Automated digital certificate creator & validator with PDF generation

Go to Workflow
342 views
Built by Paolo Ronco Paolo Ronco
Created on November 21, 2025

Description

Quick overview
Create personalized digital certificates through an n8n webhook, generate unique certificate IDs, store issued records, produce PDF certificates, email them to recipients, and expose a public endpoint for certificate verification.

How it works
Certificate request — A POST webhook receives the candidate's name, surname, course, and email address.
Unique ID generation — A Code node creates a Certification ID, while Data Table lookups check for collisions before continuing.
Certificate registry — Valid certificate records are stored in an n8n Data Table with candidate name, surname, and Certification ID.
PDF generation — PDF Generator API renders a personalized certificate using the HTML-based certificate definition and workflow data.
Email delivery — Gmail sends the generated PDF certificate as an attachment to the recipient.
Certificate verification — A separate webhook checks a Certification ID against the Data Table and returns its validity and holder name when found.
Verification page — The included HTML page calls the verification webhook and displays the result in a browser interface.

Setup
Import the workflow — Import the included certificate workflow JSON into n8n.
Create the Data Table — Create Name, Surname, and CertificationID fields, then select the table in the insert and lookup nodes.
Configure PDF Generator API — Add credentials to the PDF generation node and review the included HTML certificate design.
Connect Gmail — Configure Gmail OAuth2 credentials in the certificate email node.
Configure the verification page — Replace the placeholder n8n domain in Cerification_Check.html with your public verification webhook URL.
Test both endpoints — Issue a test certificate, confirm PDF/email delivery, and verify its generated ID before activation.

Requirements
n8n instance
n8n Data Table with Name, Surname, and CertificationID
PDF Generator API account and credentials
Gmail OAuth2 credentials
Publicly reachable n8n webhooks for external creation or verification
Web hosting for the included verification page (optional)
Custom domain for public certificate verification (optional)
Additional certificate metadata fields (optional)

Customization
Certificate design — Modify HTML layout, typography, colors, logos, images, text, and branding.
Certificate data — Add fields to the creation webhook, Data Table, PDF, and verification response.
ID generation — Replace the JavaScript ID algorithm with another identifier format.
Email content — Customize Gmail subject, body, sender configuration, and attachment naming.
Verification UI — Adapt the included page's branding, language, messages, layout, and endpoint.
Integrations — Connect issuance or verification to an LMS, form, portal, CRM, or another workflow.

Additional info
Review authentication, abuse prevention, exposed personal data, and webhook security before production use.

Nodes Used (2)

Code
n8n-nodes-base.code
Gmail
n8n-nodes-base.gmail