Linkbreakers + n8n: self-hosted QR workflow automation

Short answer

Linkbreakers sends a webhook payload when a QR code is scanned or a form is submitted. n8n receives that payload on its webhook node and executes whatever workflow you design — pushing data to internal databases, applying custom business logic, or connecting to proprietary internal systems. Because n8n is self-hosted, your scan data never passes through a third-party automation cloud.

Quick summary

• Trigger n8n workflows from any Linkbreakers QR scan or form submission via webhook
• Keep all visitor and lead data on your own infrastructure — no third-party data processor involved
• Build complex workflows with n8n's visual node editor and 400+ available integrations
• Apply custom business logic, transformations, and branching conditions on raw scan data
• Connect Linkbreakers to internal databases, APIs, and proprietary tools that cloud platforms cannot reach
• Ideal for GDPR-conscious teams, healthcare organizations, financial services, and government agencies

What you can do with n8n + Linkbreakers

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform you can run on your own server or private cloud. When connected to Linkbreakers via webhook, it becomes a powerful processing layer for your QR scan events — one that stays entirely within your data perimeter.

Unlike cloud-based automation tools, n8n lets you process sensitive visitor data — health information, financial details, employee records — without routing it through a third party. You can also connect to internal systems that are not publicly exposed: private databases, internal APIs, legacy software, or on-premise CRM installations.

Use case	How it works	Business value
Scan event → internal database	Webhook → n8n → SQL/PostgreSQL insert	Lead data stored on-premise with no cloud exposure
GDPR-compliant lead processing	Webhook → n8n → anonymize fields → store	Full data sovereignty and audit trail control
Custom scoring and routing	Scan payload → n8n function node → conditional route to different tools	Business logic too complex for no-code tools
Connect proprietary internal tools	Webhook → n8n HTTP node → internal API	Integrate systems that public cloud tools cannot reach
Multi-step approval flow	Scan → n8n → create approval task → wait → trigger next action	Human-in-the-loop workflows for regulated industries
Nightly batch processing	Schedule → n8n → pull scan data → transform → report	Offline processing for analytics pipelines

Key use cases

Store scan data directly in your own database

For organizations that cannot send visitor data to cloud services, n8n provides the bridge. Configure a Linkbreakers outgoing webhook to hit your self-hosted n8n instance. An n8n webhook node receives the payload, a function node transforms or validates the data, and a database node (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or others) inserts the record into your private database.

This means every QR scan or form submission goes directly into your data warehouse or CRM database without any data leaving your network perimeter. You maintain complete custody of the data, with full control over retention, access logs, and deletion workflows.

GDPR-compliant lead processing with full audit trails

Regulated industries and European companies often need to document exactly how personal data is collected, transformed, and stored. n8n's workflow structure makes this straightforward: each node in the workflow represents a documented processing step. You can add nodes that strip identifying fields before storage, hash email addresses for analytics, log every processing event to an audit table, and route deletion requests through the same pipeline.

By hosting n8n yourself, you can satisfy data protection officers who require that personal data collected through marketing channels — including QR scan campaigns — never touches a third-party processor without an explicit data processing agreement.

Apply custom business logic that cloud tools cannot express

Sometimes the routing logic for a lead is too complex for a simple if-then rule. n8n's function nodes let you write JavaScript to process the incoming scan payload with full programmatic control. You can look up additional data from an internal API, calculate a lead score based on multiple factors, query your database to check if the visitor is an existing customer, and then route the lead to the right system based on all of those combined signals.

This kind of multi-source, multi-condition logic is difficult or impossible to express in visual no-code tools. In n8n, it is a straightforward function node sitting between the webhook trigger and your action nodes.

Connect Linkbreakers to internal APIs and legacy systems

Many large organizations have CRM systems, ERP platforms, or internal tools that are not accessible from the public internet. Because n8n runs inside your network, it can make HTTP requests to these internal endpoints without exposing them externally. A Linkbreakers scan triggers the n8n webhook, n8n transforms the data, and then calls your internal SAP, Oracle, or proprietary API directly — all within your firewall.

This is particularly valuable for enterprise sales teams whose CRM is self-hosted, or for manufacturers whose product databases live on private infrastructure.

How to connect n8n with Linkbreakers

1. Ensure your n8n instance is running and accessible. For webhook triggers from Linkbreakers (an external service), your n8n must be reachable over the internet or through a secure tunnel (ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel, or a reverse proxy).
2. In n8n, create a new workflow and add a Webhook node as the trigger. Set the HTTP method to POST and note the generated webhook URL.
3. Activate the workflow in n8n (the webhook URL is only live when the workflow is active or in test mode).
4. Log in to app.linkbreakers.com and open the link you want to automate.
5. In the link's settings, enter the n8n webhook URL as the outgoing webhook destination and save.
6. Perform a test scan or form submission. The n8n webhook node will receive the payload and display the data structure.
7. Add downstream nodes to process the data: function nodes for transformation, database nodes for storage, HTTP request nodes for internal APIs, or email/Slack nodes for notifications.
8. When the workflow is ready, ensure it is set to active so it runs on every incoming webhook event.

Frequently asked questions

Does n8n need to be publicly accessible to receive Linkbreakers webhooks? Yes. Linkbreakers sends an outbound HTTP POST to the webhook URL you provide. If your n8n instance is on a private network, you need to expose it via a reverse proxy, a secure tunnel (like Cloudflare Tunnel), or a VPN with a public endpoint. For testing, tools like ngrok work well. For production, a proper reverse proxy with TLS is recommended.

Can I use n8n Cloud instead of self-hosting? Yes. n8n offers a managed cloud version if you prefer not to self-host. The webhook integration with Linkbreakers works identically. The self-hosted option is highlighted here for teams with data sovereignty requirements, but n8n Cloud is a fully valid alternative for teams without those constraints.

What data does Linkbreakers send in the webhook payload? The payload includes the scan timestamp, visitor country and device type, QR code and link identifiers, campaign tags, UTM parameters, and all form field values if a form step was completed. In n8n, you can access each field individually using standard dot notation in function or mapping nodes.

Can n8n handle high-volume scan events without dropping data? n8n processes webhook events sequentially by default. For high-volume campaigns where scans arrive rapidly, consider enabling n8n's concurrent execution settings or using a queue-based setup. For most marketing campaigns, the default configuration handles traffic without issues.

Is n8n free to use? n8n is open-source and free to self-host. n8n Cloud has a free tier with limited executions and paid plans for higher volumes. Linkbreakers does not charge for webhook connections, but check your Linkbreakers plan for webhook feature availability.

Can I trigger multiple n8n workflows from one Linkbreakers link? Linkbreakers supports one outgoing webhook URL per link. If you need to fan out to multiple workflows, configure your single n8n webhook node to split into parallel branches, or use a separate n8n workflow as a dispatcher that calls other workflows via the n8n API.

Limits and caveats

• Integration availability may vary by plan. Visit app.linkbreakers.com to check your current plan.
• Webhook delivery depends on third-party service uptime and configuration.
• Feature availability on connected platforms depends on your subscription with those services.