Automated Certificate Creation & Verification (PDF Template-based)
Automated Certificate Creation & Verification (PDF Template-based) 🔍 Overview This n8n workflow provides a complete end-to-end system for creating, distributing, and verifying digital certificates, using PDF Generator API templates instead of raw HTML. It is designed as a production-ready MVP, fully functional and tested, that can be imported and adapted with minimal configuration. The workflow exposes public endpoints to: generate personalized certificates as PDFs assign unique Certification IDs email certificates automatically verify certificate authenticity via API 🎯 Typical use cases This workflow is ideal for: training providers and academies online courses and bootcamps internal company certifications workshops and events proof-of-completion documents Any scenario where certificates must be generated automatically and verified reliably. ⚙️ What this workflow does 1️⃣ Certificate creation (Webhook) Endpoint POST /certifications2 When triggered, the workflow: Receives candidate data (name, surname, course, email) Generates a unique Certification ID Ensures the ID does not already exist Stores certificate data in an n8n Data Table Generates a PDF using a PDF Generator API template Sends the certificate via email as a PDF attachment 2️⃣ PDF generation (Template-based) Instead of HTML, the workflow sends a JSON payload to a predefined PDF template. Example payload: { "Candidate": "John Doe", "CourseName": "Advanced n8n Automation", "DueDate": "2025-01-10", "ID": "LQ4Z5H8R2A1F" } The PDF layout (fonts, colors, logos, formatting) is fully managed via the PDF Generator API Template UI, keeping the workflow clean and maintainable. 3️⃣ Email delivery Uses Gmail OAuth2 Sends a customizable email Attaches the generated certificate PDF automatically 4️⃣ Certificate verification Endpoint GET /certificationscheck?id=CERTIFICATION-ID This endpoint: checks if the Certification ID exists returns validation status and candidate info Example response (valid): { "ok": true, "name": "John", "surname": "Doe" } This enables public, API-based certificate verification. 🛠 Requirements Before importing the workflow, you need: n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted) n8n Data Table with the following fields: Name (string) Surname (string) CertificationID (string) PDF Generator API account Gmail OAuth2 credentials Ability to expose webhook endpoints publicly 🚀 Setup guide Step 1 – Import the workflow Open n8n Go to Workflows → Import Paste the provided workflow JSON Step 2 – Configure the Data Table Create (or reuse) an n8n Data Table with these fields: | Field | Type | | --------------- | ------ | | Name | string | | Surname | string | | CertificationID | string | Update the following nodes to reference your Data Table: Insert_Certification Find_Certification_By_ID Find_Certification_By_ID1 Step 3 – Configure PDF Generator API Create a PDF template in PDF Generator API Add placeholders such as: {Candidate} {CourseName} {DueDate} {ID} In n8n, set credentials on the Generate a PDF document node ⚠️ Placeholder names must exactly match the JSON keys used in the workflow. Step 4 – Configure email credentials Open the Email Certificate node Set Gmail OAuth2 credentials Customize subject and message body if needed Step 5 – Activate the workflow Click Activate Your endpoints are now live: /certifications2 /certificationscheck 🧪 Status & notes This workflow is an MVP, but already production-ready Designed to be: modular reusable easy to extend Recommended version for new implementations HTML-based version is kept only for reference/backward compatibility 💡 Customization ideas You can easily extend this workflow by: adding QR codes to certificates storing additional metadata integrating with LMS platforms adding a public verification webpage switching email provider. An n8n automation workflow template by Paolo Ronco.
Paolo Ronco
web
free
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