> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.osschat.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> OpenChat is an open-source AI chat platform with real-time sync, multi-provider model access, and self-hosting support.

# Welcome to OpenChat

OpenChat is an open-source AI chat platform built on TanStack Start, Convex, and OpenRouter. It supports hosted usage at `osschat.dev` and full self-hosting.

<img className="rounded-xl" src="https://mintcdn.com/osschat/0XVzE_uVrSJzBV70/images/openchat/landing/osschat-home-hero-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=0XVzE_uVrSJzBV70&q=85&s=8cc027b0ebb2b99a826d91483b3f5967" alt="OpenChat homepage hero in dark mode" width="1600" height="1000" data-path="images/openchat/landing/osschat-home-hero-dark.png" />

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Get OpenChat running locally in minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="sitemap" href="/guides/architecture">
    Understand web, API, Convex, and workflow layers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Core Features" icon="sparkles" href="/features/chat-experience">
    Learn chat, model switching, exports, and settings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Self-Hosting" icon="server" href="/self-hosting/overview">
    Deploy with Vercel + Convex Cloud or Docker.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What You Get

| Capability             | What it means in OpenChat                                        |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Model access           | 100+ models via OpenRouter plus direct provider credentials      |
| Real-time sync         | Conversations and sidebar state update across devices via Convex |
| Advanced chat controls | Edit, retry, fork, stop generation, and export chats             |
| Search and reasoning   | Optional web search and model reasoning support                  |
| Secure credentials     | Encrypted provider secrets stored server-side                    |
| Self-hosting           | Deploy in cloud or containers with first-party docs              |

## Core Product Areas

* Chat UX: streaming replies, message actions, branching, read state.
* Model UX: searchable model selector, favorites, provider switching.
* Settings: account, providers, chat preferences, models cache, shortcuts.
* Workflows: asynchronous chat title generation, export, cleanup, account deletion.
* Platform: Better Auth + GitHub OAuth, Convex schema/functions, Upstash limits and queues.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Get local development running in minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Model Selection" icon="cpu" href="/features/model-selection">
    Learn provider and model selection details
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="plug" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Review chat and workflow endpoints
  </Card>
</CardGroup>