The outcome
Provide a reliable model connection with an explicit data path, access boundary, and recovery procedure.
Step by step
A workflow you can repeat.
- 01
Choose Ollama, an OpenAI-compatible API, or Open Responses and document where prompts, files, logs, and credentials will travel.
- 02
Install Open WebUI from an official method with persistent storage, then create the first administrator account on a private interface.
- 03
Open Admin Settings, add the provider URL and API key under Connections, and verify that only intended models appear.
- 04
Test streaming, long prompts, attachments, errors, timeouts, and provider unavailability with non-sensitive data before wider access.
- 05
Restrict instance and provider access, protect backups and secrets, pin deployment versions, and document how to update and roll back.
Working standard
What good use looks like.
- Map the complete data path.
- Keep initial access private.
- Test failures before team rollout.
Official references