Heat Pump Installer Chatbot Frontend

The HPI Chatbot Frontend is a user-friendly interface for interacting with the Heat Pump Installer Chatbot, built using Streamlit and containerised with Docker for seamless deployment and scalability.

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🚀 Features

• Streamlit-based Frontend: Leverages Streamlit for an interactive and intuitive chatbot experience.
• Dockerized Deployment: Simplifies environment setup and ensures consistency across different platforms.
• Customisable: Easily configurable to integrate with various chatbot backends.
• Lightweight & Portable: Run anywhere Docker is supported.

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🛠️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Docker
• Docker Compose

🔧 Configuration

The application uses environment variables for configuration. Create a .env file in the project root based on the .env.template file.

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▶️ Running the Application

Using Docker Compose

To start the application using Docker Compose:

1. Build and run the Docker container:

   docker-compose up --build

2. Access the application in your browser at: http://localhost:8501

Standalone Docker Command

To run the app without Docker Compose:

1. Build the Docker image: docker build -t hpi-chatbot-frontend .
2. Run the container: docker run -p 8501:8501 --env-file .env hpi-chatbot-frontend

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🧪 Testing and Development

To test the app locally:

1. Run the app without Docker:
   streamlit run app/main.py

2. Ensure you have Python and the required dependencies installed:
   pip install -r requirements.txt

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🏗️ Building for Production

For a production-ready deployment:

1. Build the Docker image:
   docker build -t hpi-chatbot-frontend .

2. Push the image to a container registry (e.g., Docker Hub, AWS ECR):
   docker tag hpi-chatbot-frontend <your-registry>/hpi-chatbot-frontend
docker push <your-registry>/hpi-chatbot-frontend

3. Deploy the image on a platform like Kubernetes, AWS ECS, or Azure Container Apps.

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🛠️ Technologies Used

• Streamlit: For creating the frontend.
• Docker: For containerization.
• Python: Backend logic and integrations.
• Docker Compose: Simplified multi-container management.

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Follow these steps to get started:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Clone your fork:
   git clone https://github.com/your-username/hpi_chatbot_frontend.git
3. Create a new branch for your feature:
   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
4. Commit your changes:
   git commit -m "Add your message here"
5. Push your branch and create a pull request.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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📧 Support

For support, open an issue in the GitHub repository.