Open WebUI

For anyone who already runs models with Ollama (or uses an API) and wants a web chat interface with users, documents and tools.

Open WebUI License (BSD-3 with a branding clause) Reviewed on October 29, 2026

By Jorge Aguilar · Checked against the official documentation · Updated October 29, 2026

View on GitHub (opens in a new tab) Official documentation (opens in a new tab)

What it does.

chat with local Ollama models or with any OpenAI-compatible API
give roles and group permissions to several users
do RAG over your documents and search the web from the chat
use voice and generate images with local engines (ComfyUI, AUTOMATIC1111) or in the cloud
extend it with plugins, tools and MCP servers

Systems: Installs with pip (Python 3.11 or 3.12), Docker or Kubernetes, and is used from the browser (a PWA is available). The desktop app is a separate repo.

What you need.

RAM, another documented figure: 300 MB Whole service Slim image at idle: about 300 MiB. The docs clarify it is NOT a minimum or a memory limit. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
Disk, estimated: 1.62 GB Whole service Compressed weight of the :main image on linux/amd64 (:slim drops to 197 MB), measured by the docs on Oct 16, 2026. Your chats and documents add to it. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
With pip: Python 3.11 or 3.12 (3.13 is not supported yet). For production the docs recommend the Docker image. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
With Docker: the -v open-webui:/app/backend/data volume is mandatory so you do not lose your database. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
A model backend: Ollama on your computer or on another server, or an OpenAI-compatible API. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
For an Nvidia GPU in Docker: the :cuda image and the Nvidia container toolkit on Linux or WSL. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)

Documentation version reviewed: Open WebUI "Quick start" documentation (image measured by the docs on Oct 16, 2026; Python 3.11 and 3.12). Reviewed on October 29, 2026. The figures do not include: The language model you connect (Ollama or another API): it is hosted separately and needs its own resources.

Check whether your machine can handle it. It adds up its RAM, CPU and disk together with other repos.

How to install.

pip option:
```
pip install open-webui
```
Start it and open http://localhost:8080:
```
open-webui serve
```

Docker option, if Ollama runs on the same computer; then open http://localhost:3000:

docker run -d -p 3000:8080 --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway -v open-webui:/app/backend/data --name open-webui --restart always ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

Commands taken from the official documentation. Read them before you run them: it is your machine.

Permissions and data.

If the container cannot reach Ollama at 127.0.0.1:11434, the README suggests --network=host (and then the port changes from 3000 to 8080).
If you give it OPENAI_API_KEY, your messages are sent to that provider.

Limits and warnings.

The interface ships no models: it needs Ollama or another API (the :ollama image bundles them in a single container).
The :dev branch is unstable, according to the README itself.
There is an Enterprise plan you contract with their sales team; not the whole ecosystem is free.
The license is not MIT: it restricts changing the branding (see below).

Real cost and cloud.

Using the software is free; the real cost is the hardware to run the models or the APIs you connect.
The README says it can run "entirely offline" with local models; if you connect a cloud API, your messages go out to that service.
The project offers an Enterprise plan for anyone who needs business features and support.

License.

Open WebUI License (BSD-3 with a branding clause) Custom license

Custom license: 3-clause BSD plus a condition that forbids removing or changing the "Open WebUI" branding, except with up to 50 users in 30 days, with written permission, or with an enterprise license. It is not MIT or a standard license. The README also clarifies that the repository mixes licenses: earlier contributions keep theirs (see LICENSE_HISTORY).

BSD-3 style, but it forbids removing or changing the "Open WebUI" branding unless you have up to 50 users in 30 days or written permission.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For commercial use, read the original LICENSE file.

Where all of this comes from.

Checked against the official documentation on October 29, 2026; this is not a lab test. Nothing was installed or measured to write this guide. If something has changed, the project's documentation is the authority.

How I review each repo.

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