n8n Integration

Connect Axiforms with n8n to build powerful automation workflows. n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that gives you full control over your integrations.

Overview

The n8n integration sends form submission data to your n8n workflow webhooks, enabling you to:

Process and transform form data
Connect to any API or service
Build complex multi-step workflows
Self-host your automation infrastructure
Create custom integrations without vendor lock-in

Setting Up n8n

Step 1: Create an n8n Webhook Workflow

Open your n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
Create a new workflow
Add a Webhook node
Configure the webhook:
- HTTP Method: POST
- Path: Choose a unique path (e.g., /axiforms)
- Response Mode: "Respond to Webhook" (or "Last Node" if you want custom response)
Save and activate the workflow
Copy the webhook URL from the Webhook node

Step 2: Configure Axiforms

Navigate to your form's Settings → Integrations
Click on n8n
Enable the integration
Paste the n8n webhook URL from Step 1
(Optional) Configure additional settings:
- Secret Key: For HMAC signature verification
- Custom Headers: Additional HTTP headers if needed
- Timeout: Request timeout (default: 30 seconds)
- Retries: Number of retry attempts (default: 3)
Click Create Integration

Step 3: Process Data in n8n

Use the Test Webhook button in Axiforms to send test data
In n8n, add nodes to process the webhook payload
Connect to other services as needed
Activate your workflow

Webhook Payload Format

n8n receives the same standardized payload as regular webhooks:

{
  "event": "form.submitted",
  "projectId": "clx123...",
  "responseId": "clx456...",
  "submittedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "metadata": {
    "ip": "192.168.1.1",
    "userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0...",
    "referer": "https://example.com"
  },
  "responses": [
    {
      "blockId": "block_123",
      "blockType": "text",
      "label": "Full Name",
      "value": "John Doe"
    },
    {
      "blockId": "block_456",
      "blockType": "email",
      "label": "Email Address",
      "value": "john@example.com"
    }
  ],
  "form": {
    "id": "clx123...",
    "name": "Contact Form",
    "slug": "contact-form"
  }
}

Example Workflows

Send to Database

Webhook node (receives Axiforms data)
PostgreSQL (or your database) → Insert row
Map responses to database columns

Transform and Send to API

Webhook node

Code node to transform data:

const responses = $input.item.json.responses;
const transformed = {};

responses.forEach((r) => {
  transformed[r.label || r.blockId] = r.value;
});

return [{ json: transformed }];

HTTP Request node to send to your API

Conditional Workflow

Webhook node
IF node to check conditions (e.g., email contains "@company.com")
Branch 1: Send to internal system
Branch 2: Send to external CRM

Multi-Step Processing

Webhook node
Function node to extract email
HTTP Request to validate email via external API
IF node based on validation result
Different actions for valid/invalid emails

Working with Form Responses

Access form fields in n8n using the responses array. Here are common patterns:

Extract Specific Field

Use a Code node:

// Find email field
const emailField = $input.item.json.responses.find(
  (r) => r.blockType === "email"
);

return [{ json: { email: emailField?.value } }];

Convert Responses to Object

const responses = $input.item.json.responses;
const data = {};

responses.forEach((r) => {
  // Use label if available, otherwise blockId
  const key = r.label || r.blockId;
  data[key] = r.value;
});

return [{ json: data }];

Filter Responses by Type

const responses = $input.item.json.responses;
const textFields = responses.filter((r) => r.blockType === "text");
const emailFields = responses.filter((r) => r.blockType === "email");

return [
  {
    json: {
      texts: textFields.map((r) => r.value),
      emails: emailFields.map((r) => r.value),
    },
  },
];

Security: HMAC Signatures

To verify webhook authenticity:

Set a Secret Key in Axiforms's n8n integration settings
In n8n, add a Function node to verify the signature:

const crypto = require("crypto");

// Get signature from headers
const signature = $input.item.json.headers["x-webhook-signature"];
const secret = "your-secret-key";
const payload = JSON.stringify($input.item.json.body);

// Compute HMAC
const hmac = crypto.createHmac("sha256", secret);
const computed = hmac.update(payload).digest("hex");
const expected = signature.replace("sha256=", "");

// Verify
if (computed !== expected) {
  throw new Error("Invalid signature");
}

return $input.all();

Continue processing only if signature is valid

Self-Hosted n8n

If you're using self-hosted n8n:

Ensure your n8n instance is accessible from the internet
Use HTTPS (Axiforms requires HTTPS for webhooks)
Configure proper authentication/authorization
Consider using n8n's webhook authentication features

Error Handling

n8n workflows should handle errors gracefully:

Add Error Trigger nodes to catch failures
Send notifications for failed workflows
Log errors for debugging
Configure retries in Axiforms settings (default: 3 attempts)

Best Practices

Idempotency - Use responseId to prevent duplicate processing
Error handling - Add error nodes to handle failures
Logging - Log important data for debugging
Performance - Keep workflows efficient for quick responses
Testing - Use Axiforms's Test Webhook feature before going live
Documentation - Document your workflow logic and field mappings