What Dify is
Dify is a platform for developing agentic workflows and LLM applications. It combines low-code/no-code interfaces, RAG, orchestration, model providers, tools, prompt management, deployment, and self-hosting/cloud options.
It sits between a simple API chatbot and a full AI application platform. Users can build a workflow, connect a knowledge base, configure a model provider, publish an app, and operate it as a product surface.
What is inside and how it is used
Self-hosted entry shape
This example shows the project shape and the usual way it is used.
git clone https://github.com/langgenius/dify.git
cd dify/docker
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -dDify is useful for teams shipping AI features: support bots, internal assistants, RAG search, agent workflows, and prototype-to-production flows. Its strength is the product layer around models, not only an SDK.
Strengths and limits
Low-code does not remove architecture. Data, evals, permissions, prompt changes, cost, observability, and edition/licensing terms still matter. A complex workflow is still software.