In an era where AI solutions are behind subscription models behind cloud-based solutions, OpenWebUI and Ollama provide a powerful alternative that prioritize privacy, security, and cost efficiency. These open-source tools are revolutionizing how organizations and individuals can harness AI capabilities while maintaining complete control of models and data used.

Why use local LLMs? #1 Uncensored Models

One significant advantage of local deployment through Ollama is the ability to use a model of your choosing which includes unrestricted LLMs. While cloud-based AI services often implement various limitations and filters on their models to maintain content control and reduce liability, locally hosted models can be used without these restrictions. This provides several benefits:

  • Complete control over model behavior and outputs
  • Ability to fine-tune models for specific use cases without limitations
  • Access to open-source models with different training approaches
  • Freedom to experiment with model parameters and configurations
  • No artificial constraints on content generation or topic exploration

This flexibility is particularly valuable for research, creative applications, and specialized industry use cases where standard content filters might interfere with legitimate work.

Here’s an amazing article from Eric Hartford on: Uncensored Models

Why use local LLMs? #2 Privacy

When running AI models locally through Ollama and OpenWebUI, all data processing occurs on your own infrastructure. This means:

  • Sensitive data never leaves your network perimeter
  • No third-party access to your queries or responses
  • Complete control over data retention and deletion policies
  • Compliance with data sovereignty requirements
  • Protection from cloud provider data breaches

Implementation

Requirements:

  • Docker
  • NVIDIA Container Toolkit (Optional but Recommended)
  • GPU + NVIDIA Cuda Installation (Optional but Recommended)

Step 1: Install Ollama

docker run -d -v ollama:/root/.ollama -p 11434:11434 --name ollama ollama/ollama:latest

Step 2: Launch Open WebUI with the new features

docker run -d -p 3000:8080 --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway -v open-webui:/app/backend/data --name open-webui --restart always ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

Need help setting up Docker and Nvidia Container toolkit?

Configure

OpenWeb UI and Ollama

OpenWebUI provides a sophisticated interface for interacting with locally hosted models while maintaining all the security benefits of local deployment. Key features include:

  • Intuitive chat interface similar to popular cloud-based AI services
  • Support for multiple concurrent model instances
  • Built-in prompt templates and history management
  • Customizable UI themes and layouts
  • API integration capabilities for internal applications

Ollama simplifies the process of running AI models locally while providing robust security features:

  • Easy model installation and version management
  • Efficient resource utilization through optimized inference
  • Support for custom model configurations
  • Built-in model verification and integrity checking
  • Container-friendly architecture for isolated deployments