Self-host AnythingLLM

updated Jul 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test

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All-in-one self-hosted chat application with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) over your own documents, organized into workspaces, and support for any local or hosted LLM and vector database.

Key facts

CategoryAI Chat Interfaces

LicenseMIT

StackJavaScript, Node.js, React

Min RAM2048 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM323 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm

Websiteanythingllm.com

Our recommendation

Pick AnythingLLM when the point is chatting with your own documents — it's an all-in-one app that bundles RAG, workspaces, and a vector database, and connects to any local or hosted LLM. It's the middle path: more batteries-included than Open WebUI for document Q&A, simpler than assembling LibreChat's stack. If you don't need retrieval over your files, a plain chat UI is less to run.

Follow the AnythingLLM deploy guide →

What you need

Any VPS with at least 2048 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

Start free on Kamatera →

DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# AnythingLLM — official Docker quick start
export STORAGE_LOCATION=$HOME/anythingllm
mkdir -p $STORAGE_LOCATION && touch "$STORAGE_LOCATION/.env"
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 $STORAGE_LOCATION   # the image runs as uid 1000; without this the SQLite file cannot be opened and the container exits
docker run -d --rm -p 3001:3001 \
  --cap-add SYS_ADMIN \
  -v ${STORAGE_LOCATION}:/app/server/storage \
  -v ${STORAGE_LOCATION}/.env:/app/server/.env \
  -e STORAGE_DIR="/app/server/storage" \
  mintplexlabs/anythingllm  #  →  http://SERVER_IP:3001

deploy guideHow to Deploy AnythingLLM on a VPS vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

AnythingLLM does document RAG out of the box, but retrieval quality and the model behind it are still yours to own:

non-negotiableRAG is only as good as its setup. Chunking, embeddings, and the vector store all shape answer quality — expect to tune them, and to see confidently-wrong answers when retrieval misses the relevant passage.

non-negotiableIt still needs a model. AnythingLLM is the app around an LLM, not the LLM — point it at a local runtime (Ollama, LocalAI) or a hosted API, and that choice sets both your privacy and your hardware bill.

non-negotiableThe container wants SYS_ADMIN. The official quick-start adds the SYS_ADMIN capability for its document processing — understand what that grants before running it on a shared host.

An alternative to

ChatGPT →

Head-to-head

AI ChatAug 2026

AnythingLLM

Open WebUI

The workspace-first RAG suite vs. the polished chat default.

Read the verdict →

More in AI Chat Interfaces

AI Chat Interfaces

Common questions

AnythingLLM exits with "unable to open database file: ../storage/anythingllm.db". How do I fix it?

The image runs as uid 1000, and SQLite cannot create its database in a storage directory owned by any other user. Give the directory to uid 1000 before starting the container: sudo chown -R 1000:1000 $STORAGE_LOCATION. With --rm in the docker run command, the crashed container is deleted immediately, so docker ps shows nothing and there are no logs to read; drop --rm temporarily to see the error.