Introduction

Welcome to WP n8n Connector - the most powerful WordPress plugin for automating content publishing via API. This documentation will help you get up and running in minutes.

Key Features

Installation

Install WP n8n Connector in just a few simple steps.

Method 1: Upload via WordPress Admin

1. Download the plugin ZIP file from your Lemon Squeezy account
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New
3. Click "Upload Plugin" button
4. Choose the ZIP file and click "Install Now"
5. Click "Activate Plugin"

Method 2: FTP Upload

1. Extract the plugin ZIP file
2. Upload the folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins
4. Activate WP n8n Connector

Quick Start

Get your first post created via API in under 2 minutes.

Step 1: Create an API Key

Navigate to WordPress Admin → n8n API and create your first API key:

1. Click "Create New API Key"
2. Enter a name (e.g., "My n8n Workflow")
3. Set request limit (e.g., 1000)
4. Click "Create Key"
5. ⚠️ Copy and save the key - it won't be shown again!

Step 2: Make Your First API Call

Use this simple cURL command to create your first post:

curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: n8n_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "title": "My First API Post",
    "content": "<p>Hello from the API!</p>",
    "status": "draft"
  }'

Step 3: Check the Response

{
  "success": true,
  "post_id": 123,
  "post_url": "https://yoursite.com/?p=123",
  "edit_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=123&action=edit",
  "status": "draft"
}

Requirements

Creating API Keys

API keys are used to authenticate requests to your WordPress site. Each key can have its own limits, expiration, and IP restrictions.

Creating a New Key

1. Go to WordPress Admin → n8n API
2. Fill in the "Create New API Key" form:

Managing API Keys

Viewing Keys

All your keys are listed in the dashboard with the following info:

• Key Prefix - First 12 characters for identification
• Usage - Number of requests made
• Limit - Maximum allowed requests
• Status - Active, Revoked, or Expired
• Last Used - When the key was last used

Revoking a Key

To disable a key without deleting it:

1. Find the key in the dashboard
2. Click "Revoke"
3. Confirm the action

IP Whitelist

Restrict API access to specific IP addresses or networks for enhanced security.

Single IP Addresses

192.168.1.100, 203.0.113.50

CIDR Ranges

10.0.0.0/24, 192.168.1.0/16

Mixed Format

192.168.1.100, 10.0.0.0/24, 203.0.113.50

Key Expiration

Set keys to automatically expire after a specified number of days.

Authentication

All API requests must be authenticated using your API key in the request header.

Header Format

X-API-Key: n8n_your_api_key_here

Example Request

curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish \
  -H "X-API-Key: n8n_abc123..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Endpoints

Base URL: https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1

Create Post

Creates a new WordPress post with the provided data.

Request Headers

Request Body Parameters

Example Request

{
  "title": "How to Use Our API",
  "content": "<p>This is the post content with <strong>HTML</strong></p>",
  "status": "publish",
  "excerpt": "A quick guide to our API",
  "category": "Tutorials",
  "tags": "api, tutorial, wordpress"
}

Success Response (200)

{
  "success": true,
  "post_id": 456,
  "post_url": "https://yoursite.com/how-to-use-our-api/",
  "edit_url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=456&action=edit",
  "status": "publish"
}

Error Response (400)

{
  "code": "invalid",
  "message": "Missing title or content",
  "data": {
    "status": 400
  }
}

Status Check

Check if the API is operational. No authentication required.

Example Request

curl https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/status

Response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "5.0"
}

Response Codes

Our API uses standard HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of requests.

Rate Limits

To ensure fair usage and prevent abuse, we enforce the following rate limits:

Handling Rate Limits

When you exceed a rate limit, you'll receive a 429 response:

{
  "code": "rate_limit",
  "message": "Too many requests from your IP",
  "data": {
    "status": 429
  }
}

Best Practices

• Implement exponential backoff for retries
• Cache responses when possible
• Monitor your usage in the admin dashboard
• Upgrade your plan if you need higher limits

cURL Example

curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: n8n_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "title": "My New Post",
    "content": "<p>Hello World!</p>",
    "status": "publish",
    "category": "News",
    "tags": "tag1, tag2"
  }'

JavaScript / Node.js

Using Fetch API

const createPost = async (postData) => {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'X-API-Key': process.env.N8N_API_KEY
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(postData)
    });
    
