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Chainlit

Open-source Python framework for building chat interfaces for LLM apps, now archived and no longer maintained.

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What is Chainlit?

Chainlit is a Python package, released as open source, for creating conversational AI applications. You write your assistant logic in Python, run it with a chainlit command, and get a chat interface with streaming messages, file upload, audio options, user feedback and a view of the intermediate reasoning steps. It supports authentication through OAuth providers such as GitHub, Google, Azure, Okta and Amazon, data persistence, and deployment as a web app, an embedded copilot, a FastAPI server, a custom React app, or a Slack, Discord or Teams bot. Integrations cover OpenAI, Mistral, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face, LangChain and Semantic Kernel. Important: the project status page says the repository is archived and no longer receives bug fixes, security updates or support, so anyone installing it must handle maintenance and vulnerability checks themselves. The source stays available under the Apache 2.0 license at no cost.

Use cases

  • Build a chat interface for an LLM app
  • Show agent reasoning steps to users
  • Deploy a bot to Slack, Discord or Teams
  • Add OAuth login to an AI app
  • Embed a copilot in a website
  • Collect user feedback on answers

Who it's for

  • Python developers
  • AI engineers
  • ML engineers
  • Product teams

Why use Chainlit

  • Gets a working chat front end running with a couple of lines of Python.
  • Free under the Apache 2.0 license, with no hosted plan to pay for.
  • One codebase can serve a web app, a website copilot and chat platforms.
  • The step view helps users see how an answer was produced.

Chainlit features

  • Chat UI driven by your own Python logic
  • Display of multi-step reasoning
  • Authentication with OAuth providers and corporate identity
  • Data persistence for monitoring user conversations
  • Deployment as web app, copilot, FastAPI server or chat bot
  • File upload with configurable types, file count and size
  • Optional audio, MCP and Slack features
  • Custom chat components and frontend customisation

Chainlit integrations

  • OpenAI
  • Mistral
  • LangGraph
  • LlamaIndex
  • Hugging Face
  • LangChain
  • Semantic Kernel
  • Slack
  • Discord

How to get started with Chainlit

  1. Install the package with pip install chainlit.
  2. Write your assistant logic in a Python file with Chainlit's message callbacks.
  3. Start it with chainlit run app.py and open the chat interface on port 8000.
  4. Configure features in config.toml and add -h and the right host settings when deploying.

Chainlit limitations

  • The project is archived: no bug fixes, security updates or support
  • Documentation examples may not match current services and dependencies
  • Production deployments need websocket support and sticky sessions when scaling
  • Python only

Chainlit pricing

Chainlit is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

Chainlit alternatives

The main Chainlit alternatives listed on Debuly are Streamlit, Gradio, Open WebUI, LibreChat, Baseplate and CopilotKit. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

Chainlit compared with its alternatives
ToolPricingStarting pricePlatforms
ChainlitOpen source—Python package, Self-hosted
BaseplateFreemium—Web, API
CopilotKitFreemium—Web, CLI, Self-hosted
GradioOpen source—Web, API, Self-hosted, Python
LibreChatOpen source—Web, Self-hosted
Open WebUIOpen source—Web, Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes
StreamlitOpen source—Web

  1. Baseplate

    Backend for LLM apps: a hybrid database for data and embeddings, search, an app builder and API endpoints

    Developer platformsAutomation and agents
    FreemiumVisit Baseplate (official site)

  2. CopilotKit

    Open-source frontend toolkit for putting agents, chat and generative UI inside apps, plus a hosted Intelligence layer for threads and memory.

    Developer platformsCodingAutomation and agents
    FreemiumVisit CopilotKit (official site)

  3. Gradio

    Open source Python library for turning machine learning models into web apps and demos that you can share by link.

    Developer platformsCodingChat assistants
    Open sourceVisit Gradio (official site)

  4. LibreChat

    Free open-source AI chat platform that puts many model providers, agents, code execution and MCP tools in one self-hostable app.

    Chat assistantsDeveloper platformsAutomation and agents
    Open sourceVisit LibreChat (official site)

  5. Open WebUI

    Self-hosted AI chat platform for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible models with RAG, agents, tools, notes, channels and role-based access.

    Chat assistantsDeveloper platformsAutomation and agents
    Open sourceVisit Open WebUI (official site)

  6. Streamlit

    Open-source Python framework that turns data scripts into shareable web apps without any front-end code.

    Developer platformsCodingAutomation and agents
    Open sourceVisit Streamlit (official site)

Chainlit FAQ

Is Chainlit still maintained?

No. The project status page says the repository is archived and gets no bug fixes, security updates or support. Continued use requires your own maintenance and security work.

How much does Chainlit cost?

Nothing. The source code is available under the Apache 2.0 license, and no paid plans are listed.

Is Chainlit open source?

Yes, it is released under the Apache 2.0 license, and the code remains available even though the project is archived.

Does Chainlit have integrations?

It works with any Python code and has integrations for OpenAI, Mistral, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face and LangChain, and can run as a Slack, Discord or Teams bot.

Where can I deploy a Chainlit app?

As a standalone web app on port 8000, an embedded copilot, a FastAPI server, a custom React app, or a bot on Slack, Discord or Teams.

What are alternatives to Chainlit?

Streamlit, Gradio, Open WebUI and LibreChat are common choices for building or hosting chat interfaces for LLM apps.

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

SourceTypeAccessed
chainlit.io/official
docs.chainlit.io/get-started/overviewdocs
docs.chainlit.io/backend/config/featuresdocs
docs.chainlit.io/get-started/project-statusdocs
docs.chainlit.io/deploy/overviewdocs

Image credits

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