DevDen

Your AI assistant, powered by your knowledge

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• API key from Anthropic or OpenAI
• Microsoft Entra ID app registration (for authentication)

Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/devden.git
cd devden

2. Configure environment variables

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your API keys and Entra ID credentials

3. Set up Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)

   • Go to Azure Portal - App Registrations
   • Create a new app registration
   • Add redirect URI: http://localhost:3000/auth/callback
   • Generate a client secret under "Certificates & secrets"
   • Copy Tenant ID, Client ID, and Client Secret to your .env file

4. Start the services

docker compose up -d --build

5. Access DevDen

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• Backend API: http://localhost:8000
• Health Check: http://localhost:8000/health

Environment Variables

Required variables in .env:

# AI Providers (at least one required)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here    # For Claude
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here       # For OpenAI
DEFAULT_PROVIDER=claude            # claude or openai

# Microsoft Entra ID (required for authentication)
ENTRA_TENANT_ID=your-tenant-id
ENTRA_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
ENTRA_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret

# JWT (change in production)
JWT_SECRET=generate-a-secure-random-string

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What is DevDen?

DevDen is a self-hosted AI chat platform that lets people ask questions and get answers from AI providers like Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, and others. The key difference? As an administrator, you control what knowledge the AI has access to by connecting your own documentation, manuals, wikis, or any other information sources.

Think of it as giving your users a smart assistant that knows exactly what's in your company documentation, support guides, or knowledge bases - without them having to search through files themselves.

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Who is it for?

Companies - Employees can ask questions about HR policies, procedures, or internal processes

Support Teams - Customers get instant answers based on your product documentation

Organizations - Members can query policies, regulations, or guidelines

Communities - Users can get answers about rules, resources, or FAQs

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How does it work?

For Users (the simple part):

1. User visits DevDen and logs in with their Microsoft account
2. User types a question in the chat interface
3. AI reads the question, searches your knowledge base, and provides an answer
4. User can see where the answer came from (which document or page)
5. Conversation is saved so they can refer back to it later

That's it. No training needed, no complicated setup for end users.

For You (the admin):

1. You set up DevDen with Docker Compose on your server
2. You add your API keys for the AI providers you want to use
3. You connect your knowledge bases (either from Git repositories or local folders)
4. You configure who can access DevDen via Microsoft Entra ID
5. You monitor usage, costs, and manage everything through the admin dashboard

DevDen automatically indexes your documentation, and when users ask questions, it finds the relevant information and gives it to the AI as context.

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Two Different Interfaces

Clean Chat Interface (for regular users)

A simple, friendly chat interface that looks like WhatsApp or any modern messaging app. Users just type questions and get answers. No technical knowledge required. Perfect for employees, customers, or community members.

Terminal-Style Dashboard (for you, the admin)

A more technical, terminal-inspired interface where you manage everything: knowledge bases, AI providers, user access, usage statistics, and costs. This gives you full control over the platform.

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Knowledge Base Options

You can connect your documentation in two ways:

Git Repositories

Connect any Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) and DevDen will automatically clone and index it. Whenever you update the documentation in Git, DevDen can automatically sync and re-index the new content.

Great for: Documentation that multiple people maintain, version-controlled content, automated workflows

Docker Volumes

Mount a local folder with your documents and DevDen will index everything inside. Any changes to files are detected and the index updates automatically.

Great for: Local files, quick setup, direct file system access

DevDen can index markdown files, text files, PDFs, Word documents, and more.

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AI Provider Flexibility

You're not locked into a single AI provider. DevDen supports:

• Claude (Anthropic) - Sonnet, Opus, Haiku models
• OpenAI - GPT-4 and other models
• OpenRouter - Access to many different AI models through one API
• Google Gemini - Google's AI models
• Ollama - Run AI models locally on your own hardware (no API costs)

You can set a default provider, allow users to choose, or even set up automatic fallbacks if one provider is having issues.

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Authentication & Security

Microsoft Entra ID Integration

Users log in with their existing Microsoft/Azure AD accounts. No need to create separate accounts or remember new passwords.

You control:

• Which users or groups can access DevDen
• How many questions users can ask per day
• Which knowledge bases different users can access

Data Privacy

Everything runs on your server. Conversations are stored in your database, not with the AI providers. Knowledge bases never leave your infrastructure. Only the actual questions and selected context are sent to the AI provider's API.

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What Makes DevDen Special?

Context-Aware Answers

Instead of generic AI responses, users get answers specific to your organization because the AI has access to your documentation.

Source Transparency

Every answer shows which documents or pages were used, so users can verify information or read more if they want.

Full Control

You decide which AI providers to use, what documentation to include, who has access, and you can see all usage statistics and costs.

