README

BrainDrive is the open source ChatGPT alternative you fully own and control. Use, customize, and monetize your BrainDrive however you want. No Big Tech overlords. Just your AI. Your rules.

• Own: MIT Licensed & Self-Hosted
• Build: Modular & Easy to Customize
• Earn: On Your Terms, not Big Tech's

Think WordPress for AI: Install BrainDrive → Add your plugin → Ship your AI powered feature.

🚀 Ready to get started? Install Guide

🔨Ready to start building? Developer Quick Start Guide

BrainDrive Gives You:

A chat interface for running local and API based AI models:

A plugin manager to easily search existing, and add new plugins to your BrainDrive:

A page builder to create custom interfaces using your own and other publicly available plugins:

A full set of developer resources, code examples, and tutorials that make it easy to build on BrainDrive.

Use BrainDrive as your personal AI system and/or build AI-powered products and services to offer to others.

All under your ownership and control, with no Big Tech lock-in. Your AI. Your Rules.

What You Can Build

When building on BrainDrive, the only limit is your imagination.

Examples include:

• Custom AI chatbots with specialized knowledge
• AI-powered productivity tools
• Data analysis dashboards
• Custom UIs for specific AI models
• Multi-plugin workflows where components work together seamlessly

Host locally or on the cloud host of your choice.

Build for yourself, build for the user-owned AI community, build for customers. Your AI. Your Rules.

Architecture

Core System (this repo):

• Frontend: React + TypeScript + Material UI
• Backend: Python + FastAPI + SQLite

Plugin Ecosystem (separate repos):

• Each plugin is its own repository (release on your Github)
• 1-Click Install via Plugin Manager or manual build
• Full Module Federation architecture

Key Features

For Users

• Drag & Drop Interface: Build applications visually without coding
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
• Plugin Marketplace: Extend functionality with community plugins
• Own Your Data: Host locally or deploy anywhere, no vendor lock-in

For Developers

• 1-Minute Development Cycle: Edit → Build → Refresh
• Zero Dependencies: Service Bridges handle all complexity
• Built-in Services: API, Theme, Settings, Events, Context, State
• React Class Components: Established patterns with TypeScript support
• Lifecycle Manager: Python-based automated installation system
• Module Federation: Modern plugin architecture with hot-reload
• Full Control: Own your plugins, data, and deployment

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16.x or higher
• Python 3.9 or higher (Python 3.11 recommended)
• Git
• Conda or Python's venv module for environment management

Installation and Setup

• Installation Guide - Complete instructions how to setup your BrainDrive

Developer Quick Start

• Developer Quick Start Guide - designed to get you up and running building plugins in 30 minutes or less.

Community & Support

• User and Developer Forum - Get support and discuss the future of user-owned AI
• GitHub Issues - Bug reports with [plugin] tag
• API Reference - Backend endpoints (when running locally)

Contributing

We welcome & appreciate contributions. See Contributing Guidelines and Project Roadmap.

Documentation

• Plugin Development Quick Start Guide - Start building plugins
• Plugin Template - Boilerplate
• Lifecycle Manager Primers - Customization primers
• Service Bridge Examples - working examples and up to date documentation
• Frontend Documentation - React application details
• Backend Documentation - Python API details
• Docs Site - Links to all repos and corresponding documentation.

License

Licensed under the MIT License. Your AI. Your Rules.