Using DGrid with LibreChat: A Step-by-Step Guide

Overview

LibreChat stands as the ultimate open-source AI conversation hub — fully customizable, sleek in design, and built to unify power from any AI provider in a single intuitive interface. Trusted by organizations worldwide, it empowers users with robust features like multimodal interactions, artifact generation, instant message/file/code search, and conversation forking to manage context seamlessly.

This tutorial will walk you through obtaining a DGrid API key, setting up LibreChat locally, configuring DGrid as a custom endpoint, and starting conversations with DGrid’s models — all with minimal setup.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A valid DGrid API key (see Step 1 to obtain one).
• A local development environment with:
  • Node.js (v16+ recommended; required for LibreChat).
  • Git (to clone the LibreChat repository).
• Stable internet access (to connect to DGrid’s RPC endpoint and install dependencies).

Step 1: Obtain Your DGrid API Key

To authenticate requests to DGrid’s network, you first need an API key. Follow these steps to generate and secure it:

1. ​Access the DGrid API Key Console​: Open your browser and navigate to https://dgrid.ai/api-keys .
2. ​Authenticate with Your Wallet​: Connect your Web3 wallet (required for DGrid account access) to log in.
3. ​Create a New API Key​:
   • Click ​Create New Key​.
   • Enter a descriptive label (e.g., “LibreChat Integration”) to track the key’s purpose.
   • (Optional but recommended) Set a credit limit or expiration date to control usage and reduce security risks.
   • Click Create to generate the key.
4. ​Securely Store the Key​: The API key will be displayed ​only once​. Copy it immediately and save it in a secure location (e.g., a password manager).

Critical Security Note: Treat your DGrid API key like a password. Anyone with access to it can incur charges on your account or access sensitive data. Never share it publicly or commit it to version control (e.g., Git).

Step 2: Set Up LibreChat Locally

Download the LibreChat Project

Choose one of two methods to get the project files:

Option A: Manual Download

1. Visit the LibreChat GitHub page: https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat .
2. Click the green Code button in the top-right corner.
3. Select Download ZIP and save the file to your preferred location.
4. Extract the ZIP file (right-click > “Extract All…” on Windows, or double-click on macOS/Linux).

Option B: Using Git

Open your terminal, navigate to the parent folder where you want to store LibreChat, and run:

git clone https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat.git

Install Docker Desktop

Docker is required to run LibreChat’s containerized environment:

1. Download Docker Desktop: Visit the Docker Desktop Download Page and grab the installer for your OS (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
2. Install Docker: Open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions (default settings work for most users).
3. Launch Docker: Open Docker Desktop and wait for it to fully start (you’ll see a Docker icon in your system tray/menu bar when ready).

Notes from LibreChat’s Official Guide:

• You may need to restart your computer after installing Docker for changes to take effect.
• For advanced setups (e.g., remote server installation), refer to LibreChat’s Ubuntu Docker Deployment Guide .

Start LibreChat

1. Open your terminal and navigate to the LibreChat project folder (use cd path/to/LibreChat).
2. Create and Configure .env File:
   • Copy the contents of .env.example to a new file named .env.
   • Fill in any necessary values.
3. Run the following command to start the app in detached mode (runs in the background):

docker compose up -d

Step 3: Configure DGrid as a Custom Endpoint in LibreChat

LibreChat’s “Custom Endpoints” feature lets you connect DGrid services. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Create or Edit a Docker Override File​
   • Create a file named docker-compose.override.yml file at the project root (if it doesn’t already exist).
   • Add the following content to the file:

services:
  api:
    volumes:
      - type: bind
        source: ./librechat.yaml
        target: /app/librechat.yaml

Learn more about the Docker Compose Override File here .

2. Configure ​ librechat.yaml - Create a file named ​ librechat.yaml at the project root (if it doesn’t already exist). - Add your DGrid endpoints:

version: 1.2.8
cache: true
endpoints:
  custom:
    - name: "DGrid"
      apiKey: "${DGRIDAI_KEY}"
      baseURL: "https://api.dgrid.ai/api"
      models:
        default: ["gpt-3.5-turbo"]
        fetch: true
      titleConvo: true
      titleModel: "current_model"
      summarize: false
      summaryModel: "current_model"
      forcePrompt: false
      modelDisplayLabel: "DGrid"

3. Configure .env Fil

• ​Edit your existing ​​.env​ ​file at the project root
  • Copy .env.example and rename to .env if it doesn’t already exist.
• According to the config above, the environment variable DGRID_KEY is expected and should be set:

DGRID_KEY=your_dgrid_api_key

Step 4: Run the App

You can run the app:

docker compose up

Or, if you were running the app before, you can restart the app with:

docker compose restart

Note: Make sure your Docker Desktop or Docker Engine is running before executing the command.

Final Notes

You’re now ready to use DGrid’s smart AI models through LibreChat’s intuitive interface. This integration combines LibreChat’s user-friendly design with DGrid’s flexible, cost-efficient access to 100+ models — no complex infrastructure management required.

Happy prompting! 🚀