LibreChat + Gonka AI — open-source ChatGPT

LibreChat is an open-source ChatGPT clone with support for multiple LLM providers simultaneously. Switch between models in one interface: Gonka, OpenAI, Anthropic, local models. Plus: plugins, preset prompts, multi-user support, and Docker deployment.

LibreChat supports both OpenAI-compatible APIs and the Anthropic API. JoinGonka Gateway provides both formats — /v1/chat/completions (OpenAI) and /v1/messages (Anthropic) — with a single key. Connection is one line in .env.

The result: a powerful ChatGPT alternative for the team at $0.003/1M tokens, with support for both API formats.

Step 1: Deploy LibreChat

Docker Compose — recommended installation method:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat.git
cd LibreChat

# Copy the env file
cp .env.example .env

JoinGonka API key: register at gate.joingonka.ai/register, get 10M free tokens, create key jg-xxx.

Step 2: Configure Gonka as a provider

Edit the .env file in the LibreChat root directory:

# .env
OPENAI_API_KEY=jg-your-key
OPENAI_REVERSE_PROXY=https://gate.joingonka.ai/v1/chat/completions
OPENAI_MODELS=MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7

Run:

docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3080 — LibreChat is ready.

Multi-model capability: LibreChat allows connecting multiple providers. You can keep the native OpenAI API for specific tasks, add a local model via Ollama, and use Gonka as your primary low-cost provider — all in one interface.

For advanced configuration, use librechat.yaml:

# librechat.yaml
endpoints:
  custom:
    - name: "Gonka"
      apiKey: "jg-your-key"
      baseURL: "https://gate.joingonka.ai/v1"
      models:
        default:
          - "MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7"
      titleConvo: true
      titleModel: "MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7"

LibreChat vs Open WebUI

The two best self-hosted ChatGPT interfaces — let's compare:

Parameter	LibreChat	Open WebUI
Multi-model	Built-in (switch in UI)	Built-in
Plugins	Yes (ecosystem)	Yes (extensions)
RAG	Via plugins	Built-in
Docker	docker compose	Single container
Interface	Looks exactly like ChatGPT	Custom style
Community	30K+ GitHub stars	40K+ GitHub stars
Configuration	.env + librechat.yaml	UI + env

Both work perfectly with JoinGonka Gateway. LibreChat is closer to ChatGPT in terms of UX and is better for teams with multiple providers. Open WebUI is easier to deploy (single container) and has built-in RAG. The choice is a matter of preference.

Model parameters via JoinGonka: context window — 200K tokens, max response length — up to 8192 tokens (for all network models). For longer responses, you can connect additional providers in LibreChat.

LibreChat + Gonka = ChatGPT-clone with multimodality at $0.003/1M tokens. Open-source, Docker deployment, plugins. One line in .env — and your team has its own ChatGPT.

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