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Artificial Intelligencedocker-readypermissive-licenseOpen-Core🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

Rasa: Open-Core alternative to Dialogflow in 2026

Rasa is an open source framework for building chatbots and conversational assistants with full control over the NLU and dialogue flows, an alternative to Dialogflow.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to Dialogflow
License Apache-2.021.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Reduced maintenance

  • Latest release — 3.6.21 · 1 year ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Rasa vs. Dialogflow

Pros

  • Maximum technical control over the bot's behavior

Things to consider

  • Requires more technical knowledge than no-code tools

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Dialogflow.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  rasa:
    image: rasa/rasa:3.6.21
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5005:5005"
    command: ["run", "--enable-api"]
    volumes:
      - rasa_data:/app
volumes:
  rasa_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=rasa" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 2 months ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
Apache-2.0
Category
Artificial Intelligence
Replaces
Dialogflow
Tech stack
Python

Under the hood

Database

SQLite

Language

Python

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Full control over the NLU model
  • Dialogue flows as versionable code
  • Integrations with Slack, web, WhatsApp and more

Preview

Rasa interface preview

Public image provided by Rasa on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:5005
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy