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System Design

This document defines the modular architecture principles for n8n-powered automation workflows.

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Design Principles

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Separation of Concerns

Each workflow layer has a distinct responsibility: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Input Layer                  │
│    Webhooks & Triggers              │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│        Processing Layer             │
│    Logic & Analysis                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│        Decision Layer               │
│    Routing & Control                │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│        Action Layer                 │
│    Execution & Integration          │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│        Output Layer                 │
│    Notifications & Storage          │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

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Cross-Cutting Concerns

These apply across all layers:
  • Error Handling
  • Logging & Audit
  • Performance Monitoring
  • Security Controls

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Workflow Classification

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TRIGGER Workflows

  • Purpose: Initial event detection
  • Complexity: Low
  • Performance Target: < 1 second
  • Error Tolerance: Zero

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PROCESS Workflows

  • Purpose: Data transformation
  • Complexity: Medium
  • Performance Target: < 30 seconds
  • Error Tolerance: Low

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DECIDE Workflows

  • Purpose: Business logic routing
  • Complexity: Low
  • Performance Target: < 5 seconds
  • Error Tolerance: Zero

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EXECUTE Workflows

  • Purpose: Action implementation
  • Complexity: High
  • Performance Target: Variable
  • Error Tolerance: Medium

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NOTIFY Workflows

  • Purpose: Stakeholder communication
  • Complexity: Low
  • Performance Target: < 10 seconds
  • Error Tolerance: High

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AUDIT Workflows

  • Purpose: Compliance & logging
  • Complexity: Medium
  • Performance Target: < 15 seconds
  • Error Tolerance: Zero

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Module Boundaries

Each workflow module should:
  1. Have a single, well-defined purpose
  2. Accept standardized input formats
  3. Produce standardized output formats
  4. Handle its own errors gracefully
  5. Log all significant events
  6. Be independently deployable
  7. Be independently testable

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Performance Requirements

MetricTarget
Webhook response< 1s
Simple transformation< 5s
LLM-based processing< 60s
Full pipeline< 5min