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    AI Platform Guide

    Deploying LibreChat

    LibreChat is an enhanced, open-source ChatGPT clone that provides a unified interface for interacting with multiple AI providers. Self-host your own AI chat platform on RamNode's reliable VPS hosting with complete data privacy and control.

    Multi-Provider Support
    RAG Pipeline
    Web Search
    MCP Support
    1

    Introduction to LibreChat

    LibreChat serves as a centralized hub for AI conversations, offering a familiar ChatGPT-like user experience enriched with advanced features and extensive customization capabilities.

    Key Features

    • Multi-Provider Support: Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, Mistral, and more
    • Multimodal Conversations: Upload images, analyze documents, and chat with files
    • Advanced Agents: Create AI assistants with custom tools and API actions
    • RAG Integration: Chat with your documents using the built-in RAG pipeline
    • MCP Support: Integrate with Model Context Protocol servers
    • Web Search: Enable AI models to search the web for current information
    • Plugin System: Extend functionality with built-in and custom plugins

    Why Self-Host LibreChat?

    • Data Privacy: Keep all conversations on your own infrastructure
    • Cost Control: Use your own API keys without platform markup
    • Customization: Full control over features, endpoints, and branding
    • No Usage Limits: Avoid rate limits imposed by hosted solutions
    2

    Prerequisites and Requirements

    Server Requirements

    ResourceMinimumRecommended
    CPU1 vCPU2+ vCPU
    RAM2 GB4 GB
    Storage20 GB SSD40+ GB NVMe
    OSUbuntu 22.04 LTSUbuntu 24.04 LTS

    Note: With all features enabled (RAG, MeiliSearch, multiple endpoints), 4GB RAM is recommended for smooth operation.

    Required Software

    • Git: For cloning the LibreChat repository
    • Docker Engine: Container runtime (v24.0+)
    • Docker Compose: Container orchestration (v2.0+)
    • Nginx: Reverse proxy for SSL termination
    • Certbot: SSL certificate management with Let's Encrypt

    API Keys

    You will need API keys from one or more AI providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, Groq, Mistral, OpenRouter, etc.

    3

    RamNode VPS Setup

    Log in to your RamNode account at vps.ramnode.com, deploy a new server with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and at least 2GB RAM.

    Initial Server Configuration

    Connect and update system
    ssh root@your-server-ip
apt update && apt upgrade -y
    Create non-root user
    adduser librechat
usermod -aG sudo librechat

# Configure SSH key for new user
mkdir -p /home/librechat/.ssh
cp ~/.ssh/authorized_keys /home/librechat/.ssh/
chown -R librechat:librechat /home/librechat/.ssh
chmod 700 /home/librechat/.ssh
chmod 600 /home/librechat/.ssh/authorized_keys

su - librechat
    4

    Docker Installation

    Install Docker dependencies
    sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

# Add Docker GPG key
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
    Add Docker repository and install
    echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
  signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
  https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io \
  docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
    Post-installation setup
    # Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker compose version

# Enable on boot
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl enable containerd
    5

    LibreChat Deployment

    Clone repository
    cd ~
git clone https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat.git
cd LibreChat
    Configure environment
    cp .env.example .env

# Generate secure credentials
openssl rand -hex 32  # For CREDS_KEY
openssl rand -hex 16  # For CREDS_IV
openssl rand -hex 32  # For JWT_SECRET
openssl rand -hex 32  # For JWT_REFRESH_SECRET

    Edit .env file

    Essential environment variables
    # Server Configuration
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=3080

# Credentials (REQUIRED)
CREDS_KEY=your-32-byte-hex-key-here
CREDS_IV=your-16-byte-hex-iv-here

# JWT Secrets
JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret-here
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your-jwt-refresh-secret-here

# Domain Configuration
DOMAIN_CLIENT=https://chat.yourdomain.com
DOMAIN_SERVER=https://chat.yourdomain.com

# MongoDB
MONGO_URI=mongodb://mongodb:27017/LibreChat

# User Registration
ALLOW_REGISTRATION=true
ALLOW_EMAIL_LOGIN=true

# API Keys (add yours)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-anthropic-key
GOOGLE_KEY=your-google-ai-key

    Warning: Never commit your .env file to version control. It contains sensitive credentials.

    Start LibreChat
    docker compose up -d

# Verify containers
docker compose ps

# Check logs
docker compose logs -f api

    Access LibreChat at http://your-server-ip:3080. The first user to register will automatically be granted admin privileges.

    6

    Environment Configuration

    7

    Nginx Reverse Proxy with SSL

    Install Nginx and Certbot
    sudo apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
    Create Nginx configuration
    # /etc/nginx/sites-available/librechat
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name chat.yourdomain.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name chat.yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;

    client_max_body_size 100M;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_read_timeout 600s;
    }
}
    Enable site and obtain SSL
    sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/librechat /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo certbot --nginx -d chat.yourdomain.com
sudo systemctl reload nginx
    8

    Security Hardening

    Security Best Practices

    • Use strong, unique passwords for all credentials
    • Enable rate limiting for login and registration
    • Restrict registration to invited users only if needed
    • Keep Docker images updated regularly
    • Configure firewall rules with UFW
    Configure UFW firewall
    sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable
    9

    Troubleshooting

    LibreChat Deployed Successfully!

    Your self-hosted AI chat platform is now running. Access it at your configured domain and start chatting with multiple AI providers through a unified interface.