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Nikita Baksheev
Nikita Baksheev

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Unleashing Self-Hosted AI: I Helped Build a Native Mobile App for Open WebUI (and it's Open Source!)

#reactnative #opensource #ai #mobiledev

Hey #DevCommunity!

As a developer passionate about building powerful, user-centric applications, I've always been fascinated by the potential of AI. Like many of you, I've also been exploring the world of self-hosted AI models using fantastic platforms like Open WebUI. It's liberating to have that control and privacy, right?

But there was a catch. While Open WebUI's web interface is excellent, accessing my AI assistant on the go felt... less than ideal. Mobile browsers often don't deliver that buttery-smooth, fully integrated native experience we've come to expect.

That's why my team at Ronas IT and I decided to tackle this challenge head-on!

Today, I'm incredibly excited to share our latest project: the Open WebUI Mobile App! It's a professional, cross-platform mobile client for Open WebUI, built with React Native, and guess what? It's completely Open Source!

➡️ Check out the repo on GitHub right now: https://github.com/RonasIT/open-webui-react-native

Why a Native App for Self-Hosted AI? The Problem We Solved

You might be thinking, "Open WebUI already works in a browser, why bother with a native app?" Good question! As developers, we understand the nuances. Here's what we aimed to fix:

  1. Performance & Fluidity: Browser-based experiences can often feel clunky. We wanted 60fps smooth interactions, responsive touch, and quick loading times – a truly native feel.
  2. Mobile-First UX: Web UIs aren't always optimized for touch gestures, device-specific interactions, or mobile workflows. We crafted the UI/UX specifically for handheld devices.
  3. Enhanced Security: For sensitive AI interactions and credential storage, native secure methods offer a significant upgrade over browser-based solutions.
  4. Offline Capabilities: Losing connection shouldn't stop you completely. We aimed for intelligent connection handling and graceful degradation.
  5. Enterprise Readiness: Many businesses use self-hosted AI. A native app provides the professional architecture, error handling, and maintainability required for corporate environments.

We saw an opportunity to provide a truly professional-grade mobile client that respects user privacy (data stays on your self-hosted instance!) and offers an unparalleled experience.

What We Built: Features That Matter

The Open WebUI Mobile App brings all the core functionality you love from Open WebUI, plus a host of mobile-specific enhancements:

Core AI Interaction:

  • ✅ Open WebUI Compatibility: Supports all core features of the platform.
  • 💬 Real-time Chat: WebSocket-powered instant messaging with your AI.
  • 🧠 Multi-Model Support: Seamlessly switch between different AI models.
  • 📁 Chat Management: Organize conversations with folders, search, and archive.
  • 🔐 Secure Authentication: Email/password and Google Sign-In support (with Open WebUI setup).
  • 🔒 Encrypted Connections: Supports HTTPS/WSS for secure communication.

Native Mobile Experience:

  • 🚀 Native Performance: Smooth animations and responsive interactions.
  • 🎨 Modern UI: Clean, intuitive, and designed for mobile-first workflows.
  • 🔄 Smart Sync: Automatic synchronization with your Open WebUI instance.
  • 📸 Media Support: Image uploads, file attachments, and rich media handling.
  • 🌙 Dark Mode: System-aware theme support for comfortable viewing.
  • ⌨️ Keyboard Optimization: Intelligent keyboard handling and input management.

Enterprise-Grade & Self-Hosted Ready:

  • 🏢 Self-Hosted Ready: Connects directly to your private Open WebUI deployment.
  • 🛡️ Security First: Secure credential storage and privacy-focused architecture.
  • 🌐 Offline Mode: Graceful handling of network interruptions.
  • 🔔 Real-time Updates: Live notifications.
  • 🌍 Internationalization: Multi-language support (coming soon!)

Under the Hood: Our Tech Stack & Approach

Being a developer, I know you appreciate the technical details! Here’s what powers the Open WebUI Mobile App:

  • ⚛️ React Native: The go-to framework for cross-platform native mobile apps, delivering performance close to fully native.
  • ✨ Expo: We leveraged Expo's development platform and build tooling to streamline our workflow and accelerate development.
  • ⚙️ Nx: For scalable architecture, we organized our codebase using Nx monorepo tooling, promoting modularity and code reuse.
  • 📘 TypeScript: Full TypeScript coverage ensures type safety, robust code, and an excellent developer experience.

Our team at Ronas IT focused on building a modular, scalable architecture with clear separation of concerns, ensuring the codebase is clean, maintainable, and easy for future contributors to jump into.

Challenges & Learnings

Developing a production-ready open-source app with this level of polish always comes with its challenges. We focused on:

  • Balancing Performance & Cross-Platform: Ensuring a truly native feel across diverse Android and iOS devices, despite a single codebase. This involved careful component optimization and leveraging Expo's native modules.
  • Robust Connectivity & Offline: Integrating WebSocket for real-time chat while gracefully handling network drops and ensuring intelligent re-connection.
  • Open Source Maintainability: Designing an architecture that is not only scalable for our needs but also welcoming and easy for community contributions. This required extensive documentation and clear code guidelines.

These challenges pushed us to apply best practices and innovate in our development process.

Who is This For?

  • Individual AI Enthusiasts: Access your private AI assistant on the go.
  • Businesses: Empower your teams with secure mobile AI, support field operations, and save on licensing with self-hosted solutions.
  • Fellow Developers: Use it as a reference for modern React Native development, explore its modular architecture, and — we hope — contribute!

Get Started Today!

Ready to give it a spin?

  1. Download (Android): Grab the latest .apk from our GitHub Releases. iOS builds are coming soon via TestFlight/App Store.

  2. Build from Source:

    git clone https://github.com/RonasIT/open-webui-react-native.git
cd open-webui-react-native
npm install
npm start # for development build after initial setup

    (You'll need an active Open WebUI instance, Android 8.0+/iOS 13+.)

Join the Open Source Journey!

This is an open-source project, and we truly believe in the power of community. We welcome your contributions, whether it's bug fixes, new features, documentation improvements, or UI/UX enhancements.

We're incredibly proud of what we've built and excited to see how it helps the self-hosted AI community. What are your thoughts? Have you tried Open WebUI? What features would you love to see in the mobile app?

For a more in-depth look at the project's background, vision, and full feature set, check out our article on Medium:
https://ronas-it.medium.com/unleash-your-self-hosted-ai-ronas-it-launches-the-open-webui-mobile-app-for-a-true-native-6e0fd821eb7b

Built with ❤️ by the team at Ronas IT.
Connect with us: Ronas IT Website | Ronas IT GitHub

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