Build and deploy AI agent workflows in minutes.
### Build Workflows with Ease
Design agent workflows visually on a canvas—connect agents, tools, and blocks, then run them instantly.
### Supercharge with Copilot
Leverage Copilot to generate nodes, fix errors, and iterate on flows directly from natural language.
### Integrate Vector Databases
Upload documents to a vector store and let agents answer questions grounded in your specific content.
## Quickstart
### Cloud-hosted: [sim.ai](https://sim.ai)
### Self-hosted: NPM Package
```bash
npx simstudio
```
→ http://localhost:3000
#### Note
Docker must be installed and running on your machine.
#### Options
| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `-p, --port ` | Port to run Sim on (default `3000`) |
| `--no-pull` | Skip pulling latest Docker images |
### Self-hosted: Docker Compose
```bash
git clone https://github.com/simstudioai/sim.git && cd sim
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
```
Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000)
#### Using Local Models with Ollama
Run Sim with local AI models using [Ollama](https://ollama.ai) - no external APIs required:
```bash
# Start with GPU support (automatically downloads gemma3:4b model)
docker compose -f docker-compose.ollama.yml --profile setup up -d
# For CPU-only systems:
docker compose -f docker-compose.ollama.yml --profile cpu --profile setup up -d
```
Wait for the model to download, then visit [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000). Add more models with:
```bash
docker compose -f docker-compose.ollama.yml exec ollama ollama pull llama3.1:8b
```
#### Using an External Ollama Instance
If Ollama is running on your host machine, use `host.docker.internal` instead of `localhost`:
```bash
OLLAMA_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434 docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
```
On Linux, use your host's IP address or add `extra_hosts: ["host.docker.internal:host-gateway"]` to the compose file.
#### Using vLLM
Sim supports [vLLM](https://docs.vllm.ai/) for self-hosted models. Set `VLLM_BASE_URL` and optionally `VLLM_API_KEY` in your environment.
### Self-hosted: Dev Containers
1. Open VS Code with the [Remote - Containers extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers)
2. Open the project and click "Reopen in Container" when prompted
3. Run `bun run dev:full` in the terminal or use the `sim-start` alias
- This starts both the main application and the realtime socket server
### Self-hosted: Manual Setup
**Requirements:** [Bun](https://bun.sh/), [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v20+, PostgreSQL 12+ with [pgvector](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector)
1. Clone and install:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/simstudioai/sim.git
cd sim
bun install
```
2. Set up PostgreSQL with pgvector:
```bash
docker run --name simstudio-db -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_password -e POSTGRES_DB=simstudio -p 5432:5432 -d pgvector/pgvector:pg17
```
Or install manually via the [pgvector guide](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector#installation).
3. Configure environment:
```bash
cp apps/sim/.env.example apps/sim/.env
cp packages/db/.env.example packages/db/.env
# Edit both .env files to set DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:your_password@localhost:5432/simstudio"
```
4. Run migrations:
```bash
cd packages/db && bunx drizzle-kit migrate --config=./drizzle.config.ts
```
5. Start development servers:
```bash
bun run dev:full # Starts both Next.js app and realtime socket server
```
Or run separately: `bun run dev` (Next.js) and `cd apps/sim && bun run dev:sockets` (realtime).
## Copilot API Keys
Copilot is a Sim-managed service. To use Copilot on a self-hosted instance:
- Go to https://sim.ai → Settings → Copilot and generate a Copilot API key
- Set `COPILOT_API_KEY` environment variable in your self-hosted apps/sim/.env file to that value
## Environment Variables
Key environment variables for self-hosted deployments. See [`.env.example`](apps/sim/.env.example) for defaults or [`env.ts`](apps/sim/lib/core/config/env.ts) for the full list.
| Variable | Required | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| `DATABASE_URL` | Yes | PostgreSQL connection string with pgvector |
| `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET` | Yes | Auth secret (`openssl rand -hex 32`) |
| `BETTER_AUTH_URL` | Yes | Your app URL (e.g., `http://localhost:3000`) |
| `NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL` | Yes | Public app URL (same as above) |
| `ENCRYPTION_KEY` | Yes | Encrypts environment variables (`openssl rand -hex 32`) |
| `INTERNAL_API_SECRET` | Yes | Encrypts internal API routes (`openssl rand -hex 32`) |
| `API_ENCRYPTION_KEY` | Yes | Encrypts API keys (`openssl rand -hex 32`) |
| `COPILOT_API_KEY` | No | API key from sim.ai for Copilot features |
## Troubleshooting
### Ollama models not showing in dropdown (Docker)
If you're running Ollama on your host machine and Sim in Docker, change `OLLAMA_URL` from `localhost` to `host.docker.internal`:
```bash
OLLAMA_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434 docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
```
See [Using an External Ollama Instance](#using-an-external-ollama-instance) for details.
### Database connection issues
Ensure PostgreSQL has the pgvector extension installed. When using Docker, wait for the database to be healthy before running migrations.
### Port conflicts
If ports 3000, 3002, or 5432 are in use, configure alternatives:
```bash
# Custom ports
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3100 POSTGRES_PORT=5433 docker compose up -d
```
## Tech Stack
- **Framework**: [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) (App Router)
- **Runtime**: [Bun](https://bun.sh/)
- **Database**: PostgreSQL with [Drizzle ORM](https://orm.drizzle.team)
- **Authentication**: [Better Auth](https://better-auth.com)
- **UI**: [Shadcn](https://ui.shadcn.com/), [Tailwind CSS](https://tailwindcss.com)
- **State Management**: [Zustand](https://zustand-demo.pmnd.rs/)
- **Flow Editor**: [ReactFlow](https://reactflow.dev/)
- **Docs**: [Fumadocs](https://fumadocs.vercel.app/)
- **Monorepo**: [Turborepo](https://turborepo.org/)
- **Realtime**: [Socket.io](https://socket.io/)
- **Background Jobs**: [Trigger.dev](https://trigger.dev/)
- **Remote Code Execution**: [E2B](https://www.e2b.dev/)
## Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see our [Contributing Guide](.github/CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.
## License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
Made with ❤️ by the Sim Team