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| title = "Overview" |
| weight = 1 |
| toc = true |
| description = "What is LocalAI?" |
| tags = ["Beginners"] |
| categories = [""] |
| url = "/docs/overview" |
| author = "Ettore Di Giacinto" |
| icon = "info" |
| +++ |
|
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| LocalAI is your complete AI stack for running AI models locally. It's designed to be simple, efficient, and accessible, providing a drop-in replacement for OpenAI's API while keeping your data private and secure. |
|
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| ## Why LocalAI? |
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| In today's AI landscape, privacy, control, and flexibility are paramount. LocalAI addresses these needs by: |
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| - **Privacy First**: Your data never leaves your machine |
| - **Complete Control**: Run models on your terms, with your hardware |
| - **Open Source**: MIT licensed and community-driven |
| - **Flexible Deployment**: From laptops to servers, with or without GPUs |
| - **Extensible**: Add new models and features as needed |
|
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| ## Core Components |
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| LocalAI is more than just a single tool - it's a complete ecosystem: |
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| 1. **[LocalAI Core](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI)** |
| - OpenAI-compatible API |
| - Multiple model support (LLMs, image, audio) |
| - Model Context Protocol (MCP) for agentic capabilities |
| - No GPU required |
| - Fast inference with native bindings |
| - [Github repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI) |
|
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| 2. **[LocalAGI](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAGI)** |
| - Autonomous AI agents |
| - No coding required |
| - WebUI and REST API support |
| - Extensible agent framework |
| - [Github repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAGI) |
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| 3. **[LocalRecall](https://github.com/mudler/LocalRecall)** |
| - Semantic search |
| - Memory management |
| - Vector database |
| - Perfect for AI applications |
| - [Github repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalRecall) |
|
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| ## Getting Started |
|
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| LocalAI can be installed in several ways. **Docker is the recommended installation method** for most users as it provides the easiest setup and works across all platforms. |
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| ### Recommended: Docker Installation |
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| The quickest way to get started with LocalAI is using Docker: |
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| ```bash |
| docker run -p 8080:8080 --name local-ai -ti localai/localai:latest |
| ``` |
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| For complete installation instructions including Docker, macOS, Linux, Kubernetes, and building from source, see the [Installation guide](/installation/). |
|
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| ## Key Features |
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| - **Text Generation**: Run various LLMs locally |
| - **Image Generation**: Create images with stable diffusion |
| - **Audio Processing**: Text-to-speech and speech-to-text |
| - **Vision API**: Image understanding and analysis |
| - **Embeddings**: Vector database support |
| - **Functions**: OpenAI-compatible function calling |
| - **MCP Support**: Model Context Protocol for agentic capabilities |
| - **P2P**: Distributed inference capabilities |
|
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| ## Community and Support |
|
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| LocalAI is a community-driven project. You can: |
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| - Join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/uJAeKSAGDy) |
| - Check out our [GitHub repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI) |
| - Contribute to the project |
| - Share your use cases and examples |
|
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| ## Next Steps |
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| Ready to dive in? Here are some recommended next steps: |
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| 1. **[Install LocalAI](/installation/)** - Start with [Docker installation](/installation/docker/) (recommended) or choose another method |
| 2. [Explore available models](https://models.localai.io) |
| 3. [Model compatibility](/model-compatibility/) |
| 4. [Try out examples](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI-examples) |
| 5. [Join the community](https://discord.gg/uJAeKSAGDy) |
| 6. [Check the LocalAI Github repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI) |
| 7. [Check the LocalAGI Github repository](https://github.com/mudler/LocalAGI) |
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|
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| ## License |
|
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| LocalAI is MIT licensed, created and maintained by [Ettore Di Giacinto](https://github.com/mudler). |
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|
