Automation has always fascinated me — the idea of connecting tools I use every day and letting them “talk” to each other feels like magic. That’s when I discovered n8n, an open-source workflow automation tool that gives you full control without monthly limits or third-party restrictions.
In this post, I’ll share my first experience setting up n8n on a VPS using Apache2, and how I built my very first automation workflow that connects Google Sheets, Notion, and Jira. This small project completely changed how I handle job requests, turning a manual process into a fully automated system.
Setting It Up
Setting Up
I started by deploying a simple Ubuntu VPS and followed n8n’s self-hosting documentation. The setup was straightforward: install Node.js, then npm install -g n8n. Once it was running on port 5678, I configured Apache2 as a reverse proxy and added SSL with Certbot so I could securely access it via my domain.
Running n8n on my own VPS gave me flexibility and control. I didn’t have to worry about usage limits, and I could tweak performance as needed. You can check out on this link
My First Workflow
My first real workflow aimed to solve a problem at work. I often receive job or project requests through Google Sheets, then manually update Notion for tracking and Jira for task management. It was repetitive and time-consuming.
With n8n, I built a workflow where:
- A Google Sheets trigger detects new rows (new job requests).
- The data is automatically sent to Notion, creating a new entry in my job tracker database.
- Simultaneously, a Jira node creates a new issue with the same details.
This way, whenever someone adds a request in Google Sheets, it instantly appears in both Notion and Jira — no manual copy-paste needed. It felt like having an invisible assistant managing my workflow in real time.
You can check the official n8n integrations list to see just how many tools you can connect in similar ways.
Conclusion
Building my first workflow with n8n made me realize how accessible automation can be when you host your own tools. From setting it up on a VPS to integrating Google Sheets, Notion, and Jira — it felt like creating my own private automation system for work.
So, what’s the first process in your day-to-day job that you’d love to automate?