Live Helper Chat is an open-source, self-hosted live support application designed for websites, offering features for customer service, engagement, and bot integration. It targets businesses and individuals needing a robust, customizable chat solution for customer interaction, with capabilities for handling high volumes of chats and integrating with various communication channels and AI services.

How It Works

The system is built on PHP and utilizes a modular architecture. For high-load scenarios, it leverages Elasticsearch for fast statistics and a Node.js background worker for offloading heavy tasks. It supports a wide array of integrations, including AI bots (Rasa, ChatGPT, Gemini, Ollama), messaging platforms (Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger), and authentication methods (Google, SSO). The architecture allows for extensive customization through template and module overrides, and a REST API facilitates third-party integrations.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Clone the repository and run composer install (PHP 8.2+ required), then access lhc_web/index.php in a browser. Alternatively, download releases from the releases page.
• Development: Requires npm and gulp for compiling frontend assets.
• Documentation: https://doc.livehelperchat.com/
• Demo: http://livehelperchat.com/demo-12c.html

Highlighted Details

• Supports Voice, Video, and ScreenShare via Agora (paid) or Jitsi (free).
• Extensive AI bot integration capabilities, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Ollama.
• Scalable architecture with Elasticsearch and Node.js for high-volume chat handling (tens of thousands per day).
• Native desktop applications for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Maintenance & Community

• Forum: https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat/discussions
• Discord: https://discord.gg/YsZXQVh

Licensing & Compatibility

• The project appears to be primarily licensed under the MIT License, allowing for commercial use and closed-source linking.

Limitations & Caveats

• The Flutter mobile app and Agora integration for Voice/Video/ScreenShare are paid features. Some AI integrations may incur costs from third-party providers.