How to Use Dify in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide
Open-source LLM app development platform that lets developers and teams build, deploy, and operate AI applications with a visual workflow builder.
Dify is an open-source platform for building and operating AI-powered applications, combining a visual workflow editor with backend infrastructure for LLM apps. It supports over 100 LLM providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, and local models via Ollama, and provides tools for building chatbots, AI agents, RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) pipelines, and automated workflows. The platform includes a prompt IDE, visual agent orchestration, a built-in vector database for knowledge retrieval, and monitoring and observability tools. Dify can be self-hosted or used via Dify Cloud. With over 100,000 GitHub stars and adoption by tens of thousands of organizations, it has become one of the most popular frameworks for enterprise AI application development. Particularly valued for its accessibility: teams can build sophisticated AI workflows without deep ML expertise.
What You'll Need
- A Dify account (free to create)
- A modern web browser or the Dify app
- Payment method for paid features
Getting Started
Create Your Account
Visit https://dify.ai and sign up for a freemium account. You'll need an email address to register. A free tier is available — you can upgrade later for more features.
Start Your First Conversation
Once logged in, you'll see the main chat interface. Type a question or task in the input box and press Enter. Dify supports visual workflow builder, RAG pipelines, agent orchestration, 100+ LLM providers, self-hosted, prompt IDE, knowledge base, observability — start with a simple text prompt to get familiar.
Pro Tips
- Be specific: The more context you provide, the better the response. Instead of "write an email," try "write a professional follow-up email to a client who hasn't responded in two weeks."
- Iterate: If you don't get what you need, ask for clarification or refinement: "Make it shorter" or "Use a more formal tone."
- Use examples: Show Dify what format you want by including an example in your prompt.
- Save useful conversations: Most platforms let you name and revisit conversations — organize by project or topic.
Common Use Cases
Programming & Code
AI assistants focused on writing, debugging, and explaining code across programming languages.
Browse Programming & Code chatbots →Productivity
AI tools for task management, scheduling, summarization, and workflow optimization.
Browse Productivity chatbots →Troubleshooting
- Responses seem generic or unhelpful
- Add more context to your prompt. Specify the audience, tone, length, and format you need. Try starting over with a clearer description of your goal.
- The tool isn't responding or is slow
- AI chatbots can experience high traffic. Refresh the page and try again. Check the service's status page if issues persist.
- Output is too long or too short
- Explicitly specify the length: "in 100 words," "as a brief summary," or "in detail with examples."
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Dify free to use?
- Dify has a free tier. Paid plans start from 59.
- Do I need an account to use Dify?
- Yes, you need to create an account to use Dify.
- What can I use Dify for?
- Open-source LLM app development platform that lets developers and teams build, deploy, and operate AI applications with a visual workflow builder.
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