---
title: Quickstart
slug: /quickstart
---

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Get started with OpenRAG by loading your knowledge, swapping out your language model, and then chatting with the OpenRAG API.

## Prerequisites

- [Install and start OpenRAG](/install)
- Create a [Langflow API key](https://docs.langflow.org/api-keys-and-authentication)
    <details>
        <summary>Create a Langflow API key</summary>
    
        A Langflow API key is a user-specific token you can use with Langflow.
        It is **only** used for sending requests to the Langflow server.
        It does **not** access to OpenRAG.
    
        To create a Langflow API key, do the following:
    
        1. In Langflow, click your user icon, and then select **Settings**.
        2. Click **Langflow API Keys**, and then click <Icon name="Plus" aria-hidden="true"/> **Add New**.
        3. Name your key, and then click **Create API Key**.
        4. Copy the API key and store it securely.
        5. To use your Langflow API key in a request, set a `LANGFLOW_API_KEY` environment variable in your terminal, and then include an `x-api-key` header or query parameter with your request.
        For example:
    
            ```bash
            # Set variable
            export LANGFLOW_API_KEY="sk..."
    
            # Send request
            curl --request POST \
            --url "http://LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/FLOW_ID" \
            --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
            --header "x-api-key: $LANGFLOW_API_KEY" \
            --data '{
              "output_type": "chat",
              "input_type": "chat",
              "input_value": "Hello"
            }'
            ```
    
    </details>

## Find your way around 

1. In OpenRAG, click <Icon name="MessageSquare" aria-hidden="true"/> **Chat**.
   The chat is powered by the OpenRAG OpenSearch Agent.
   For more information, see [Langflow Agents](/agents).
2. Ask `What documents are available to you?`
   The agent responds with a message summarizing the documents that OpenRAG loads by default, which are PDFs about evaluating data quality when using LLMs in health care.
   Knowledge is stored in OpenSearch.
   For more information, see [Knowledge](/knowledge).
3. To confirm the agent is correct, click <Icon name="Library" aria-hidden="true"/> **Knowledge**.
   The **Knowledge** page lists the documents OpenRAG has ingested into the OpenSearch vector database.
   Click on a document to display the chunks derived from splitting the default documents into the vector database.

## Add your own knowledge

1. To add documents to your knowledge base, click <Icon name="Plus" aria-hidden="true"/> **Add Knowledge**.
   * Select **Add File** to add a single file from your local machine (mapped with the Docker volume mount).
   * Select **Process Folder** to process an entire folder of documents from your local machine (mapped with the Docker volume mount).
   * Select your cloud storage provider to add knowledge from an OAuth-connected storage provider. For more information, see [OAuth ingestion](/knowledge#oauth-ingestion).
2. Return to the Chat window and ask a question about your loaded data.
   For example, with a manual about a PC tablet loaded, ask `How do I connect this device to WiFI?`
   The agent responds with a message indicating it now has your knowledge as context for answering questions.
3. Click the <Icon name="Gear" aria-hidden="true"/> **Function Call: search_documents (tool_call)** that is printed in the Playground.
These events log the agent's request to the tool and the tool's response, so you have direct visibility into your agent's functionality.
If you aren't getting the results you need, you can further tune the knowledge ingestion and agent behavior in the next section.

## Swap out the language model to modify agent behavior {#change-components}

To modify the knowledge ingestion or Agent behavior, click <Icon name="Settings2" aria-hidden="true"/> **Settings**.

In this example, you'll try a different LLM to demonstrate how the Agent's response changes.
You can only change the **Language model**, and not the **Model provider** that you started with in OpenRAG.
If you're using Ollama, you can use any installed model.

1. To edit the Agent's behavior, click **Edit in Langflow**.
You can more quickly access the **Language Model** and **Agent Instructions** fields in this page, but for illustration purposes, navigate to the Langflow visual builder.
2. OpenRAG warns you that you're entering Langflow. Click **Proceed**.

3. The OpenRAG OpenSearch Agent flow appears. 
   ![OpenRAG Open Search Agent Flow](/img/opensearch-agent-flow.png)

4. In the **Language Model** component, under **Model**, select a different OpenAI model.
5. Save your flow with <kbd>Command+S</kbd>.
6. In OpenRAG, start a new conversation by clicking the <Icon name="Plus" aria-hidden="true"/> in the **Conversations** tab.
7. Ask the same question as before to demonstrate how a different language model changes the results.

## Integrate OpenRAG into your application

To integrate OpenRAG into your application, use the [Langflow API](https://docs.langflow.org/api-reference-api-examples).
Make requests with Python, TypeScript, or any HTTP client to run one of OpenRAG's default flows and get a response, and then modify the flow further to improve results.

Langflow provides code snippets to help you get started with the Langflow API.

1. To navigate to the OpenRAG OpenSearch Agent flow, click <Icon name="Settings2" aria-hidden="true"/> **Settings**, and then click **Edit in Langflow** in the OpenRAG OpenSearch Agent flow.
2. Click **Share**, and then click **API access**.

    The default code in the API access pane constructs a request with the Langflow server `url`, `headers`, and a `payload` of request data. The code snippets automatically include the `LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS` and `FLOW_ID` values for the flow. Replace these values if you're using the code for a different server or flow. The default Langflow server address is http://localhost:7860.

