows users, refer to Microsoft's guide to Install NodeJS on Windows.
- A local instance of n8n. You can install n8n with
npm install n8n -g, then follow the steps in Run your node locally to test your node. - When building verified community nodes, you must use the
n8n-nodetool to create and test your node.
You should also have git installed. This allows you to clone and use the n8n-node-starter.
Editor setup
n8n recommends using VS Code as your editor.
Install these extensions:
By using VS Code and these extensions, you get access to the n8n node linter's warnings as you code.
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Using the n8n-node tool
The n8n-node tool is the official CLI for developing community nodes for n8n. You can use it to scaffold out new nodes, build your projects, and run your node as you develop it.
Build a programmatic-style node
This tutorial walks through building a programmatic-style node. Before you begin, make sure this is the node style you need. Refer to Choose your node building approach for more information.