Quick Start
Requirements
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js | 18+ | 20+ |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB+ |
| Disk | 5 GB | 20 GB+ for models |
| GPU | Optional | 8 GB+ VRAM for fast local inference |
Libre WebUI works with CPU-only Ollama, but smaller models are a better fit on CPU. For cloud provider plugins, you only need the relevant API key.
Start Libre WebUI
npx libre-webui
Open http://localhost:8080. On a fresh install, create the first account; that account becomes the administrator.
Install Ollama
Install Ollama, then pull a small general model:
ollama pull gemma3:4b
Other good first models are qwen3:8b, deepseek-r1:8b, and mistral. Use the Model Manager in Libre WebUI to browse installed models, search the live Ollama Library, and pull models without leaving the app.
For semantic document search, also install an embedding model:
ollama pull nomic-embed-text
Add Cloud Providers
Cloud providers are optional. Add keys to backend/.env, restart the backend, then enable the provider in Settings:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...
GEMINI_API_KEY=...
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...
Provider model lists are refreshed by the app when supported. You do not need to keep the docs open to find the latest model names.
Docker
git clone https://github.com/libre-webui/libre-webui
cd libre-webui
docker compose up -d
If Ollama is already running on the host or another machine:
docker compose -f docker-compose.external-ollama.yml up -d
For NVIDIA GPU acceleration, use the GPU compose file provided by the repository.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd/Ctrl + K | New chat |
Cmd/Ctrl + B | Toggle sidebar |
Cmd/Ctrl + , | Settings |
Cmd/Ctrl + D | Toggle theme |
? | Keyboard shortcuts |
Enter | Send message |
Shift + Enter | New line |