    <Tabs>
    <TabItem value="python" label="Python">
    
    ```python
    import requests
    import os
    import uuid
    
    api_key = 'LANGFLOW_API_KEY'
    url = "http://LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/FLOW_ID"  # The complete API endpoint URL for this flow
    
    # Request payload configuration
    payload = {
        "output_type": "chat",
        "input_type": "chat",
        "input_value": "hello world!"
    }
    payload["session_id"] = str(uuid.uuid4())
    
    headers = {"x-api-key": api_key}
    
    try:
        # Send API request
        response = requests.request("POST", url, json=payload, headers=headers)
        response.raise_for_status()  # Raise exception for bad status codes
    
        # Print response
        print(response.text)
    
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Error making API request: {e}")
    except ValueError as e:
        print(f"Error parsing response: {e}")
    ```
    
    </TabItem>
    <TabItem value="typescript" label="TypeScript">
    
    ```typescript
    const crypto = require('crypto');
    const apiKey = 'LANGFLOW_API_KEY';
    const payload = {
        "output_type": "chat",
        "input_type": "chat",
        "input_value": "hello world!"
    };
    payload.session_id = crypto.randomUUID();
    
    const options = {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            "x-api-key": apiKey
        },
        body: JSON.stringify(payload)
    };
    
    fetch('http://LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/FLOW_ID', options)
        .then(response => response.json())
        .then(response => console.warn(response))
        .catch(err => console.error(err));
    ```
    
    </TabItem>
    <TabItem value="curl" label="curl">
    
    ```bash
    curl --request POST \
         --url 'http://LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/FLOW_ID?stream=false' \
         --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
         --header "x-api-key: LANGFLOW_API_KEY" \ 
         --data '{
    		           "output_type": "chat",
    		           "input_type": "chat",
    		           "input_value": "hello world!",
    		         }'
    ```
    
    </TabItem>
    </Tabs>

3. Copy the snippet, paste it in a script file, and then run the script to send the request. If you are using the curl snippet, you can run the command directly in your terminal.

If the request is successful, the response includes many details about the flow run, including the session ID, inputs, outputs, components, durations, and more.
The following is an example of a response from running the **Simple Agent** template flow:

<details>
<summary>Result</summary>

```json
{
  "session_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
  "outputs": [
    {
      "inputs": {
        "input_value": "hello world!"
      },
      "outputs": [
        {
          "results": {
            "message": {
              "text_key": "text",
              "data": {
                "timestamp": "2025-06-16 19:58:23 UTC",
                "sender": "Machine",
                "sender_name": "AI",
                "session_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
                "text": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?",
                "files": [],
                "error": false,
                "edit": false,
                "properties": {
                  "text_color": "",
                  "background_color": "",
                  "edited": false,
                  "source": {
                    "id": "Agent-ZOknz",
                    "display_name": "Agent",
                    "source": "gpt-4o-mini"
                  },
                  "icon": "bot",
                  "allow_markdown": false,
                  "positive_feedback": null,
                  "state": "complete",
                  "targets": []
                },
                "category": "message",
                "content_blocks": [
                  {
                    "title": "Agent Steps",
                    "contents": [
                      {
                        "type": "text",
                        "duration": 2,
                        "header": {
                          "title": "Input",
                          "icon": "MessageSquare"
                        },
                        "text": "**Input**: hello world!"
                      },
                      {
                        "type": "text",
                        "duration": 226,
                        "header": {
                          "title": "Output",
                          "icon": "MessageSquare"
                        },
                        "text": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?"
                      }
                    ],
                    "allow_markdown": true,
                    "media_url": null
                  }
                ],
                "id": "f3d85d9a-261c-4325-b004-95a1bf5de7ca",
                "flow_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
                "duration": null
              },
              "default_value": "",
              "text": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?",
              "sender": "Machine",
              "sender_name": "AI",
              "files": [],
              "session_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
              "timestamp": "2025-06-16T19:58:23+00:00",
              "flow_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
              "error": false,
              "edit": false,
              "properties": {
                "text_color": "",
                "background_color": "",
                "edited": false,
                "source": {
                  "id": "Agent-ZOknz",
                  "display_name": "Agent",
                  "source": "gpt-4o-mini"
                },
                "icon": "bot",
                "allow_markdown": false,
                "positive_feedback": null,
                "state": "complete",
                "targets": []
              },
              "category": "message",
              "content_blocks": [
                {
                  "title": "Agent Steps",
                  "contents": [
                    {
                      "type": "text",
                      "duration": 2,
                      "header": {
                        "title": "Input",
                        "icon": "MessageSquare"
                      },
                      "text": "**Input**: hello world!"
                    },
                    {
                      "type": "text",
                      "duration": 226,
                      "header": {
                        "title": "Output",
                        "icon": "MessageSquare"
                      },
                      "text": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?"
                    }
                  ],
                  "allow_markdown": true,
                  "media_url": null
                }
              ],
              "duration": null
            }
          },
          "artifacts": {
            "message": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?",
            "sender": "Machine",
            "sender_name": "AI",
            "files": [],
            "type": "object"
          },
          "outputs": {
            "message": {
              "message": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?",
              "type": "text"
            }
          },
          "logs": {
            "message": []
          },
          "messages": [
            {
              "message": "Hello world! 🌍 How can I assist you today?",
              "sender": "Machine",
              "sender_name": "AI",
              "session_id": "29deb764-af3f-4d7d-94a0-47491ed241d6",
              "stream_url": null,
              "component_id": "ChatOutput-aF5lw",
              "files": [],
              "type": "text"
            }
          ],
          "timedelta": null,
          "duration": null,
          "component_display_name": "Chat Output",
          "component_id": "ChatOutput-aF5lw",
          "used_frozen_result": false
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```
</details>

To further explore the API, see:

* The Langflow [Quickstart](https://docs.langflow.org/quickstart#extract-data-from-the-response) extends this example with extracting fields from the response.
* [Get started with the Langflow API](https://docs.langflow.org/api-reference-api-examples)