> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://chatjs.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Web

> Run ChatJS as a web app in development and production

ChatJS is a web app first. When you scaffold a new project, the browser experience is the default runtime: local development, production deployments, authentication, model access, and all core product features work on the web without any extra platform wrapper.

## What you get by default

The generated app is a standard Next.js application with the ChatJS product stack already wired in:

* App Router-based UI and routes
* Authentication with Better Auth
* Streaming chat, tools, attachments, and projects
* Model gateways and provider configuration
* Production deployment support for Vercel, Docker, and self-hosted environments

If you do nothing platform-specific, you are building and shipping the web app.

## Development

The normal development flow is:

```bash theme={null}
npx @chat-js/cli@latest create my-app
cd my-app
bun install
bun run dev
```

That starts the ChatJS web app locally, usually at `http://localhost:3000`.

For the full setup flow, environment variables, and first-run checklist, see [Quickstart](/quickstart).

## Production deployment

You can deploy the web app to any environment that supports Next.js. ChatJS documents three common paths:

* [Vercel](/deployment/vercel) for the recommended hosted setup
* [Docker](/deployment/docker) for containerized deployment
* [Self-hosted](/deployment/self-hosted) for general Node.js platforms

The production base URL comes from `appUrl` in `chat.config.ts`, and that value is also reused by other platform integrations like the desktop app.

## Relationship to Desktop

The desktop app is an optional Electron wrapper around this same web app. It loads your deployed ChatJS site in a native shell and adds desktop-specific behavior such as deep-link auth, tray integration, and auto-updates.

If you want the native desktop wrapper, see [Desktop](/platforms/desktop).