Installation steps /script snippets for Open Web-UI on Debian

This is just a quick info dump for my own future reference, an anyone else who might benefit. Many parts are uncertain and should be investigated for clean up. But it works, and I have other priorities. Apologies at the mess and hard to read order, but there are plenty of other nice walkthroughs that I followed for this. I recommend one of them instead as your base, and this just as a reference.


Now, how to do code blocks in this interface...? Alas, not in the base offering of Blogger... Yuck.


  • System: Debian trixie/sid mixed with many stable packages, as of 2025-06-14.
  • Desireable: A remote access method, such as tailscale or easily opened and secured ports.
  • Option selected: A more native python based, rather than the docker container option.

Install pipx and dependencies via package manager of choice.

Configure some settings files in the directory, especially environment variables.

Here is a dump of my files / scripts used. Adjustments are needed.

First section includes multiple files, which should be configured per your system needs.


::::::::::::::
open-webui.env
::::::::::::::

# ==========================
# Open WebUI Environment (.env)
# ==========================
# refer https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/env-configuration/#overview

# - Non-PersistentConfig variables can be changed at any time and will take effect on restart.

# Bind to 0.0.0.0 for LAN access (default port 8080)
WEBUI_HOST=0.0.0.0
WEBUI_PORT=8081
# FIXME: used?
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=8081

# disable telemetry
# Telemetry/analytics controls (not PersistentConfig)
SCARF_NO_ANALYTICS=true
DO_NOT_TRACK=true
ANONYMIZED_TELEMETRY=false


# ==========================
# Unknown if PersistentConfig

# Enable audio in / out features
## Speech-to-Text (STT) configuration for DeepInfra
AUDIO_STT_ENGINE=openai
AUDIO_STT_MODEL=whisper-large-v3-turbo
# FIXME: or is it?
# AUDIO_STT_ENGINE=openai
# AUDIO_STT_MODEL=openai/whisper-large-v3-turbo
## Text-to-Speech (TTS) configuration for DeepInfra
AUDIO_TTS_ENGINE=hexgrad
AUDIO_TTS_MODEL=Kokoro-82M
# FIXME: or is it?
# AUDIO_TTS_ENGINE=openai
# AUDIO_TTS_MODEL=hexgrad/Kokoro-82M
# Many voice choices: https://deepinfra.com/hexgrad/Kokoro-82M/api?example=http
AUDIO_TTS_VOICE=af_bella


ENABLE_ONEDRIVE_INTEGRATION=True
# UNKNOWN: ONEDRIVE_CLIENT_ID


# Description: Specifies the base directory for data storage, including uploads, cache, vector database, etc.
# FIXME: Use XDG instead.
DATA_DIR=/home/USERID/Projects/Open-webui/OpenWebUI_Data

# ==========================
::::::::::::::
open-webui.env.first_run_lan
::::::::::::::
# ==========================
# Open WebUI Environment (.env.first_run_lan)
# only first run
# ==========================
# Allow open access
# Disable user authentication (WARNING: insecure, use only in trusted LAN)
# Disable user accounts and authentication
# User/account/authentication controls
ENABLE_SIGNUP=False
WEBUI_AUTH=False


::::::::::::::
open-webui.envish.first_run
::::::::::::::

# To be sourced.

# ==========================
# Open WebUI Environment (open-webui.envish.first_run)
# only first run
# refer https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/env-configuration/#overview
# ==========================
mkdir -p "${HOME}"/Documents/OpenWebUI

# DeepInfra API configuration
OPENAI_API_BASE_URL=https://api.deepinfra.com/v1      # PersistentConfig: Yes
# OPENAI_API_KEY=your_deepinfra_api_key_here            # PersistentConfig: Yes
export DEEPINFRA_TOKEN=$(pass show Passwords/api.deepinfra.com)
OPENAI_API_KEY=$DEEPINFRA_TOKEN

# Default language/locale
# DEFAULT already, but for good measure.
DEFAULT_LOCALE=en-US                                     # PersistentConfig: Yes

# Enable image generation (set to True since DeepInfra supports it)
ENABLE_IMAGE_GENERATION=True                          # PersistentConfig: Yes

