OpenWebUI - Beginner's Tutorial

 

OpenWebUI Tutorial: Setting Up and Using Local Llama 3.2 with Ollama

Introduction

This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to setting up OpenWebUI as a user-friendly interface for the Llama 3.2 model using Ollama. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a fully functional local AI chatbot running on your computer.

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of command-line usage
• Installed Docker Desktop
• Installed Ollama

Tutorial Duration: 1 Hour

Step 1: Install and Set Up Docker (10 min)

Docker allows us to run OpenWebUI easily.

1. Download Docker Desktop from here.
2. Install Docker and ensure it is running.
3. Open a terminal (Command Prompt/PowerShell/Terminal) and verify installation:

   docker --version
   

   If a version number appears, Docker is installed correctly.

Step 2: Install Ollama (5 min)

Ollama is required to run Llama 3.2 locally.

1. Download and install Ollama from https://ollama.com/download.
2. Open a terminal and check if it is installed correctly:

   ollama --version
   

Step 3: Download Llama 3.2 Model (10 min)

We now download the Llama 3.2 model for local use.

1. Open a terminal and run:

   ollama pull meta/llama3
   

2. Wait for the download to complete (this may take some time depending on internet speed).

Step 4: Start Ollama (5 min)

Once the model is downloaded, start Ollama.

1. Run the following command:

   ollama serve
   

2. This will start the local Ollama server.

Step 5: Install and Run OpenWebUI (15 min)

Now, we will install and start OpenWebUI using Docker.

1. Pull the OpenWebUI Docker image:

   docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
   

2. Run OpenWebUI with the following command:

   docker run -d --name openwebui -p 3000:3000 -v open-webui-data:/app/data --restart unless-stopped ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
   

3. Verify that OpenWebUI is running:

   docker ps
   

   If you see a container named openwebui, it is running.

Step 6: Access OpenWebUI (5 min)

Now, open the user interface in a web browser.

1. Go to http://localhost:3000 in your browser.
2. Create an account and log in.

Step 7: Configure OpenWebUI to Use Ollama (5 min)

1. Go to Settings → LLM Provider.
2. Select Ollama.
3. Enter the model name: llama3.
4. Save the settings.

Step 8: Test the AI Chatbot (5 min)

Now, let’s check if everything is working:

1. Open the chat window.
2. Type a message, such as:

   What is AI?
   

3. If the AI responds, the setup is complete!

Conclusion

By following this tutorial, you have successfully: ✅ Installed Docker and Ollama
✅ Downloaded and ran Llama 3.2
✅ Installed and configured OpenWebUI
✅ Connected OpenWebUI to Ollama
✅ Tested the chatbot

You now have a fully functional local AI chatbot running securely on your machine! 🚀