n8n-nodes-paubox

This is an n8n community node that lets you send HIPAA-compliant email using the Paubox Email API in your n8n workflows.

Paubox enables healthcare organizations to send secure, encrypted email without requiring recipients to use portals or passwords.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Prerequisites
• Operations
• Credentials
• Compatibility
• Usage
• Resources
• License

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

For n8n Cloud or Self-Hosted:

1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes
2. Select Install
3. Enter n8n-nodes-paubox in the Enter npm package name field
4. Click Install

For Local Development:

# Navigate to your n8n installation's node_modules directory
cd ~/.n8n/nodes

# Clone or install the package
npm install n8n-nodes-paubox

# Restart n8n

Manual Installation for Testing:

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/n8n-nodes-paubox.git
cd n8n-nodes-paubox

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the node
npm run build

# Link for local testing
npm link

# In your n8n installation directory
cd ~/.n8n
npm link n8n-nodes-paubox

# Restart n8n

Prerequisites

To use this node, you need:

1. A Paubox Account: Sign up at paubox.com
2. API Credentials:
   • API Username (your API endpoint username)
   • API Key (your authentication token)
3. Verified Domain: Your sending email domain must be verified with Paubox
4. n8n Installation: Version 0.187.0 or later

Operations

The Paubox node supports the following operations:

Message

Send

Send a HIPAA-compliant email message.

Required Fields:

• From: Sender email address (must match your verified domain)
• To: Recipient email address(es) - comma-separated for multiple recipients
• Subject: Email subject line
• Content: Either plain text, HTML, or both

Optional Fields:

• CC: Carbon copy recipients
• BCC: Blind carbon copy recipients
• Reply To: Reply-to email address
• Attachments: File attachments (base64-encoded)
• Allow Non-TLS: Allow delivery over non-TLS (not HIPAA-compliant for PHI)
• Force Secure Notification: Force Paubox Secure Message delivery
• Override Open Tracking: Enable open tracking for this message
• Override Link Tracking: Enable click tracking (up to 1000 links)
• Unsubscribe URL: URL for unsubscribe tracking
• List-Unsubscribe Header: Standard unsubscribe header
• Custom Headers: Additional email headers (must start with X-)

Returns:

• sourceTrackingId: Unique identifier for tracking the message
• data: Status message
• customHeaders: Any custom headers that were set

Get Disposition

Retrieve delivery status and tracking information for a sent message.

Required Fields:

• Source Tracking ID: The tracking ID returned when the message was sent

Returns:

• Delivery status (delivered, bounced, processing, etc.)
• Open tracking information (if enabled)
• Click tracking information (if enabled)
• Unsubscribe status
• Delivery timestamps

Credentials

The Paubox node requires the following credentials:

Paubox API Credentials

1. In n8n, go to Credentials > New
2. Search for Paubox API
3. Enter your credentials:
   • API Username: Your Paubox Email API endpoint username
   • API Key: Your Paubox authentication token

To obtain these credentials:

1. Log in to your Paubox account
2. Navigate to your API settings
3. Copy your API Username and API Key

Note: The Paubox API uses a custom authentication format with the prefix Token token=. This is handled automatically by the node.

Compatibility

• n8n Version: 0.187.0 or later
• Tested With: n8n 1.0.0+
• Node Version: Requires Node.js 16.x or later

Usage

Example 1: Send a Simple Email

1. Add a Paubox node to your workflow
2. Select Operation: Send
3. Configure:
   - From: [email protected]
   - To: [email protected]
   - Subject: Your Lab Results
   - Content Type: HTML
   - HTML Content: <h1>Your results are ready</h1><p>Please log in to view them.</p>
4. Execute the node

Example 2: Send Email with Attachment

1. Use a "Read Binary File" node to read your file
2. Use a "Function" node to convert to base64:
   return items.map(item => ({
     json: {
       fileContent: item.binary.data.toString('base64'),
       fileName: 'results.pdf'
     }
   }));
3. Add Paubox node with:
   - Basic fields (From, To, Subject, Content)
   - In Additional Fields > Attachments:
     - File Name: {{ $json.fileName }}
     - Content Type: application/pdf
     - Content (Base64): {{ $json.fileContent }}

Example 3: Check Message Status

1. After sending a message, save the sourceTrackingId
2. Add another Paubox node
3. Select Operation: Get Disposition
4. Source Tracking ID: {{ $json.sourceTrackingId }}
5. Execute to see delivery status

Example 4: Send Secure Email to Multiple Recipients

1. Add Paubox node
2. Configure:
   - From: [email protected]
   - To: [email protected], [email protected]
   - Subject: Monthly Health Newsletter
   - CC: [email protected]
   - Force Secure Notification: true (recipients get secure pickup link)
   - Override Open Tracking: true

API Notes and Limitations

• Base URL: The API endpoint includes your username: https://api.paubox.net/v1/{api_username}
• Authentication: Custom format Authorization: Token token={api_key}
• Content Requirement: At least one of text/plain or text/html must be provided
• Attachments: Must be base64-encoded
• Batch Sending: For bulk messages, use multiple executions or implement bulk endpoint
• Tracking: The sourceTrackingId from send operation is needed for disposition checks
• Rate Limits: Check Paubox documentation for current API rate limits
• HIPAA Compliance: Setting allowNonTLS to true is not HIPAA-compliant if the message contains PHI

Resources

• n8n Community Nodes Documentation
• Paubox Email API Documentation
• Paubox Support

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the node
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

Version History

• 1.0.0: Initial release
  • Send Message operation
  • Get Message Disposition operation
  • Full support for attachments, custom headers, and tracking

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

1. Check the n8n community forum
2. Review Paubox API documentation
3. Open an issue in this repository

Disclaimer

This is a community-created node and is not officially supported by Paubox or n8n. Use at your own discretion.