# include OLLAMA_BASE_URL since using Ollama locally.
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://NAME_OF_LOCAL_HOST_IN_REMOTELY_ACCESSIBLE_FORM:11434  # PersistentConfig: Yes

# ==========================
# Notes:
# - PersistentConfig variables are only read from this file on FIRST LAUNCH.
#   To change them later, use the Open WebUI interface or clear the internal config.
Now ready to try an installation. At a regular bash prompt:

mkdir -p ${HOME}/Tmp/Pip_Cache # outside of tmpfs (which is too small)
TMPDIR="${HOME}"/Tmp/Pip_Cache pipx install open-webui   # Alternatively "--no-cache-dir"
sudo ufw allow 8081

Next, first run including configuration

:::::::::::::: open-webui.init.sh ::::::::::::::

# preload password-repo

# safer, but not support pass calling : Export variables: export $(grep -v '^#' ~/.open-webui/.env | xargs)
source ./open-webui.envish.first_run
export $(grep -v '^#' ./open-webui.env.first_run_lan | xargs)
export $(grep -v '^#' ./open-webui.env | xargs)
echo is DATA_DIR correct?  : $DATA_DIR
open-webui serve --host $WEBUI_HOST --port $WEBUI_PORT
:::::::::::::: open-webui.run.sh ::::::::::::::

# safer, but not support pass calling : Export variables: export $(grep -v '^#' ~/.open-webui/.env | xargs)
export $(grep -v '^#' ./open-webui.env | xargs)
open-webui serve --host $WEBUI_HOST --port $WEBUI_PORT
:::::::::::::: open-webui.upgrade.sh ::::::::::::::

TMPDIR="${HOME}"/Tmp/Pip_Cache pipx upgrade open-webui   # Alternatively "--no-cache-dir"

That is what I did.

Book recommendations and recent reads

Be aware, I feel books worth reading are ones that should affect your thinking on the world, your world view.  That means they should impact the most controversial topics…

 

 

Latest Reads - In Progress

               Christian Bible

               (Currently going through the book of Proverbs. I find the Contemporary English Version the translation I like the best, with World English Bible  being the freely available translation I like. The section of the Gospel of John and the 1st Letter to the Corinthians by Paul are good places to start, and the whole is beneficial.)

               Security Engineering by Ross Anderson:https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html

               (It is slow going for me due to time constraints and the large size, but I like it.)

 

Latest Reads finished

               Francis Bacon's New Atlantis

 

Recommended

               U.S.A. Constitution and amendments

               DVZine 

               The Cathedral and the Bazaar

               Transparent Society

(Both an article and a book. Previously shared this with some in SBD on Teams)

In the Beginning was the Command Line

               (Excellent discussion of user interfaces approaches)

             Hackers, Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy

               E-Books by Jules Verne at Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/60

               E-Books by many other freely available at Project Gutenberg

 

Longer list (but still incomplete) available at

               https://www.librarything.com/catalog/hrabbey

               or

               https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/155915753-howard-abbey

               (My rating scale is 1 = worth reading, 3 = really good, 5 = a must read)

 

 

Another tidbit:

My wife Jodi is a voracious reader, helps with our church library, and enjoys helping people find books that they might enjoy reading.

 

Enjoy,

Howard

A good selection of Reese's peanut butter cups

 I love all #REESES pb cups, but my wife only loves the white ones. Thankfully many varieties to choose from.

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas!

Return Shout-out to Automotive News

Had a great time talking with Automotive News on the #COVID19 effect on #AutonomousVehicles. A quick 15min listen on AV and EV status.


Sale Announcement: Ancestral home contents finally (mostly sorted)

I am pleased to announce that there will be an estate sale at my parents house on 9/27-30/2017.

More than a year after the first big dig and dumpster filling, the collection is now sifted, sorted, and pushed around to a point that people can see what is there. 

I give a lot of credit to Integrity Estate Sales team for being willing to persevere in their digging and sorting.
They have posted pictures of some of the items for sale.

There will be a family only day available before it opens to friends and public.  I would love to visit and see family there, so please let me know if you can come so I can give the details.

Labor Day for 1st dumpster filling at H.R.Abbey estate

If anyone is available on Labor Day, starting mid-morning, to help clear out a bit of my junk in Roseville, let me know.