Node types: Trigger and Action
There are two node types you can build for n8n: trigger nodes and action nodes.
Node types: Trigger and Action
There are two node types you can build for n8n: trigger nodes and action nodes.
Both types provide integrations with external services.
Trigger nodes
Trigger nodes start a workflow and supply the initial data. A workflow can contain multiple trigger nodes but with each execution, only one of them will execute, depending on the triggering event.
There are three types of trigger nodes in n8n:
| Type | Description | Example Nodes |
|---|---|---|
| Webhook | Nodes for services that support webhooks. These nodes listen for events and trigger workflows in real time. | Zendesk Trigger, Telegram Trigger, Brevo Trigger |
| Polling | Nodes for services that don't support webhooks. These nodes periodically check for new data, triggering workflows when they detect updates. | Airtable Trigger, Gmail Trigger, Google Sheet Trigger, RssFeed Read Trigger |
| Others | Nodes that handle real-time responses not related to HTTP requests or polling. This includes message queue nodes and time-based triggers. | AMQP Trigger, RabbitMQ Trigger, MQTT Trigger, Schedule Trigger, Email Trigger (IMAP) |
Action nodes
Action nodes perform operations as part of your workflow. These can include manipulating data, and triggering events in other systems.
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Choose your node building approach
n8n has two node-building styles, declarative and programmatic.
Design your node's user interface
Most nodes are a GUI (graphical user interface) representation of an API. Designing the interface means finding a user-friendly way to represent API endpoints and parameters. Directly translating an e