n8n-nodes-data-converter

A comprehensive data conversion node for n8n that handles Base64, Binary, Format conversions (JSON/XML/YAML/CSV), HTML generation, and various encodings - all in one place.

🎯 Why This Node?

Stop writing Code nodes for common data transformations! This node provides a single, intuitive interface for all your data conversion needs:

• ✅ Base64 Operations - Encode/decode text, binary, JSON, and data URLs
• ✅ Binary Handling - Convert between JSON, text, and binary formats
• ✅ Format Conversions - Transform between JSON, XML, YAML, CSV, and Markdown
• ✅ HTML Generation - Create tables, lists, and formatted HTML from data
• ✅ Text Encoding - URL, HTML entity, and hex encoding/decoding
• ✅ String Transformations - Filename cleaning, case conversions, slugification, and text manipulation

📦 Installation

Community Node (Recommended)

1. In n8n, go to Settings > Community Nodes
2. Search for n8n-nodes-data-converter
3. Click Install

Manual Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-data-converter

Then restart your n8n instance.

🚀 Quick Start

Example 1: Base64 Encode JSON

Convert JSON data to Base64 for API calls:

Resource: Base64
Operation: JSON to Base64

Example 2: Convert JSON to YAML

Transform JSON configuration to YAML format:

Resource: Format
Operation: JSON to YAML

Example 3: Generate HTML Table

Create an HTML table from JSON data:

Resource: HTML
Operation: JSON to HTML Table

Example 4: Chain Multiple String Operations

Clean and format filenames in one step:

Resource: String
Operation: Apply Multiple Operations
Operations:
  1. Remove Special Characters (Keep Filename Characters: ON)
  2. Convert to kebab-case
  3. Convert to lowercase

Input: "My File (2024) - FINAL VERSION.pdf" Output: "my-file-2024-final-version.pdf"

📚 Operations Reference

Base64 Operations

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | Text to Base64 | Encode plain text | String | Base64 string | | Base64 to Text | Decode Base64 to text | Base64 string | Plain text | | Binary to Base64 | Encode binary data | Binary | Base64 string | | Base64 to Binary | Decode to binary | Base64 string | Binary data | | JSON to Base64 | Encode JSON object | JSON | Base64 string | | Base64 to JSON | Decode to JSON | Base64 string | JSON object | | Create Data URL | Create data URL with MIME type | Binary/Text | Data URL | | Parse Data URL | Extract data from data URL | Data URL | Binary + metadata |

Binary Operations

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | JSON to Binary | Convert JSON to binary | JSON | Binary buffer | | Binary to JSON | Parse binary as JSON | Binary | JSON object | | Text to Binary | Convert text to binary | String | Binary buffer | | Binary to Text | Convert binary to text | Binary | String |

Format Conversions

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | JSON to XML | Convert JSON to XML | JSON | XML string | | XML to JSON | Parse XML to JSON | XML string | JSON object | | JSON to YAML | Convert JSON to YAML | JSON | YAML string | | YAML to JSON | Parse YAML to JSON | YAML string | JSON object | | JSON to CSV | Convert JSON array to CSV | JSON array | CSV string | | CSV to JSON | Parse CSV to JSON | CSV string | JSON array | | JSON to Markdown | Format JSON as Markdown | JSON | Markdown string | | JSON to String | Extract/format JSON content | JSON | String/HTML | | CSV to Markdown | Convert CSV to Markdown table | CSV string | Markdown table |

HTML Generation

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | JSON to HTML Table | Create HTML table | JSON array | HTML table | | JSON to HTML List | Create HTML list | JSON array | HTML ul/ol | | CSV to HTML Table | Convert CSV to table | CSV string | HTML table | | Markdown to HTML | Convert Markdown to HTML | Markdown | HTML string | | HTML to Markdown | Convert HTML to Markdown | HTML | Markdown string |

Encoding Operations

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | URL Encode | Encode for URLs | String | URL-encoded string | | URL Decode | Decode from URLs | URL-encoded | Plain string | | HTML Entity Encode | Encode HTML entities | String | HTML-safe string | | HTML Entity Decode | Decode HTML entities | HTML string | Plain string | | Hex Encode | Convert to hexadecimal | String/Binary | Hex string | | Hex Decode | Convert from hexadecimal | Hex string | String/Binary |