    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
    }
    
    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('Post created:', data);
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error creating post:', error);
    throw error;
  }
};

// Usage
createPost({
  title: 'Automated Post',
  content: '<p>Content here</p>',
  status: 'draft',
  tags: 'automation, api'
});

Using Axios

const axios = require('axios');

const api = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.N8N_API_KEY,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

async function publishPost(postData) {
  try {
    const { data } = await api.post('/publish', postData);
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

publishPost({
  title: 'New Post via Axios',
  content: '<p>Created with Axios</p>',
  status: 'publish'
});

Python

import requests
import os

def create_post(title, content, status='draft', **kwargs):
    url = 'https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish'
    
    headers = {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'X-API-Key': os.getenv('N8N_API_KEY')
    }
    
    payload = {
        'title': title,
        'content': content,
        'status': status,
        **kwargs
    }
    
    try:
        response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers, timeout=30)
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
        print(f'HTTP Error: {e}')
        print(f'Response: {response.text}')
        raise
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f'Request failed: {e}')
        raise

# Usage
if __name__ == '__main__':
    result = create_post(
        title='Python Automated Post',
        content='<p>Created via Python</p>',
        status='publish',
        category='Tech',
        tags='python, api, automation'
    )
    print(f"Post created: {result['post_url']}")

PHP

<?php

function createPost($data) {
    $url = 'https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish';
    $apiKey = getenv('N8N_API_KEY');
    
    $ch = curl_init($url);
    
    curl_setopt_array($ch, [
        CURLOPT_POST => true,
        CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
        CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($data),
        CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
            'Content-Type: application/json',
            'X-API-Key: ' . $apiKey
        ],
        CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
        CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER => true
    ]);
    
    $response = curl_exec($ch);
    $httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
    
    if (curl_errno($ch)) {
        throw new Exception('cURL Error: ' . curl_error($ch));
    }
    
    curl_close($ch);
    
    $result = json_decode($response, true);
    
    if ($httpCode !== 200) {
        throw new Exception('API Error: ' . ($result['message'] ?? 'Unknown error'));
    }
    
    return $result;
}

// Usage
try {
    $post = createPost([
        'title' => 'PHP Automated Post',
        'content' => '<p>Created via PHP</p>',
        'status' => 'publish',
        'tags' => 'php, api'
    ]);
    
    echo "Post created: " . $post['post_url'] . "\n";
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage() . "\n";
}

n8n Workflow Setup

Complete guide to setting up n8n workflow with our plugin.

Step 1: Add HTTP Request Node

1. Open your n8n workflow
2. Click "+" to add a new node
3. Search for "HTTP Request"
4. Select it

Step 2: Configure the Node

Step 3: Body JSON

{
  "title": "{{ $json.title }}",
  "content": "{{ $json.content }}",
  "status": "draft",
  "tags": "{{ $json.tags }}"
}

Security Best Practices

API Key Management

• ✅ Store keys in environment variables, never in code
• ✅ Use different keys for different environments (dev, staging, prod)
• ✅ Rotate keys every 90 days
• ✅ Revoke unused keys immediately
• ✅ Use IP whitelisting when possible
• ✅ Set reasonable request limits
• ❌ Never commit keys to Git
• ❌ Never share keys via email or chat
• ❌ Never use the same key across multiple services

Network Security

• ✅ Always use HTTPS (required)
• ✅ Keep SSL certificates up to date
• ✅ Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• ✅ Monitor logs regularly

Webhook Signatures

When using webhooks with our plugin, you can verify request authenticity using HMAC-SHA256 signatures.

Verifying Signatures (Node.js)

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyWebhookSignature(payload, signature, secret) {
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(JSON.stringify(payload))
    .digest('hex');
  
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(expected),
    Buffer.from(signature)
  );
}

// Usage
const isValid = verifyWebhookSignature(
  req.body,
  req.headers['x-webhook-signature'],
  process.env.WEBHOOK_SECRET
);

HTTPS Requirements

All API requests must be made over HTTPS. HTTP requests will be rejected.

Common Errors

Debugging

Check API Logs

View detailed logs in WordPress Admin → n8n API → Logs:

• Timestamp of each request
• Key used
• IP address
• Status code
• Error messages

Test with Status Endpoint

First, verify the API is accessible:

curl https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/status

Enable Verbose Mode

curl -v -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/n8n/v1/publish \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Test","content":"Test"}'

Get Support