Practical overview
When it fits
Use Launchstack when you want a repository-based TypeScript starting point for document-centered AI systems and can run its web app, database and worker infrastructure.
Who it is for
- Developers building AI applications that ingest and organize documents.
- Teams evaluating a self-hosted reference app for document upload and chat.
- TypeScript developers who want to adapt RAG, OCR or knowledge-graph components.
Documented uses
- Build an ingestion and OCR pipeline for a searchable document collection.
- Create a document-based RAG application for querying organized material.
- Add knowledge-graph-backed retrieval and LLM integrations to an AI application.
- Run background processing for document ingestion and knowledge-base updates.
Requirements & limits
The repository is public and licensed under Apache-2.0. The engine packages are not yet published on npm; the documented way to try the project is to run the repository.
- The project is a framework and self-run reference app rather than a hosted document-chat service.
- The non-Docker setup requires PostgreSQL with pgvector and a separate worker for ingestion.
- The README documents Docker lite and OCR-enabled stacks; the OCR option adds Docling for Office documents.
- Chat provider configuration uses CHAT_BASE_URL and CHAT_API_KEY for non-default endpoints; provider-specific variables alone do not configure chat.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Start Launchstack with Docker
Prepare the repository and start its documented lite Docker stack.
Before you start
- Node.js 20 or later
- pnpm 10.15.1
- Docker and Docker Compose
- A configured .env file containing DATABASE_URL and BETTER_AUTH_SECRET
Steps
Clone the Launchstack repository, enter its directory and install dependencies with pnpm.
Copy .env.example to .env and configure the required database URL and authentication secret.
Run the command below to start the lite stack in detached mode.
make up-prodUse the command below to follow logs, the command below to stop while retaining volumes, or the command below to stop and remove volumes.
make logsmake downmake down-clean
Expected outcome
The documented lite Docker stack starts in detached mode; the README estimates about 400 MB RAM for this stack.
Guide limitations
- The OCR-enabled Docker profile adds Docling for Office documents and has a higher documented memory estimate.
- This guide covers startup, not application workflows or a verification of successful deployment.
Prepare a non-Docker development setup
Configure the database and start the web app alongside the worker required for document ingestion.
Before you start
- Node.js 20 or later and pnpm 10.15.1
- PostgreSQL with the pgvector extension
- A configured .env file with DATABASE_URL and BETTER_AUTH_SECRET
Steps
Clone the repository, install dependencies with pnpm, and configure .env.
Run
pnpm --filter @launchstack/web db:migrateto apply both migration sets.Run
pnpm --filter @launchstack/core db:seedif you want the optional sample company, user and document.Start the web app with
pnpm --filter @launchstack/web devand the worker withpnpm --filter @launchstack/worker dev.
Expected outcome
The README's non-Docker development path starts the web app and its separate ingestion worker.
Guide limitations
- Stock PostgreSQL without pgvector is insufficient; the migration runner enables the extension and exits with an error if it is unavailable.
- The web app alone accepts uploads but does not process them; the worker must run alongside it.
- This guide covers setup and startup, not successful execution of an ingestion workflow.
Compare options for Retrieval-augmented applications
These projects document a common task and share a project role. This is a source-based comparison, not an execution benchmark or a guarantee of interchangeability.
| Project | Documented purpose | Platform | Access and requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launchstack | Build an ingestion and OCR pipeline for a searchable document collection. | Cloud, Docker, Self-hosted, Server | The repository is public and licensed under Apache-2.0. The engine packages are not yet published on npm; the documented way to try the project is to run the repository. |
| Langsearch | Crawl website or local data for a knowledge base. | CLI, Self-hosted, Server | |
| Hybrid Search Rag | Combine document retrieval and language-model generation in a configurable workflow. |
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 9 October 2026
- Original website title
- Deodat-Lawson/LaunchStack · Official homepage title · retained in its source language

