NATS

Actions2

- Publish
- Request

Overview

This node integrates with the NATS messaging system, allowing users to publish messages to NATS subjects. It is useful in scenarios where you want to send notifications, events, or data streams to other services or microservices subscribed to specific NATS subjects. For example, it can be used to trigger workflows in distributed systems, send real-time updates, or push logs and metrics.

The node supports sending payloads as either plain strings or binary data, with options to customize headers and control how replies from the service are handled (e.g., requesting multiple replies, setting timeouts).

Properties

Name	Meaning
Subject	The NATS subject (topic) to which the message will be published.
Payload Content Type	The type of the payload content; options are: "String" or "N8n Binary Data".
Payload	The actual message content as a string (used if Payload Content Type is "String").
Payload Binary Property Name	The name of the binary property containing the payload data (used if Payload Content Type is "N8n Binary Data").
Headers	Optional HTTP-like headers to include with the message, specified as key-value pairs.
Options	Collection of additional options:
- Content Is Binary	Whether to save the content as binary data.
- JSON Parse Body	Whether to parse the response body as JSON object.
- Max Replies	Maximum number of replies to receive from the service.
- Only Content	Whether to return only the content property from the response.
- Request Many	Whether to request multiple replies from the service.
- Timeout	Maximum timeout duration (in milliseconds) to wait for incoming replies.

Output

The node outputs an array of items, each containing a json field with the response data from the NATS service. Depending on the options set:

If onlyContent is true, the output contains only the content part of the response.
If contentIsBinary is true, the content may be saved as binary data.
If jsonParseBody is enabled, the response body is parsed into a JSON object.

The output structure generally includes the message reply or acknowledgment received from the NATS server after publishing.

Dependencies

Requires a connection to a NATS server, configured via an API key or authentication token credential.
Uses an internal NATS service client to manage connections and message publishing.
No external environment variables are explicitly required beyond the credential setup.

Troubleshooting

Connection errors: Ensure that the NATS server URL and credentials are correctly configured and accessible.
Timeouts: If no replies are received within the specified timeout, consider increasing the timeout value or verifying the NATS server responsiveness.
Payload issues: When sending binary data, ensure the correct binary property name is provided and that the data exists in the input item.
Parsing errors: If jsonParseBody is enabled but the response is not valid JSON, parsing will fail. Disable this option or verify the response format.
Error handling: If continueOnFail is disabled, any error during message publishing will stop execution. Enable it to collect errors per item instead.