Self-Hosted

Your data stays on your server. No external service has access to your knowledge base or user conversations.

Cost Effective

Only pay for what you use. AI providers charge per token/request, so you only pay when users ask questions. Running DevDen itself just requires a server (or even just a computer with Docker).

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Example Use Cases

HR Support Bot

Knowledge Base: Employee handbook, vacation policies, benefits documentation

Questions users ask:

• "How many vacation days do I have?"
• "What's the parental leave policy?"
• "How do I submit an expense report?"

IT Helpdesk

Knowledge Base: IT documentation, troubleshooting guides, software manuals

Questions users ask:

• "How do I reset my password?"
• "My laptop won't connect to WiFi, what should I do?"
• "Which VPN should I use for remote work?"

Customer Support

Knowledge Base: Product documentation, FAQs, return policies

Questions customers ask:

• "How do I set up my new device?"
• "What's your return policy?"
• "Is this product compatible with X?"

Internal Wiki Alternative

Instead of employees searching through wiki pages, they just ask DevDen and get instant answers with sources.

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Technical Overview

What You Need

• A server (VPS, cloud instance, or even a local machine)
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• API keys for the AI providers you want to use
• Microsoft Entra ID tenant for authentication
• Your documentation/knowledge base ready

What DevDen Includes

• Web-based chat interface (frontend)
• API backend (FastAPI with Python)
• PostgreSQL database (stores users, conversations, settings)
• Redis (caching and session management)
• Vector database (Qdrant or ChromaDB - for semantic search in your docs)
• Optional: Ollama container (for local AI models)

Everything runs in Docker containers, making it easy to deploy and manage.

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Admin Features

Knowledge Base Management

• Add/remove knowledge bases
• Enable/disable specific knowledge bases
• See sync status and last update time
• View how many documents are indexed
• Configure auto-sync intervals

User Management

• See all active users
• View per-user usage statistics
• Set usage limits (questions per day/month)
• Control access to specific knowledge bases
• Export user data (GDPR compliance)

Provider Settings

• Configure multiple AI providers
• Set default provider and model
• Add/rotate API keys
• Monitor API usage and costs
• Set up fallback providers

Analytics Dashboard

• Total questions asked (today/week/month)
• Most active users
• Most asked topics
• Response times
• Cost tracking per provider
• Most used knowledge bases

System Monitoring

• Health status of all services
• Database connection status
• Vector database status
• API provider connectivity
• Error logs and alerts

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Development Phases

Phase 1: Basic Chat

Get a working chat interface where users can ask questions and get answers from Claude or OpenAI.

Phase 2: Knowledge Base

Add document indexing and semantic search so the AI can use your documentation.

Phase 3: Authentication

Integrate Microsoft Entra ID so users can securely log in.

Phase 4: Admin Dashboard

Build the admin interface so you can manage everything.

Phase 5: Multi-Provider

Add support for multiple AI providers and switching between them.

Phase 6: Git Integration

Add automatic syncing from Git repositories.

Phase 7: Polish

Add all the nice-to-have features like conversation export, mobile responsiveness, advanced search, etc.

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Why "DevDen"?

The name combines "Dev" (short for development or device - it's a tool for building better workflows) with "Den" (a cozy, safe space - like a fox's burrow).

The fox mascot represents intelligence, adaptability, and resourcefulness - just like the platform itself. The "den" is where knowledge lives, protected and organized, ready to be accessed when needed.

Plus, it fits nicely with your other project names like Burrow and Bean Den, keeping that warm, cozy aesthetic.

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Cost Estimation

For a small organization (50 users, 1000 questions per month):

AI Costs:

• Claude Sonnet: around 10-15 dollars per month
• OpenAI GPT-4: around 25-35 dollars per month
• Ollama (local): free, just electricity

Hosting:

• Small VPS: 20-40 dollars per month
• Or self-host: just electricity

Total: Roughly 30-75 dollars per month depending on usage and provider choice

Much cheaper than enterprise chat platforms or support desk solutions, and you have full control.

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Privacy & Compliance

Data Residency

All data stays on your server. Conversations, user data, and knowledge bases are stored in your database, not on external servers.

GDPR Compliant

Users can request to see their data or have it deleted. Admin tools make this easy to manage.

Audit Logs

All admin actions are logged. You can see who did what and when.

Encryption

API keys are encrypted in the database. Conversations can be encrypted at rest. HTTPS for all traffic.

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Next Steps

If you want to build DevDen, the next step would be to create:

1. A detailed technical architecture document
2. Database schema design
3. API endpoint specifications
4. UI/UX wireframes and mockups
5. A development roadmap with specific tasks