Enrich an n8n workflow with IP geolocation

n8n is open-source workflow automation: connect apps and HTTP APIs on a canvas without shipping a full application.

This how-to wires BigDataCloud’s IP geolocation into n8n so an agent or automation can turn an IP into country, city, timezone, network context, and a confidence area — an estimate of where else that address may appear when it is shared or dynamically assigned. That is useful enrichment before routing, compliance checks, or logging.

There is no official BigDataCloud n8n node yet. Import the sample workflow below, or build the same call with a standard HTTP Request node.

What you need

• An n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
• A BigDataCloud API key (sign up free — free tier includes IP geolocation lookups)
• The sample workflow: bigdatacloud-ip-geolocation.json

Import the workflow

1. In n8n, open Workflows → Import from File (or Import from URL and paste the download link above).
2. Open the canvas. The sticky note on the left repeats the setup steps and lists other IP endpoints you can swap to.

Set your API key

On the IP geolocation with confidence HTTP Request node:

1. Find the header x-bdc-key.
2. Replace YOUR_BDC_API_KEY with your real key.
3. Keep the key in that header only. Do not put it in the URL.

Sample request

The workflow calls the confidence-area endpoint with sample IP 54.234.65.233:

GET https://api-bdc.net/data/ip-geolocation-with-confidence?ip=54.234.65.233&localityLanguage=en
Header: x-bdc-key: YOUR_BDC_API_KEY

• ip — sample value 54.234.65.233. Optional; if omitted, the API assumes the caller’s IP.
• localityLanguage — sample value en. Optional; ISO 639-1 language for locality names.

Endpoint docs: IP Address Geolocation with Confidence Area API.

Run the sample

1. Click Test workflow.
2. Open the IP geolocation with confidence node output.

Useful fields (names as published in the docs):

• country — ISO codes and localised country name
• location — city, locality, estimated coordinates, postcode where available
• confidence — "low", "moderate", or "high" (agreement of service-area estimation and field evidence; not a measure of polygon size)
• confidenceArea — closed polygon(s) estimating where else the address may be found on a shared or dynamic network
• timeZone — IANA id and offsets
• network — registry, organisation, BGP carriers

For what the area is (and is not), see What is Confidence Area? and What an IP address confidence area is (and is not).

When you wire this into a real flow, replace 54.234.65.233 with an IP from your upstream node (webhook, CRM, log line).

Other IP geolocation endpoints

Keep the same HTTP Request node, the same x-bdc-key header, and the same ip query value. Change only the path:

• /data/ip-geolocation-with-confidence — location plus confidence area (this sample). Docs: Confidence Area API
• /data/ip-geolocation — basic city-level lookup. Docs: IP Address Geolocation API
• /data/ip-geolocation-full — full report (geolocation, confidence area, and hazard). Docs: Confidence Area + Hazard API
• /data/hazard-report — hazard report only (ip query; no localityLanguage). Docs: Hazard report API
• /data/country-by-ip — country-level only (ISO names, currency, calling code, UN region). Docs: Country by IP Address API

Leave the rest of the n8n flow unchanged.

Where this fits in agent workflows

Typical pattern: receive an IP → look it up → branch on country.isoAlpha2, city, or confidence → continue. Store the key in n8n credentials or an environment variable in production; rotate it if a shared workflow export ever includes it.

Docs

• IP Address Geolocation with Confidence Area API
• IP Address Geolocation API
• Country by IP Address API
• Authentication (x-bdc-key header)
• Free API key: bigdatacloud.com