Introduction
Dify is an open-source platform for building production-grade LLM applications with a visual workflow builder. It combines the power of AI agents, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), and prompt engineering in a single self-hostable platform.
Core capabilities:
- Visual Workflow Builder — Drag-and-drop canvas for designing complex AI workflows with branching, loops, and conditional logic. No code required for basic workflows.
- RAG Pipeline — Full document ingestion pipeline supporting PDF, DOCX, PPT, HTML, and more. Chunk, embed, and query your knowledge base with configurable strategies.
- Agent Framework — Build AI agents with 50+ built-in tools. Supports both Function Calling and ReAct reasoning approaches.
- Model Support — Integrates with hundreds of LLMs: OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and local models via Ollama/Xinference.
- Prompt IDE — Visual prompt editor with variable management, version history, and A/B testing for prompt optimization.
- LLMOps — Built-in monitoring for token usage, latency, user satisfaction, and annotation-based improvement.
- API-First — Every app gets a RESTful API automatically. Embed AI features into your product with one API call.
Used by 100,000+ organizations worldwide. Backend API in Python (Flask), frontend in TypeScript (Next.js).
FAQ
Q: How does Dify compare to LangChain? A: Dify is a full platform with UI, while LangChain is a code library. Dify is better for teams that want visual workflow design and non-technical collaboration. Use LangChain when you need maximum code-level control.
Q: Can I self-host it? A: Yes. Dify is designed for self-hosting via Docker Compose. Enterprise features are available in the cloud version.
Q: What databases does the RAG pipeline support? A: Built-in support for Weaviate, Qdrant, Milvus, Pinecone, pgvector, and more. Configurable chunking and embedding strategies.
Q: Is there a free tier? A: The open-source version is fully functional and free. Dify Cloud offers a free sandbox with limits, plus paid plans for teams.
Works With
- Docker / Docker Compose for self-hosting
- OpenAI / Anthropic / Google / Ollama / 100+ LLM providers
- Weaviate / Qdrant / Milvus / Pinecone for vector storage
- REST API for integration into any application