Overview
The Parallel Workflow Orchestrator node enables executing multiple webhook URLs in parallel and aggregates their results. It is designed to trigger multiple workflows simultaneously by calling their webhook endpoints, which is useful for orchestrating complex automation scenarios where several workflows need to run concurrently and their outputs combined.
Common use cases include:
- Running multiple data processing or analysis workflows in parallel and collecting their results.
- Triggering different workflows based on various webhook URLs with optional authentication.
- Aggregating results from multiple independent workflows into a single output for further processing.
For example, you might have separate workflows handling order processing, inventory updates, and customer notifications. This node can trigger all these workflows at once and gather their responses efficiently.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (notice) | Informational notice reminding that each workflow must have a Webhook trigger node and instructing users to paste production webhook URLs (one per line) to execute workflows in parallel. |
| Execution Mode | Mode of execution: - Simple (Webhooks): Paste webhook URLs as plain text. - Simple (Structured): Add webhooks with individual settings including auth. - Manual Configuration: Full control over executions. - From Input Data: Use workflow list from input data. |
| Webhook URLs | (Simple mode only) Multiline string of webhook URLs to call, one URL per line. |
| Pass Input Data to Workflows | Whether to pass the current input data to all triggered workflows (applies to simple and simple structured modes). |
| Use Same Auth for All Webhooks | (Simple Structured mode only) Use the same authentication method and credentials for all webhook calls. |
| Global Authentication | (Simple Structured + global auth enabled) Authentication method to use for all webhooks: None, Header Auth, Bearer Token, Basic Auth. |
| Header Name | (Global header auth) Name of the HTTP header used for authentication (e.g., X-API-Key, Authorization). |
| Token/Key | (Global header or bearer auth) The API key or token value used for authentication. |
| Username | (Global basic auth) Username for basic authentication. |
| Password | (Global basic auth) Password for basic authentication. |
| Webhooks | (Simple Structured mode) Collection of webhook configurations, each with: - Webhook URL - Optional name - Timeout in seconds (default 60) - Authentication method and credentials - Additional JSON data to merge with main input data. |
| Workflow Executions | (Manual mode) Collection of workflows to execute, each with: - Webhook URL - Optional execution name - Input JSON data - Additional settings like timeout and retry count. |
| Workflows Field | (From Input Data mode) Name of the field in input data containing an array of workflow configurations (each with webhook URL and optional input data). |
| Options | Collection of options: - Continue On Fail: Whether to continue executing other workflows if one fails. - Output Mode: How to aggregate results ( array, object, merged, items).- Advanced options: - Max Concurrent: Limit max simultaneous executions. - Include Execution Metadata: Include execution time and status. - Global Timeout: Max time to wait for all workflows to complete (seconds). |
Output
The node outputs JSON data representing the aggregated results of all triggered workflows. The structure depends on the selected output mode:
- Array (Ordered): A single item with a
resultsarray containing each workflow's result object in order. - Object (Named): A single item with an object keyed by workflow names, each containing its result.
- Merged: A single item merging all successful workflow response data into one object.
- Individual Items: Each workflow result is output as a separate item.
Each workflow result object includes:
success: Boolean indicating if the workflow call succeeded.webhookUrl: The URL called.name: The execution or webhook name.data: The JSON response returned by the workflow.error: Error message if the call failed.- Optionally, if enabled:
executionTime: Time taken for the call in milliseconds.timestamp: ISO timestamp of execution.
If metadata inclusion is enabled and output mode is not "Individual Items", a summary object is added with:
totalExecutions: Total number of workflows executed.successful: Count of successful executions.failed: Count of failed executions.totalTime: Sum of execution times.
The node does not output binary data.
Dependencies
- Requires workflows to have active Webhook trigger nodes with accessible production webhook URLs.
- No external API keys are required by the node itself, but authentication tokens or credentials may be needed depending on the configured webhook authentication.
- Uses standard HTTP POST requests to invoke webhook URLs.
- No special environment variables or n8n credentials are mandated by this node; authentication details are provided via node parameters.
Troubleshooting
- No webhook URLs provided: If no webhook URLs or workflows are configured, the node throws an error. Ensure at least one valid webhook URL is entered or workflows are specified.
- Timeout errors: Each webhook call has a configurable timeout (default 60 seconds). If a workflow takes longer, a timeout error occurs. Increase timeout if necessary.
- Global timeout exceeded: The node enforces a global timeout for all workflows combined (default 300 seconds). If exceeded, execution aborts with an error.
- Authentication failures: Incorrect or missing authentication headers/tokens will cause webhook calls to fail. Verify credentials and header names.
- Malformed additional data: When providing additional JSON data for webhooks, ensure it is valid JSON or a valid expression; otherwise, parsing errors may occur.
- Retry behavior: In manual mode, retries can be configured. If workflows fail repeatedly, check retry counts and underlying workflow health.
- Continue On Fail option: If disabled, the node stops on first failure; enable it to allow other workflows to proceed despite errors.