String Operations

| Operation | Description | Input | Output | |-----------|-------------|-------|--------| | Apply Multiple Operations | Chain multiple string operations in sequence | String | Transformed string | | Clean Filename | Remove unsafe characters from filenames | String | Safe filename | | Slugify | Create URL-friendly slug | String | Slug string | | Title Case | Convert to Title Case | String | Title Case String | | Camel Case | Convert to camelCase | String | camelCase string | | Kebab Case | Convert to kebab-case | String | kebab-case string | | Snake Case | Convert to snake_case | String | snake_case string | | Upper Case | Convert to UPPERCASE | String | UPPERCASE STRING | | Lower Case | Convert to lowercase | String | lowercase string | | Normalize Whitespace | Clean up extra spaces | String | Normalized string | | Parse Email Address | Extract name, email, domain from email strings | String | Object with parts | | Remove Special Chars | Keep only letters/numbers (with options) | String | Clean string | | Capitalize First | Capitalize first letter | String | Capitalized string | | Reverse Text | Reverse character order | String | Reversed string | | Truncate | Shorten text with suffix | String | Truncated... | | Pad Text | Add padding characters | String | Padded string |

Apply Multiple Operations

The Apply Multiple Operations feature allows you to chain multiple string transformations in a single operation:

• Sortable operations list - Drag and drop to reorder operations
• All operations supported - Combine any string operations
• Configurable options - Each operation can have its own settings
• Sequential processing - Operations are applied in the order specified

Example combinations:

• Remove Special Characters → Convert to snake_case
• Normalize Whitespace → Slugify → Truncate
• Clean Filename → Convert to kebab-case → Lower Case

JSON to String Operation

The JSON to String operation provides flexible ways to extract or format JSON content:

Extraction Modes:

• Pretty Print - Format JSON with customizable indentation
• Compact - Minified JSON without whitespace
• Extract Field - Extract specific field values using dot notation (e.g., data.items[0].name)
• Template - Format using templates with {{field}} placeholders

Use Cases:

• Extract HTML content from JSON fields for direct rendering
• Generate HTML from JSON using templates
• Extract specific values from nested JSON structures
• Format JSON for display or API requirements

Template Example:

<div class="card">
  <h2>{{title}}</h2>
  <p>{{description}}</p>
  <span>Price: ${{price}}</span>
</div>

Remove Special Characters Options

When using Remove Special Characters, you can configure:

• Keep File Extension - Preserves the file extension (last dot and everything after)
• Keep Filename Characters - Preserves dots (.), hyphens (-), and underscores (_) for filenames
• Keep Numbers - Whether to keep numeric characters
• Keep Spaces - Whether to preserve spaces

💡 Common Use Cases

Webhook Data Processing

Webhook → Data Converter (Base64 to Binary) → Save to Storage

API Integration

Database → Data Converter (JSON to XML) → SOAP API

Report Generation

Data → Data Converter (JSON to Markdown) → Email/Slack

File Upload Handling

Form Data → Data Converter (Base64 to Binary) → Cloud Storage

Filename Sanitization

User Input → Data Converter (Clean Filename) → File System

URL Generation

Blog Title → Data Converter (Slugify) → URL Path

🤖 AI Agent Compatibility

This node is fully compatible with AI agents (usableAsTool: true). All operations include:

• Clear descriptions
• Example inputs/outputs
• Structured error messages
• Predictable behavior

⚙️ Advanced Options

Error Handling

• All operations support continueOnFail
• Clear error messages with recovery suggestions
• Input validation with helpful feedback

Performance

• Efficient memory usage for large files
• Streaming support for compatible operations
• Optimized for batch processing

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Invalid Base64 string"

• Ensure the input is properly Base64 encoded
• Check for spaces or special characters

"Cannot parse JSON"

• Validate JSON syntax
• Check for trailing commas or unquoted keys

"CSV parsing failed"

• Verify delimiter settings
• Check for inconsistent column counts

📝 Changelog

Latest Updates (v0.3.3)

• Keep File Extension option for Remove Special Characters - preserves file extensions when cleaning filenames
• Apply Multiple Operations - Chain multiple string transformations in sequence
• Keep Filename Characters option for Remove Special Characters operation
• Fixed options display in Apply Multiple Operations mode

See CHANGELOG.md for full version history.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

MIT - See LICENSE file

🙏 Credits

Created by Jez (Jeremy Dawes)

🔗 Links

• GitHub Repository
• npm Package
• n8n Community

Need help? Open an issue on GitHub or reach out in the n8n community forum!