Creating a custom ChatGPT-like application can be an exciting project for developers and AI enthusiasts alike. This guide will walk you through the process of building an AI-powered chatbot using Deepseek R1 on Ubuntu 24, with a React frontend and deployment on Vercel. We will use a Node.js backend, but Python can also be an option if preferred.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 or later
• Hardware:
  • CPU: Multi-core processor (Quad-core or higher recommended)
  • RAM: Minimum of 16 GB (32 GB recommended)
  • GPU: NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support (optional but recommended for performance)
• Software:
  • Python 3.8 or later
  • Git
  • Node.js (version 14 or higher)

Step 1: Update Your System

Open a terminal and update your package list

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Ollama

Ollama is a tool that simplifies running AI models locally. To install it, run

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Step 3: Download and Run DeepSeek R1

To download and run the DeepSeek R1 model, execute the following command:

ollama run deepseek-r1:7b

• 1.5b: Minimal resource usage (~2.3GB)
• 7b: Balanced performance (~4.7GB)
• 70b: High performance (requires significant resources)

To list all installed models, use

ollama list

Step 4: Set Up Node.js Backend

1. Install Node.js and npm if you haven't already
   sudo apt install nodejs npm -y
2. Create a new directory for your backend:
3. Initialize a new Node.js project
   npm init -y
4. Install necessary packages
   npm install express body-parser cors axios dotenv
   
5. Create an index.js file for your Express server
   

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const cors = require('cors');

const app = express();
app.use(cors());
app.use(bodyParser.json());

app.post('/api/chat', async (req, res) => {
    const userMessage = req.body.message;
    // Logic to interact with DeepSeek R1 goes here.
    // Example placeholder response:
    res.json({ response: `You said: ${userMessage}` });
});

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server is running on port ${PORT}`);
});

1. Start your server:

node index.js

Step 5: Communicate with DeepSeek R1

To connect your Node.js server with DeepSeek R1, you will need to implement the logic in the /api/chat endpoint. This typically involves sending the user's message to DeepSeek and receiving a response.Here’s an example of how you might implement this using Axios to make requests to Ollama

const axios = require('axios');

app.post('/api/chat', async (req, res) => {
    const userMessage = req.body.message;
    
    try {
        const response = await axios.post('http://localhost:8000/deepseek', { prompt: userMessage });
        res.json({ response: response.data });
    } catch (error) {
        console.error(error);
        res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to communicate with DeepSeek R1' });
    }
});

Step 6: Testing Your Setup

You can test your setup using tools like Postman or curl. Send a POST request to http://localhost:5000/api/chat with a JSON body containing a message

{
    "message": "Hello, how are you?"
}

You should receive a response from your Node.js server, which in turn communicates with DeepSeek R1.

Step 7: Set Up React Frontend

1. In your project directory, create a React app
   npx create-react-app frontend && cd frontend
2. Install Axios for making API requests
   npm install axios
3. Create a simple chat interface in src/App.js

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';

function App() {
    const [input, setInput] = useState('');
    const [messages, setMessages] = useState([]);

    const sendMessage = async () => {
        const response = await axios.post('http://localhost:5000/api/chat', { message: input });
        setMessages([...messages, { text: input, sender: 'user' }, { text: response.data, sender: 'bot' }]);
        setInput('');
    };

    return (
        <div>
            <h1>Chat with Deepseek R1</h1>
            <div>
                {messages.map((msg, index) => (
                    <div key={index} className={msg.sender}>
                        {msg.text}
                    </div>
                ))}
            </div>
            <input value={input} onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)} />
            <button onClick={sendMessage}>Send</button>
        </div>
    );
}

export default App;

4. Start your React development server

npm start

Step 7: Deploying Frontend on Vercel

1. Install Vercel CLI globally if you haven't already:
   

npm install -g vercel

2. In your frontend directory, run Vercel to deploy
   

vercel

3. Follow the prompts to complete the deployment process.

Step 8: Configure Backend and frontend domain

To configure your backend server's domain and IP so that your Vercel-deployed React application can communicate with it, follow these steps:

1. Obtain a Domain Name: If you don't already have a domain, purchase one from a domain registrar.
2. Set Up DNS Records: Access your domain registrar's DNS management panel. Create an A record pointing to the public IP address of your backend server. For example:If you prefer to use a subdomain for your API, ensure that the A record reflects this subdomain.
   • Type: A
   • Host: api.yourdomain.com
   • Value: <Your_Server_IP_Address>
3. Configure Your Backend Server: Ensure that your backend server is configured to accept requests from the domain you've set up. This may involve updating CORS settings in your Node.js application to allow requests from your Vercel app's domain.
4. Update React Code: In your React application, replace any instances of localhost with the new domain you've configured (e.g., https://api.yourdomain.com). This ensures that API calls from your frontend are directed to the correct server.
5. Test the Configuration: After DNS propagation (which may take a few minutes), test the connection by making API requests from your Vercel app to the backend server using the new domain. Ensure that everything is functioning as expected.

Following these steps, you will successfully configure your backend server to communicate with your Vercel-deployed application using a custom domain.

Conclusion

You have successfully built and deployed your own ChatGPT-like application using Deepseek R1 on Ubuntu 24 with a React frontend and Node.js backend! This guide provided a comprehensive overview of each step involved in setting up your environment, building your application, and deploying it online. Explore further enhancements like adding user authentication or integrating more advanced features to improve your chatbot's functionality!

Commonly Asked questions