# Customizing and Creating Derivative Applications
This document outlines how to develop applications derived from big-AGI.
## Manual Customization
Application customization _requires manual code modifications or the use of environment variables_. Currently, **there is no admin panel to "managed" deployment customization** for enterprise use cases.
| Required Code Alteration | Not Required |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Persona changes
- UI theme customization
- Feature additions or modifications | - Setting API keys in [environment variables](environment-variables.md)
- Toggling features with environment variables |
| Apply these to the source code before building the application | Set these post-build on local machines or cloud deployment, before application launch |
## Code Alterations
Start by creating a fork of the [big-AGI repository](https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI) on GitHub for a personal development space.
Understand the Architecture: big-AGI uses Next.js, React for the front end, and Node.js (Next.js edge functions) for the back end.
### Add Authentication
This necessitates a code change (file renaming) before build initiation, detailed in [deploy-authentication.md](deploy-authentication.md).
### Increase Vercel Functions Timeout
For long-running operations, Vercel allows paid deployments to increase the timeout on Functions.
Note that this applies to old-style Vercel Functions (based on Node.js) and not the new Edge Functions.
At time of writing, big-AGI has only 2 operations that run on Node.js Functions:
browsing (fetching web pages) and sharing. They both can exceed 10 seconds, especially
when fetching large pages or waiting for websites to be completed.
From the Vercel Project > Settings > General > Build & Development Settings,
you can for instance set the build command to:
```bash
next build
```
### Change the Personas (v1.x only)
Edit the `src/data.ts` file to customize personas. This file houses the default personas. You can add, remove, or modify these to meet your project's needs.
- [ ] Modify `src/data.ts` to alter default personas
### Change the UI
Adapt the UI to match your project's aesthetic, incorporate new features, or exclude unnecessary ones.
- [ ] Adjust `src/common/app.theme.ts` for theme changes: colors, spacing, button appearance, animations, etc
- [ ] Modify `src/common/app.config.tsx` to alter the application's name
- [ ] Update `src/common/app.nav.tsx` to revise the navigation bar
### Add a Message of the Day
You can display a temporary announcement banner at the top of the app using the `NEXT_PUBLIC_MOTD` environment variable.
- Set this variable in your deployment environment
- The message supports template variables:
- `{{app_build_hash}}`: Current git commit hash
- `{{app_build_pkgver}}`: Package version
- `{{app_build_time}}`: Build timestamp as date
- `{{app_deployment_type}}`: Deployment type (local, docker, vercel, etc.)
- Users can dismiss the message (until next page refresh)
- Use it for version announcements, maintenance notices, or feature highlights
Example: `NEXT_PUBLIC_MOTD=🚀 New features available in {{app_build_pkgver}}! Try the improved Beam.`
## Testing & Deployment
Test your application thoroughly using local development (refer to README.md for local build instructions). Deploy using your preferred hosting service. big-AGI supports deployment on platforms like Vercel, Docker, or any Node.js-compatible service, especially those supporting NextJS's "Edge Runtime."
- [deploy-cloudflare.md](deploy-cloudflare.md): for Cloudflare Workers deployment
- [deploy-docker.md](deploy-docker.md): for Docker deployment instructions and examples
- [deploy-k8s.md](deploy-k8s.md): for Kubernetes deployment instructions and examples
## Debugging
The application includes a client-side logging system. You can view recent logs via the UI (Settings > Tools > Logs).
For deeper debugging during development:
1. **Debug Page**: Access the `/info/debug` page for an overview of the application's environment, configuration, API status, and environment variables available to the client.
2. **Conditional Breakpoints**: To automatically pause execution in your browser's developer tools when critical errors (`error`, `critical`, `DEV` levels) are logged to the console, set the following environment variable in your local `.env.local` file and restart your development server:
```bash
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEBUG_BREAKS=true
```
This allows you to inspect the application state at the exact moment an important error occurs. This feature only works in development mode (`npm run dev`) and requires the environment variable to be explicitly set to `true`.
## Community Projects - Share Your Project
After deployment, share your project with the community. We will link to your project to help others discover and learn from your work.
| Project | Features | GitHub |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 🚀 CoolAGI: Where AI meets Imagination
 | Code Interpreter, Vision, Mind maps, Web Searches, Advanced Data Analytics, Large Data Handling and more! | [nextgen-user/CoolAGI](https://github.com/nextgen-user/CoolAGI) |
| HL-GPT | Fully remodeled UI | [harlanlewis/nextjs-chatgpt-app](https://github.com/harlanlewis/nextjs-chatgpt-app) |
For public projects, update your README.md with your modifications and submit a pull request to add your project to our list, aiding in its discovery.
## Best Practices
- **Stay Updated**: Frequently merge updates from the main big-AGI repository to incorporate bug fixes and new features.
- **Keep It Open Source**: Consider maintaining your derivative as open source to foster community contributions.
- **Engage with the Community**: Leverage platforms like GitHub, Discord, or Reddit for feedback, collaboration, and project promotion.
Developing a derivative application is an opportunity to explore new possibilities with AI and share your innovations with the global community. We look forward to seeing your contributions.