Installation

1Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/nicholasgriffintn/rag-starter-kit.git
cd rag-starter-kit

2Install Dependencies

The project uses Bun as its runtime and package manager. If you don't have it installed:

# Install Bun (if not already installed)
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Install all dependencies
bun install

3Set Up Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file and fill in your API keys:

cp .env.example .env

Open .env in your editor and update these required values:

See the full environment variables reference for every available option.

4Set Up the Database

Run the Prisma migrations to set up your database:

# Run database migrations
bun db:migrate

# Generate the Prisma client
bun db:generate

If you want some seed data to explore the UI:

bun db:seed

5Start the Development Server

bun dev

Open http://localhost:7392 in your browser. Register an account, upload a document, and start chatting.

Optional Services

These are not required for local development but are recommended for production:

• Cloudinary -- File uploads. Without it, files are stored on the local filesystem. Get a free account at cloudinary.com.
• Upstash Redis -- Rate limit persistence. Without it, an in-memory fallback is used in development. Get a free database at console.upstash.com.
• Resend -- Email notifications (welcome emails, password resets). Without it, emails are logged to the console. Sign up at resend.com.
• Inngest -- Background job processing. Run bun inngest:dev for a local dev server.