Dify AI: Build AI Apps and Agent Workflows (Beginner Guide)

Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications. It lets you build agents, agentic workflows and chatbots on your own data without writing the whole thing in code. This Dify guide sticks to what the project's docs say.

What is Dify?

Dify describes itself as an open-source platform for building AI applications. You create agents, agentic workflows and chatbots that use your own data, then publish them as web apps or call them through an API.

Dify Workflow vs Chatflow

Dify agent node

You can drop an agent into a workflow step and let it choose tools to finish that step. Use it where the path is not fixed, and keep the rest of the flow fixed.

How to self-host Dify or use Dify Cloud

Use Dify Cloud, or self-host the Community Edition. The Docker Compose setup starts several services, including the API, a worker, a database, Redis and a vector store, so plan for a server with room.

Is Dify a good fit for your workflow?

Start with one narrow workflow, like answering questions from your own FAQ or sorting inbound inquiries. Test it on real examples before you connect it to anything customer facing.

Want help picking or setting up a workflow? Send the task and the tools you already use through the contact page.

Sources: Dify docs, Workflow and Chatflow, Docker Compose deploy.