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Turn Open WebUI into a Real Website (Domain + SSL)

Source: YouTube — NetworkChuck, published 2025-03-13 Tools: Open WebUI, Nginx Proxy Manager, Cloudflare DNS, Let’s Encrypt

Summary

NetworkChuck walks through deploying Open WebUI behind a real domain with valid SSL, accessible from anywhere — not just localhost. Uses Cloudflare DNS (free to register or transfer to) + Nginx Proxy Manager (Docker) + Let’s Encrypt. The result: a self-hosted ChatGPT-style local AI dashboard at something like ai.yourdomain.com instead of localhost:3000, with valid HTTPS so browsers don’t yell at you.

The setup

Your domain (Cloudflare DNS)
   ↓
Nginx Proxy Manager (Docker, with Let's Encrypt)
   ↓
Open WebUI container (your AI chat UI)
   ↓
Ollama / Docker Model Runner (the actual model)

Key facts

  • Domain registration: Cloudflare directly (~$1-10/yr) OR existing registrar with nameservers pointed to Cloudflare
  • DNS records: A record at @ + wildcard at * for subdomains, both pointing at the host’s public IP
  • Reverse proxy: Nginx Proxy Manager (Docker); add a proxy host with protocol, forward host/IP, port
  • SSL: Let’s Encrypt via NPM’s built-in integration (DNS-01 challenge through Cloudflare API)
  • Result: Open WebUI accessible at ai.<yourdomain>.com over real HTTPS

Why it matters

This is the wiki’s canonical “expose your local AI dashboard properly” recipe. Until this source, the wiki had Open WebUI as a localhost tool — useful for the developer who installed it, useless for a household or team that wants to share. This recipe turns Open WebUI into a real product surface that anyone in the family or team can use from any device, including a phone on cellular.

Pairs with Wolfgang’s homelab SSL guide from this same batch — both teach the same Nginx Proxy Manager + Let’s Encrypt pattern, but Wolfgang frames it generally (Plex, Sonarr, etc.) and NetworkChuck frames it specifically for Open WebUI. Together they cover the full path from “I have a Docker container on my laptop” to “I have a real AI service my family uses.”

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