Open WebUI Hosting

1. Open your pod and sign in with the administrator email and password you configured for the deployment.
2. Open Admin Panel > Settings > Connections and add your OpenAI-compatible provider's API URL and API key.
3. Save the connection, choose an available model in the model selector, and start a conversation.

PikaPods supplies the administrator login setup, so you do not need to follow upstream Docker installation steps. The provider connection guide explains connection options. A separate Ollama server must be reachable from your pod; localhost on your computer is not the pod's localhost.

No. PikaPods sets up and runs Open WebUI for you, including OS and app updates and HTTPS. You won't touch Docker or a server. Your files and database stay accessible if you ever want to move them elsewhere.

Yes. Open your pod URL in a browser on your phone, tablet or computer. The responsive interface also supports installation as a Progressive Web App for an app-like shortcut. Start with the web interface; the project documentation covers the available features.

No model-provider usage is included with the interface. Bring your own provider account and API key, or connect a model server you operate separately. Providers may charge for chat, embeddings, image generation and other services; check their terms before enabling integrations.

OpenAI API usage is billed separately from ChatGPT subscriptions. Prompts and included context go to the provider you select, so self-hosting the interface does not make a cloud model local.

Set up incremental backups to S3 in your pod settings for automatic nightly snapshots, or download your files and database yourself. We keep whole-server backups for server failures, but they aren't a per-pod restore service, so your own backup is what protects your data.

You can use Open WebUI instead of ChatGPT and Poe. PikaPods runs it for you, and you can move your files and database elsewhere.

ChatGPT is a complete hosted product, with its own models and apps. Open WebUI is only the interface, so you connect a model provider and pay for its usage. In return, you can choose and compare models and keep chats and documents in your instance, though your provider still processes what you send it.

The current Open WebUI License is not OSI-approved. It permits use with the Open WebUI branding intact. The license allows branding changes when a deployment or distribution has no more than 50 end users within a rolling 30-day period, when the copyright holder gives specific written permission, or under an enterprise license that permits them. Read the license terms before rebranding or redistributing it.

No. You add prepaid credit and your pods are billed by the hour from that balance, rounded up to full hours. There are no contracts or minimum terms: delete a pod anytime and billing stops. Optional automatic top-ups keep your pods running without manual payments.

You do. And you're in full control. If you ever want to download, migrate, edit or delete your data, just enable file and database access for your pod and it will be right there.