Typebot: The Ultimate Guide to Self-Hosting Your Own Open-Source Chatbot

Are you tired of expensive monthly subscriptions for chatbot services that hold your data hostage? Enter Typebot—a fair-source, visual chatbot builder that puts you in control. Whether you are a developer, a marketer, or a business owner, Typebot offers a unique proposition:

100% Data Privacy: You own the infrastructure.
No Vendor Lock-in: Switch servers whenever you want.
Visual Builder: Drag-and-drop interface (no coding required).
Unmatched Customization: Full control over CSS and theming.

In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything from self-hosting Typebot on Docker to building your very first conversation flow.

The Power of Open-Source Conversational AI

Unlike traditional platforms like Dialogflow or Landbot, Typebot is designed for flexibility. It allows you to create sophisticated conversational apps that can be embedded anywhere—as a popup, a full-page chat, or a standard bubble.

Key Features

30+ Native Building Blocks: From simple text bubbles to complex inputs like date pickers, file uploads, and payment gateways (Stripe).
Integrations: Seamlessly connect with OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google Sheets, Zapier, Make.com, and Chatwoot.
High Performance: The chat client is ultra-lightweight, ensuring your website speed isn’t compromised.

Why Self-Host?

Cost Efficiency: Eliminate “per-message” or “per-seat” pricing. You only pay for your server (VPS), which can start as low as $5/month.
Security: Ideal for industries requiring GDPR or HIPAA compliance, as no third party accesses your user data.
Scalability: No artificial rate limits. Scale vertically or horizontally based on your own infrastructure.

How to Self-Host Typebot on Docker

Ready to take control? Follow this step-by-step tutorial to deploy Typebot on your own server.

Prerequisites:

A server (Ubuntu 20.04+ recommended) with Docker & Docker Compose installed.
A domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com).
Basic knowledge of the terminal.

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

Create a folder for your project and generating encryption keys.

mkdir typebot && cd typebot
touch docker-compose.yml .env

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Edit your .env file. You will need to generate secure keys for TYPEBOT_ENCRYPTION_KEY and NEXTAUTH_SECRET (you can use openssl rand -base64 32 to generate these).

# .env example
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:typebot@typebot-db:5432/typebot
NEXTAUTH_URL=https://typebot.yourdomain.com
[email protected]
SMTP_HOST=mail
[email protected]
S3_BUCKET=typebot

Step 3: The Docker Compose File

Populate your docker-compose.yml. This stack includes the Builder, the Viewer, the Database, and a Reverse Proxy (Caddy) for automatic SSL.

(Note: Ensure you point the virtual.host labels to your actual domain).

services:
  typebot-db:
    image: postgres:16
    volumes:
      - db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: typebot
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: typebot
      
  typebot-builder:
    image: baptistearno/typebot-builder:latest
    depends_on: [typebot-db]
    env_file: .env
    
  typebot-viewer:
    image: baptistearno/typebot-viewer:latest
    depends_on: [typebot-db]
    env_file: .env

  caddy-gen:
    image: wemakeservices/caddy-gen:latest
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/tmp/docker.sock:ro

Step 4: Launch

Run the following command to start your instance:

docker-compose up -d

Navigate to https://typebot.yourdomain.com and log in. You now have a production-ready chatbot platform!

Building Your First Chatbot (No-Code)

Now that your server is running, let’s build a Customer Support Bot.

1. The Setup

Log into your Typebot instance and click “Create New Bot”. You will see the drag-and-drop editor.

Left Sidebar: Your toolbox (Text, Images, Inputs).
Center: Your canvas flow.
Right Sidebar: Preview and settings.

2. Design the Conversation Flow

A good bot feels like a conversation, not a form.

Greeting: Drag a Text Bubble and write: “Hi! Welcome to [Brand Name] Support.”
Triage: Add a Buttons Input with options:
- Track Order
- Return Item
- Talk to Human

3. Add Logic & Branching

This is where Typebot shines. You can drag connections from specific buttons to different flows.

If user clicks “Track Order” $\rightarrow$ Ask for Order ID $\rightarrow$ API Call (to check status).
If user clicks “Talk to Human” $\rightarrow$ Collect Email $\rightarrow$ Send Notification (via Email or Slack).

4. Advanced: Integrations

Don’t let data die in the chat.

Google Sheets: Use the native integration to append every new lead directly to a spreadsheet.
OpenAI: Insert an OpenAI block to allow the bot to answer general FAQs using AI before escalating to a human.

Conclusion: The Future is Self-Hosted

By switching to a self-hosted Typebot instance, you reclaim ownership of your customer interactions. You gain the power of an enterprise-grade chatbot builder without the enterprise-grade price tag or data privacy concerns.

Ready to start?

Download: Check the Typebot GitHub Repository.
Community: Join the Discord to share themes and get help.
Build: Launch your first bot today and watch your engagement soar.