Even if You’re Just Starting!
When I started learning automation with N8n, I ran into a strange word: JSON (pronounced “Jason” like a person’s name!).
At first, I thought, “Oh no, another tech thing that looks like alien code!”
But guess what?
JSON is just a simple way computers share information kind of like passing notes in class, but much tidier and understandable.
So, What Exactly is this JSON?
JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation fancy, right?
But think of it like this,If your favorite game needed to tell another game what level you’re on and what your character’s name is, it would use JSON to send that info.
For example:
{
"name": "Nancy",
"level": 5,
"isLearning": true
}
This just means:
- Your name is Nancy
- You’re on level 5
- You’re learning something new!
Why JSON is a Big Deal in N8n
When you connect apps inside N8n like sending data from Google Sheets to Gmail they all “talk” to each other using JSON.
Understanding JSON helps you:
✅ Pick out only the info you need (like someone’s name or due date)
✅ Change or “transform” that data to fit another app
✅ Fix issues when something doesn’t work
✅ Create cooler, more advanced automations
How JSON is Built: JSON data is like LEGO you build it piece by piece using:
- Objects (curly braces
{ }) — like labeled boxes - Arrays (square brackets
[ ]) — like lists - Strings,Boolean,data,numbers etc.
Example:
{
"students": ["Nancy", "John", "Aisha"],
"topic": "N8n Automation",
"progress": 80
}
That’s it! Just text that follows a pattern.Real Example Inside N8n
Let’s say you’re pulling info from Monday.com:
{
"id": "12345",
"name": "Project Alpha",
"status": "In Progress",
"assignees": ["Nancy", "John"],
"dueDate": "2025-10-20"
}
In N8n, you can grab bits of this using dot notation:
{{$json.name}}→ “Project Alpha”{{$json.assignees[0]}}→ “Nancy”
It’s like giving directions: “Hey N8n, go to JSON, then open the ‘name’ box.”
Tips for Understanding JSON in N8n
1️⃣ Use N8n’s JSON viewer — it shows your data neatly!
2️⃣ Start small — practice with short JSON before big ones.
3️⃣ Test your expressions — N8n lets you check before running.
4️⃣ Master dot notation — it’s the secret to navigating JSON easily.
At first, JSON looked like a secret code.
But now, I see it as a powerful friend that helps my automations run smoothly.Each time I connect a new app, I peek at the JSON, play around, and figure out what’s inside. It’s like solving a puzzle and it’s actually fun!
See you in my next post!
#Automation #N8n #WorkflowAutomation #JSON #LearningInPublic #TechSkills#Tech
Stop Doing the Same Thing Twice… Automate that task.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably tired of that one task the one you do every Monday, every deployment, or every time a new team member joins. It’s draining, boring, and frankly, a huge time sink.
Welcome to Day 1 of my Automation Series, where we learn the first golden rule of DevOps:
If a task is repetitive and predictable, it’s a candidate for automation.
Automation is not a luxury, it’s a foundation.
In the world of software and IT, we talk a lot about Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), but the true game-changer starts with a simple mindset shift.
Think of it this way: Every manual task you perform is a debt you pay with your time and energy. You also introduce risk—humans make typos, forget steps, and get tired.
Automation, especially on Day 1 of a project or process, is your investment in future speed and stability. The faster you automate the foundational stuff (like setting up environments or running basic tests), the faster you can focus on building cool features!
🤔 Interactive Question for You:
What is the single most boring, repetitive task you do every week? Seriously, tell me in the comments—we might just automate it by Day 5!
The 3 Core Pillars of Automation
You don’t need to automate the whole world right now. Start small with these three high-impact areas:
1. Infrastructure Automation (The ‘Digital Plumbing’)
Before you can run an application, you need a place for it to live (a server, a virtual machine, a container). Manual setup is slow and error-prone.
- The Tool of Choice: Terraform or Ansible.
- The Win: Create a cloud server (or an entire network!) with a single command. This is known as Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
- The Catchy Hook: “Clicking ‘Next, Next, Finish’ is so last decade. We’re building our cloud with code.”
2. Configuration Automation (The ‘App Setup’)
Once the server is up, you need to install software, configure settings, and open ports. This is another prime automation target.
- The Tool of Choice: Ansible or Puppet.
- The Win: Ensure every server is configured exactly the same way, every time. No “it worked on my machine” excuses!
- The Catchy Hook: “Stop SSH-ing into servers. We’re turning configuration into a consistent recipe.”
3. Testing and Quality Automation (The ‘Safety Net’)
The most critical Day 1 automation is running checks immediately after code is written.
- The Tool of Choice: Integrated tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
- The Win: The moment you commit code, automated tests run to check for basic errors. If it fails, you know instantly.
- The Catchy Hook: “Fail Fast, Learn Faster. Let the bots find your bugs before the users do.”
Quick Automation Win: Your 5-Minute Script
Let’s get practical. You can start automating right now with a simple Bash or Python script.
Scenario: You constantly clean out old log files on your server.
Bash
#!/bin/bash
# A simple script to automatically delete files older than 30 days
# (This is your first "Day 1" Automation!)
LOG_DIR="/var/log/app_logs"
echo "Running log cleanup in $LOG_DIR..."
find $LOG_DIR -type f -mtime +30 -name "*.log" -delete
echo "Cleanup complete! Files older than 30 days have been removed."
Next Step: Set this script to run automatically every night using a tool like Cron (Linux/Mac) or Task Scheduler (Windows).
Congratulations! You’ve just automated your first IT operations task.
Your Homework (And a Teaser for Day 2)
Your biggest automation tool isn’t a script; it’s your mindset. For tomorrow, I want you to identify one common problem at your job and think about how you could solve it with code, not clicks.
Tomorrow on Day 2: We dive into the most powerful automation tools: CI/CD and why a pipeline is the heartbeat of modern software delivery. You won’t want to miss how we turn that boring, repetitive task from the comments into a fully automated pipeline!
