Instasent Data Source

Overview

This node integrates with the Instasent Data Source to send and manage contact and event data. It is designed to either upsert (create or update) or delete contacts, as well as create events associated with contacts. This functionality is useful for synchronizing user or customer data from various sources into Instasent’s platform for further processing, analytics, or communication workflows.

Common scenarios include:

• Adding or updating contact information in Instasent when new users register or existing users update their profiles.
• Deleting contacts that are no longer relevant or have opted out.
• Logging custom events related to contacts, such as purchases, logins, or other interactions, to track user behavior.

Example use case:

• When a new user signs up on your website, this node can upsert their contact details into Instasent.
• When a user deletes their account, this node can remove their contact record.
• When a user completes a purchase, this node can create an event recording the transaction.

Properties

Additional properties (not requested but present in code) for the Contact resource include:

• Contact Properties: A collection of key-value pairs representing fields to set or update on the contact.
• Instant: A boolean option indicating whether to send the contact data instantly via a streaming endpoint.
• For Event resource (not requested here), properties include event ID, event type, event date, and event parameters.

Output

The node outputs an array of JSON objects corresponding to each input item processed. Each output JSON contains the response from the Instasent API:

• For contact upsert operations, the response includes the updated or created contact data.
• For contact deletion, the response confirms the deletion.
• If an error occurs and "Continue On Fail" is enabled, the output JSON will contain an error field with the error message.

No binary data output is produced by this node.

Dependencies

• Requires an API key credential for authenticating with the Instasent API.
• Uses internal helper functions to make HTTP requests to Instasent endpoints.
• No additional external dependencies beyond the Instasent API and n8n environment.

Troubleshooting

• Common issues:
  • Invalid or missing User ID will cause the API request to fail.
  • Incorrect or missing API credentials will result in authentication errors.
  • Network connectivity problems may cause request timeouts or failures.
• Error messages:
  • Errors thrown by the Instasent API are caught and returned as error messages in the output if "Continue On Fail" is enabled.
  • Typical errors include "Unauthorized" (invalid API key), "Not Found" (contact does not exist for deletion), or validation errors for malformed data.
• Resolution tips:
  • Verify that the User ID is correctly provided and matches the expected format.
  • Ensure the API key credential is configured properly in n8n.
  • Check network connectivity and Instasent service status.

Links and References

• Instasent API Documentation (for detailed API usage and schema)
• n8n documentation on Creating Custom Nodes