July 2021 Summaries

n8n has launched a free, online Beginner's Course (Level 1) designed to train individuals to become low-code automation experts, emphasizing the future vision of everyone becoming a citizen developer. The course combines theoretical and practical elements, teaching participants how to navigate the n8n Editor UI, structure data, configure nodes and workflows, and share their creations, all without requiring prior coding knowledge. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, such as building workflows to fetch articles from Hacker News and process data from a data warehouse, ultimately preparing them for real-world workflow automation tasks. Upon completion, learners can test their understanding through a quiz and earn a badge to showcase their newfound skills.

Daniel Santos, a dedicated no-code tools enthusiast and n8n community member, shares his extensive experience with workflow automation in both professional and personal contexts. Based in Portland, Maine, Daniel works as a Membership Development Manager at the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and also volunteers as the Board President of a children's non-profit organization. Over the years, he has explored various automation tools, starting with Tasker on Android, followed by IFTTT, Zapier, Integromat, and eventually settling on n8n for its ease of use and flexibility in self-hosting and extending workflows. Through n8n, Daniel has learned about APIs, authentication, and basic JavaScript, using the tool to create workflows that automate tasks such as calculating organizational investments, managing email campaigns, and tracking cryptocurrency portfolios. He frequently utilizes the HTTP Request node for API interactions and emphasizes the time-saving benefits of n8n. Looking ahead, Daniel is eager to explore more creative automation solutions and hopes for further integrations with Appsmith to enhance his capabilities in developing complex web applications.

Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery/Deployment (CD) are key components of a CI/CD pipeline in DevOps, allowing for automated building, testing, and deployment of code changes to enhance efficiency and maintain code quality. The CI stage involves multiple developers working collaboratively, frequently integrating code changes, which are validated through automated builds and tests. The CD stage focuses on automating the release process with human intervention required for deployment, ensuring the codebase is always ready for production. Continuous Deployment automates the entire process, deploying applications automatically post-testing. The text details setting up a CI/CD pipeline using n8n workflows with platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, TravisCI, and CircleCI, and offers insights into using Telegram and GitHub for deployment, showcasing the benefits of CI/CD in reducing manual efforts and accelerating feature delivery. It emphasizes the flexibility of n8n to automate tasks and encourages readers to implement CI/CD pipelines tailored to their needs, highlighting n8n's fair-code license for free self-hosting.