Create an AI Chatbot with Next.js & OpenAI API
Hey there! In this post, we unravel a sleek proof of concept (POC) that demonstrates the power of integrating OpenAI’s API into a Next.js chat application.
This project isn’t just a testament to the capabilities of AI in web development; it’s a showcase of how we can inject a bit of character and thematic flair into our user interactions.
Our goal here is simple: We’re building a chatbot that channels the persona of a chivalrous knight, one who may very well have stepped out of a medieval fantasy, except it’s equipped with the intelligence of today’s cutting-edge AI.
This bot will not only respond to users but do so in a manner that’s dramatically knight-like, making for a unique and engaging user experience.
Table of Contents
- Front-End Construction — Laying the Foundation of our Chat Interface
- API Integration — Harnessing the Power of OpenAI
- Displaying Responses — Engineering the Dialogue Flow in Our Chat
- Going Beyond — Ensuring Security Against Prompt Injections and Enhancing Bot Performance
Prerequisites
- Next.js Essentials: You should be familiar with creating Next.js projects, the app routing system, and the fundamentals of hooks and components.
- JavaScript Fundamentals: Proficiency in modern JavaScript (ES6+), including promises, async/await, and event handling, is crucial.
- API Interaction: Experience with making API calls from a JavaScript application is expected, as we’ll be communicating with the OpenAI API.
Step 1: Front-End Construction — Laying the Foundation of our Chat Interface
To embark on this technological quest, the first step is to lay the foundation of our chat application using Next.js 14.
Initializing the Next.js Project
Follow these steps to create a Next.js app using the new App Router in JavaScript with Tailwind CSS for styling:
- Run
npx create-next-app@latest your-project-namein your terminal.