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114 changes: 114 additions & 0 deletions README.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -203,3 +203,117 @@ This project is licenced under **Apache 2.0** for the core (everything outside `
## Credits

ByteChef started as a fork of [Piper](https://github.com/runabol/piper).
## FAQ

### General

**What is ByteChef?**

ByteChef is an open-source platform that unifies AI agent orchestration and workflow automation in one place. Instead of using separate tools for AI agents and automated workflows, ByteChef brings both into a single platform with one orchestration layer, centralized management, and enterprise-grade security.

**How does ByteChef compare to n8n, Zapier, or Temporal?**

- **n8n/Zapier**: Traditional workflow automation tools focused on connecting apps and APIs. ByteChef extends this with native AI agent capabilities, knowledge bases, guardrails, and agentic workflow patterns.
- **Temporal**: A durable execution engine. ByteChef uses its own Atlas runtime (Postgres-backed) and adds visual workflow editing, AI agent components, and 200+ pre-built connectors.

**Is ByteChef suitable for production use?**

Yes. ByteChef is built for enterprise deployments with Docker/Kubernetes support, durable execution, Git-native version control, and enterprise-grade security features.

### Getting Started

**What are the system requirements?**

- Docker Desktop (for Docker Compose setup)
- PostgreSQL database (included in Docker Compose)
- 2GB+ RAM recommended for local development

**How do I install ByteChef?**

The fastest way is Docker Compose:
```bash
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bytechefhq/bytechef/master/docker-compose.yml
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up
```

Then open http://localhost:8080/login and create an account.

### AI Agents

**What LLM providers are supported?**

ByteChef supports 14+ LLM providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex Gemini, Mistral, Groq, DeepSeek, Hugging Face, Nvidia, Perplexity, Stability, Ollama, and OpenRouter.

**What is the AI Agent component?**

The AI Agent component is a drag-and-drop element that runs the full agent loop: model → tool selection → execution → observation → next step. It supports streaming output, structured responses, and integrates with tools, memory, guardrails, and knowledge bases.

**How do tools work in ByteChef?**

Every component in ByteChef can be used as a tool for AI agents. Mark properties with `fromAi("…", "STRING", { required: true })` and the agent fills them at runtime. Sub-workflows can also be exposed as tools.

### Memory and Knowledge

**What memory backends are available?**

ByteChef supports 8 memory backends: JDBC, Redis, MongoDB, Cassandra, Cosmos DB, Neo4j, vector-store-backed, and in-memory.

**What vector stores are supported for RAG?**

15+ vector stores including pgvector, Pinecone, Qdrant, Weaviate, Milvus, Couchbase, Neo4j, Redis, Typesense, MariaDB, Oracle, S3, and a built-in option.

**What RAG patterns are available?**

Two patterns: `rag-modular` for flexible retrieval and `rag-questionanswer` for Q&A workflows.

### Guardrails

**What guardrails are available?**

ByteChef provides 12 guardrails: PII detection, LLM-PII, jailbreak prevention, NSFW filter, topical alignment, keywords filter, secret keys detection, URL filtering, sanitize, custom regex, custom rules, and violation aggregator.

### MCP Integration

**Does ByteChef support MCP?**

Yes, ByteChef supports MCP both as a consumer (use any MCP server as a tool source) and as a provider (expose workflows as MCP tools to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf).

### Workflow Automation

**What flow controls are available?**

ByteChef provides condition, switch, loop, each, parallel, branch, and sub-workflow controls.

**What triggers are supported?**

Webhook, schedule, polling, app-event, manual, and form triggers.

**What programming languages can I use in workflows?**

Polyglot support: Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby via GraalVM.

### Deployment

**How do I deploy ByteChef?**

- **Docker Compose**: Local development
- **Docker**: Manual setup with PostgreSQL
- **Kubernetes**: Production deployments (see documentation)
- **Workflows-as-APIs**: Expose workflows as authenticated HTTP endpoints

**What is Git-native versioning?**

ByteChef workflows are Git-friendly with JSON underneath. Push from the UI, environments backed by branches.

### Enterprise Features

**What enterprise features are available?**

Enterprise features include SSO/SCIM integration, advanced RBAC, microservices deployment, embedded mode, AI Copilot, and audit logging.

### Help & Resources

- **Documentation**: https://docs.bytechef.io
- **Discord**: https://discord.gg/VKvNxHjpYx
- **GitHub Issues**: Report bugs and request features
- **Roadmap**: https://github.com/orgs/bytechefhq/projects/3