n8n

n8n is a powerful workflow automation platform that enables visual development of AI agent workflows without traditional coding. It's particularly valuable for rapid prototyping and citizen development of agentic systems.

Why we're trialing n8n:

• Visual Workflow Builder: Drag-and-drop interface for creating complex agent workflows
• Extensive Integrations: 400+ pre-built nodes including OpenAI, LangChain, and vector databases
• Self-Hosted Option: Full control over data and infrastructure, aligning with our security requirements
• Custom Node Development: Ability to create custom nodes for proprietary agent logic
• Real-time Execution: Visual debugging and monitoring of agent workflows in action

Key capabilities for AI agents:

• LLM Integration: Native support for OpenAI, Anthropic, and other LLM providers
• Vector Store Connections: Built-in nodes for Pinecone, Weaviate, and Qdrant
• Memory Management: Workflow variables and data persistence for stateful agents
• Error Handling: Visual error paths and retry logic for robust agent operations
• Webhook Triggers: Easy integration with external systems and event-driven architectures

Integration with our platform:

• Deploy as containerized service on Kubernetes for scalability
• Connect to our existing LiteLLM proxy for model management
• Use with External Secrets Operator for secure credential handling
• Monitor with Prometheus metrics exporter

Evaluation considerations:

• Citizen Developer Enablement: Empowers non-technical users to build agent workflows
• Rapid Prototyping: Faster iteration on agent logic compared to code-based approaches
• Version Control: Git-based workflow versioning for proper change management
• Performance: Evaluate throughput for high-volume agent operations

Best practices:

• Use sub-workflows for reusable agent patterns
• Implement proper error handling and logging nodes
• Version control workflow JSON files
• Set resource limits for workflow executions