AI WORLDHost a simple AI web app on Hugging Face Spaces without coding
Learn how to copy, customise, and publish your own free, interactive AI demo in minutes.
Hook: Want to show off a cool AI tool to your friends or colleagues, but don't know how to code an app from scratch? This guide will show you how to find a ready-made AI app, customise it, and launch it on the web for free.
- Create a free account: Head to the Hugging Face website and sign up. Hugging Face is like a giant, open-source library where people share AI models (the smart "brains" behind AI) and code.
- No software needed: Everything we do today happens inside your web browser.
Explore the Spaces library
First, let's find a simple app to copy. Hugging Face has a feature called Spaces (hosting environments that let you run mini web applications directly in your browser).
- Once logged in, click on Spaces in the main top menu.
- You will see a list of popular, trending apps. In the search bar at the top of the Spaces page, search for a simple utility, such as a "text summariser" or "image generator".
- Click on one of the search results to open it. Look for an app that uses Gradio or Streamlit (these are just user-friendly tools that turn AI models into pretty, clickable web pages).
Duplicate the Space
To make this app your own without writing any code, we are going to "duplicate" it. Think of duplicating like taking a digital photocopy of the entire project so you can control it in your own account.
- Look at the top right-hand corner of the Space you have opened.
- Click the button with three vertical dots (or a settings gear, depending on current website layouts).
- Select Duplicate this Space from the dropdown menu.
Customise your settings
A new screen will appear, asking how you want to set up your copied app. This is where you make it yours.
- Owner: This will show your username.
- Space name: Give your app a unique, friendly name. Use lowercase letters and hyphens.
- Visibility: Choose Public if you want to share the link with friends, or Private if you want to keep it to yourself.
- Hardware: Keep this on the Free CPU basic tier. Hugging Face offers powerful paid computers to run heavy apps, but the free option is perfect for simple tools.
Launch and run your web app
Once you click the Duplicate Space button at the bottom of the form, Hugging Face will start assembling your app.
- You will see a status bar at the top showing "Building". This means the system is setting up the computer in the background to run your app.
- Wait two to three minutes. Once the status changes to a green "Running" badge, your app is live!
- Type a prompt into your new app and click the action button to see it work.
- Selecting paid hardware: When duplicating, make sure you do not accidentally select a paid GPU (graphics processing unit—a powerful chip used for heavy AI tasks). Always stick to the option marked "Free" so you do not get billed.
- Changing files by mistake: Your Space has a tab called "Files and versions". Avoid editing these unless you want to dive into the code. The app works perfectly fine out of the box.
Open Hugging Face in a new tab, search for a simple "AI chatbot" Space, and click the duplicate button. Within five minutes, you will have your very own custom chat page to share.
✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World Co.'s AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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