Chapter 1: Getting Started with Open WebUI

April 13, 2026 · View on GitHub

Welcome to Chapter 1: Getting Started with Open WebUI. In this part of Open WebUI Tutorial: Self-Hosted AI Workspace and Chat Interface, you will build an intuitive mental model first, then move into concrete implementation details and practical production tradeoffs.

Deploy your own ChatGPT alternative with Open WebUI - self-hosted, privacy-focused, and feature-rich.

Installation Options

Docker Installation (Recommended)

The easiest way to get started is using Docker:

# Pull the latest image
docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:latest

# Run with basic configuration
docker run -d \
  --name open-webui \
  -p 3000:8080 \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:latest

Access Open WebUI at http://localhost:3000

Docker Compose (Production Ready)

For a more robust setup with persistent data and environment configuration:

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  open-webui:
    image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:latest
    container_name: open-webui
    ports:
      - "3000:8080"
    volumes:
      - open-webui-data:/app/backend/data
    environment:
      - WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
      - OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  open-webui-data:

# Start the service
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f open-webui

Manual Installation

For development or custom deployments:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui.git
cd open-webui

# Install dependencies
npm install
npm run build

# Install Python backend
cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run the application
bash start.sh

Access the Web Interface
- Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
- You'll see the welcome screen

Initial Configuration

# Set admin credentials on first login
Username: admin
Password: (set your password)

Basic Settings
- Go to Settings (⚙️) > Account
- Configure your preferences
- Set up API keys for external services

Connecting Your First Model

Option 1: OpenAI API

# In Open WebUI Settings > Connections
# Add OpenAI API Key
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here

# Select models to enable
- gpt-4
- gpt-4-turbo
- gpt-3.5-turbo

Option 2: Local Ollama Models

First, install Ollama:

# macOS
brew install ollama

# Linux
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

# Windows
# Download from https://ollama.ai/download

Pull and run models:

# Pull a model
ollama pull llama2:7b

# Start Ollama server
ollama serve

In Open WebUI:

Settings > Connections > Ollama
API Base URL: http://localhost:11434
The models will auto-discover

Option 3: Other Backends

Anthropic Claude:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here
Models: claude-3-opus, claude-3-sonnet, claude-3-haiku

Google Gemini:

GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-key-here
Models: gemini-pro, gemini-pro-vision

LocalAI:

# Run LocalAI server first
docker run -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest

# Then configure in Open WebUI
API Base URL: http://localhost:8080

Your First Conversation

Select a Model
- Click the model selector in the top-left
- Choose your preferred model (e.g., GPT-4, Llama2)

Start Chatting

User: Hello! Can you help me understand how Open WebUI works?
Assistant: I'd be happy to help you understand Open WebUI! It's a self-hosted web interface for Large Language Models that provides...

Explore Features
- Try different models
- Use the sidebar for chat history
- Experiment with the settings

Basic Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file for configuration:

# Security
WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=your-very-long-random-secret-key-here

# OpenAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key
OPENAI_API_BASE_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-anthropic-key

# Ollama
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434

# WebUI Settings
WEBUI_NAME=Your Custom Name
WEBUI_URL=http://localhost:3000
ENABLE_SIGNUP=false

Docker with Environment File

# docker-compose.yml with env file
version: '3.8'

services:
  open-webui:
    image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:latest
    env_file:
      - .env
    ports:
      - "3000:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/backend/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Connection Issues

Ollama not connecting:

# Check if Ollama is running
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

# Restart Ollama
ollama serve

# Check Open WebUI logs
docker logs open-webui

API Key Issues:

# Test OpenAI API directly
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-key" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     https://api.openai.com/v1/models

Port Conflicts

# Find what's using port 3000
lsof -i :3000

# Change port in docker-compose.yml
ports:
  - "3001:8080"

Permission Issues

# Fix Docker volume permissions
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./data

# Or run container as current user
docker run --user $(id -u):$(id -g) ...

Next Steps

Now that you have Open WebUI running, let's explore:

Chapter 2: Model Management - Connect multiple backends and manage models
Chapter 3: Interface Customization - Personalize your chat experience

Quick Start Checklist

You're now ready to explore the full power of self-hosted AI chat interfaces! 🚀

How These Components Connect

flowchart TD
    A[Docker Container] --> B[Open WebUI Backend]
    B --> C[Ollama API :11434]
    B --> D[OpenAI-Compatible API]
    B --> E[SQLite / Volume Storage]
    F[Browser :3000] --> B