How to Automate Web Scraping with N8N: A Step-by-Step Guide

Web scraping is a powerful technique for extracting data from websites, and when paired with automation tools, it becomes even more efficient. N8N offers a streamlined approach to automate web scraping workflows and deliver results directly to your inbox. Here’s how to set it up.

Getting Started with N8N

N8N is a versatile automation tool that can handle web scraping tasks with ease. The process begins with creating a manual trigger – this will be the starting point of your automation workflow that you can activate whenever needed.

Setting Up the HTTP Request

The first step in the scraping process is to configure an HTTP request to access the target website:

1. Add an HTTP node to your workflow
2. Enter the URL of the website you want to scrape
3. Execute this part of the automation to retrieve the raw data

In this example, Dockerlabs was used as the data source, returning information about available machines.

Filtering and Processing the Data

Once you’ve retrieved the raw data, you’ll need to filter and process it according to your requirements:

1. Add a Code node (JavaScript or Python) to your workflow
2. Write code to filter the data by name, date, or other parameters
3. Execute the code to extract only the information you need

The JavaScript code processes the HTTP response and extracts specific details like computer names and other relevant information.

Sending Results via Email

After processing the data, you can automatically send the results to your email:

1. Add a Gmail node to your workflow
2. Connect your Gmail account to N8N
3. Configure the email subject (e.g., “Information Scrapping”)
4. Add the processed data from the previous step as the email body
5. Specify the recipient email address

The system will automatically format and send the scraping results to your designated email address.

Automation Schedule

One of the most powerful aspects of this setup is the ability to schedule your scraping tasks:

• Run the automation manually whenever needed
• Schedule it to run daily, weekly, or monthly
• Receive regular updates without any manual intervention

The workflow can be customized to scrape any website and deliver the results according to your preferred schedule.

Final Thoughts

This N8N automation workflow provides a seamless way to extract data from websites and have it delivered directly to your inbox in a structured format. The process is highly customizable and can be adapted to various web scraping needs, from monitoring product prices to tracking content updates.

By combining the power of web scraping with email automation, you can save significant time and ensure you always have the latest information at your fingertips.