Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternative · Live · April 26

The Complete Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternative — Built in 4 Hours

A self-hosted ChatGPT alternative gives you everything cloud AI does not — complete data privacy, zero subscription cost, and full control over your AI infrastructure. This live workshop shows you how to build one from scratch in 4 hours.

Sunday, April 26 9am to 1pm EDT

4 Hours Hands-on coding

Live Online Interactive

Workshop Details

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Date and Time

Sunday, April 26, 2026

9:00am to 1:00pm EDT

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Duration

4 Hours · Hands-on

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Format

Live Online · Interactive

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Includes

Certificate of Completion

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Privacy

100% Local · No Cloud Required

By Packt Publishing · Refunds up to 10 days before

About This Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternative Workshop

What Makes a Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternative Worth Building in 2026

Privacy, cost, and control are the three reasons developers build self-hosted ChatGPT alternatives. OpenClaw and Docker Model Runner in 2026 make achieving all three straightforward — this workshop shows you the complete path.

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What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is the open-source personal AI assistant that went viral in early 2026 with 200K+ GitHub stars. It runs on your own devices and connects to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and more. No subscription. No data leaving your machine.

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What is Docker Model Runner?

Docker Model Runner is Docker's native feature for running large language models locally on your machine. It gives you an OpenAI-compatible API that OpenClaw uses as its AI brain — complete data privacy, no cloud costs.

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Why Combine OpenClaw and Docker?

OpenClaw gives you the assistant interface and messaging integrations. Docker Model Runner gives you the AI brain running privately on your machine. Together they create a production grade private AI assistant you fully own.

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Why Attend as a Live Workshop?

Setting this up from scattered documentation takes days of debugging. This live workshop gives you a complete guided build in 4 hours with a live instructor answering your questions. Packt has delivered 108 workshops worldwide.

Workshop Curriculum

Building Your Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternative Step by Step

Six modules. A complete self-hosted ChatGPT alternative from scratch.

How OpenClaw Works

Understand the Gateway, channels, and skills architecture. Set up and configure OpenClaw locally from scratch.

Docker Model Runner Setup

Run and manage local LLMs using Docker Model Runner. Pull models, configure memory, and understand the OpenAI-compatible API.

Security and Privacy

Configure DM pairing, allowlists, sandbox mode, and proper access controls for your local AI deployment.

Connect to WhatsApp or Telegram

Deploy your AI assistant to real messaging platforms without sending data to any third party cloud service.

Scalable Architecture

Design an extensible assistant architecture. Add skills, configure personality, and set up proactive automation.

Production Deployment

Deploy your OpenClaw and Docker setup to a VPS for always-on availability running 24 hours a day.

What You Walk Away With

By the End of This Workshop You Will Have

A fully self-hosted ChatGPT alternative ready for daily use.

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A fully functional local AI assistant running on your machine

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Docker Model Runner configured with your chosen LLM model

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OpenClaw connected to WhatsApp or Telegram

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Security and privacy configuration you can trust

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A reusable architecture for future AI assistant projects

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Certificate of completion from Packt Publishing

Your Instructor

Learn Self-Hosted AI From a Docker Captain

Rami Krispin has production experience building self-hosted AI systems with Docker.

Rami Krispin

Workshop Instructor · April 26, 2026

Rami is a Senior Manager of Data Science and Engineering, Docker Captain, and LinkedIn Learning Instructor with deep expertise in building and deploying production AI systems. He guides you step by step from a blank terminal to a fully deployed private AI assistant — answering your questions live throughout the 4-hour session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions About Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternatives

Everything you need to know before building your self-hosted alternative.

How is a self-hosted ChatGPT alternative different from just using Ollama or similar tools? +

Ollama and similar tools give you a model running locally but no assistant layer — just API access to the model. This workshop builds a complete self-hosted ChatGPT alternative using OpenClaw as the assistant layer on top of Docker Model Runner. You get conversations in WhatsApp or Telegram, skills, automation, multi-user access, and a production-ready deployment.

What is the best self-hosted ChatGPT alternative architecture? +

The architecture covered in this workshop is: Docker Model Runner for local LLM inference, OpenClaw as the assistant and messaging layer, and a VPS for always-on deployment. This combination gives you a production-grade self-hosted ChatGPT alternative with proper security, extensibility, and reliability.

Does a self-hosted ChatGPT alternative require ongoing maintenance? +

Minimal maintenance is required. You may want to update to newer models periodically as they become available. OpenClaw and Docker updates are infrequent and straightforward. The instructor covers the maintenance considerations during the live session.

Can my self-hosted ChatGPT alternative handle multiple users? +

Yes. OpenClaw's allowlist system lets you authorise multiple users to interact with your self-hosted assistant through WhatsApp or Telegram. The instructor covers multi-user configuration and how to manage access during the workshop.

Is a VPS required to self-host a ChatGPT alternative? +

A VPS is not required to get started — you can run the complete self-hosted setup on your laptop during this workshop. The final module covers VPS deployment for always-on availability. A VPS gives you 24/7 access without needing your laptop to remain on.

What VPS specs do I need for a self-hosted ChatGPT alternative? +

A VPS with 16GB RAM and 4 CPU cores is recommended for a comfortable self-hosted experience. The instructor covers VPS provider selection and configuration during the production deployment module of this workshop.