Building Your ChatGPT-like App with Open Source Libraries: A Comprehensive Guide

Building Your ChatGPT-like App with Open Source Libraries: A Comprehensive Guide Build • Benedikt Rollik • 18/10/24 • 6 min read

In recent years, AI applications, particularly chatbots such as ChatGPT, have rapidly become widely used utilities in many sectors. However, growing concerns about data security and privacy have prompted start-ups and open-source communities to develop more secure and privacy-oriented solutions using free and secure AI models.

Today, a growing number of open-source UI libraries and ready-to-use containers allow developers to rapidly develop powerful sovereign AI chatbots by relying on well-trained open-source models.

Best Free Libraries and Containers for AI Chatbot Development

This blog post compares six free AI libraries that can help you easily build a ChatGPT-like app.

Open WebUI: A Robust Solution for Deploying AI Models

Use case : All-in-one solution for developers and enterprises looking for advanced deployment and customization options based on secure AI models.

Open WebUI (formerly Ollama WebUI), is a feature-rich, all-in-one solution ideal for developers and enterprises alike. Thanks to its advanced customization and deployment options through Docker or Kubernetes, developers can build ChatGPT-like apps with secure AI models.

Key Features of Open WebUI

Easy installation using Docker or Kubernetes

OpenAI API integration to access all Open-AI compatible APIs

Full Markdown and LaTeX support

Role-based Access Control (RBAC) for secure user management

Pipelines Plugin Framework is used to add custom logic and external tools

RAG and web search support integrating search APIs like DuckDuckGo, Google PSE, and others.

Danswer: Simplifying Knowledge Management for AI Applications

Use case : Danswer is ideal for building knowledge management systems, Q&A bots, and research assistants using secure AI models with extensive data integration needs.

As a top ChatGPT alternative, Danswer is your go-to tool for Q&A tasks, featuring strong RAG integration and enhanced data source management. Designed as an AI assistant, it connects directly to your company's documentation, datasheets, and other resources, making information easily accessible. Its admin panel allows you to manage data access and user control with ease. Released under the Apache 2.0 license, Danswer is widely accessible, making it an ideal choice for commercial projects.

Key features of Danswer

RAG Support for information retrieval from multiple sources

Multilingual support for global usage

Compatible with any LLM

Admin dashboard for controlling user access and managing data

Docker support, making deployment easy and scalable

Slack integration to get answers and search results directly in Slack.

RAGApp: Optimized for Document Retrieval Chatbots

Use case : Best for building specialized chatbots that rely heavily on document retrieval, such as legal or scientific assistants.

RAGApp focuses on retrieval-augmented generation, making it ideal for open-source AI chatbots that tackle information-heavy tasks. It is designed to handle domain-specific documents, providing accurate answers into specialized fields. While RAGApp shines in its retrieval capabilities, its multilingual support still falls short compared to other options.

Key features of RAGApp

Offers specialized RAG capabilities for document-based retrieval systems

Python-based deployment makes it easy to integrate into custom applications

Lightweight and resource-efficient, it is perfect for scaling large datasets.

How to Build a ChatGPT-like App with Free Libraries

Gradio: Rapid Prototyping for AI Applications

Use case : Gradio is ideal for researchers and educators who want to demonstrate models quickly, as well as for developers who want to create user-friendly AI tools for non-technical audiences.

Gradio continues to be a favorite among developers for rapid prototyping of AI applications. It makes building ChatGPT-like customizable, interactive UIs for AI models easy, and its live translation support boosts its already impressive multilingual AI chatbot capabilities.

Key features of Gradio

Easy-to-use UI builder with flexible deployment options, whether locally or in the cloud

Multilingual support, making it accessible to users worldwide

Seamless integration with popular frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch.

Vercel AI SDK: Seamless Integration with Front-End Applications

Use case : Best suited for web developers who need to integrate AI into web apps with minimal backend configuration.

One of the best free AI libraries, Vercel AI SDK is designed for developers working on front-end AI chatbot applications using frameworks like React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Node.js, and others. It seamlessly integrates with Vercel’s deployment infrastructure, providing real-time AI capabilities designed for serverless environments. Although the SDK does not come with native RAG support, it stands out for its multilingual interfaces and easy scalability.

Key features of Vercel AI SDK

JavaScript SDK designed for front-end developers

Easy scaling through Vercel’s integrated deployment solution

Multilingual UI support, making it ideal for building global applications.

Chainlit: A Powerful Tool for Building Complex Conversational AI

Use case : Chainlit is perfect for developers building complex conversational AI that requires retrieval-augmented information and robust user management.

Chainlit is designed to simplify the process of creating conversational AI interfaces. The library offers an all-in-one platform for building interactive ChatGPT-like apps with enhanced RAG capabilities. With its complete admin panel and multilingual support, Chainlit has become a favorite among developers.

Key features of Chainlit

Customizable front-end for creating personalized chatbot experiences

Admin tools for management of users and conversations

It supports RAG and LLM, making it ideal for chatbot development

Multilingual support.

Deployment Options for AI Chatbot Applications

Variable Open WebUI Danswer RAGApp Gradio Vercel AI SDK Chainlit GitHub Stars (as of writing) 40.3k 10.3k 3.6k 32.4k 4k 3k Deployment options Docker, Kubernetes Docker Docker Local/Cloud Local/Cloud/Vercel Local/Cloud Language/Framework Python, Ollama Python Python Python JavaScript, TypeScript Python License type MIT MIT Apache 2.0 Apache 2.0 Apache 2.0 Apache 2.0 Integration capabilities High Medium High High High High LLM support Yes Yes…