BuildShip with Webstudio - Adding AI Assistant to your website
TLDRIn this live stream, the host is joined by OLG, the founder of Web Studio, to demonstrate how to integrate AI assistants into a website using BuildShip and Web Studio. They discuss the capabilities of BuildShip, a low-code backend builder that allows users to create APIs, scheduled jobs, and AI workflows visually. The session covers building a chat widget that interfaces with Google Sheets and showcases how to connect it with Web Studio for a seamless front-end and back-end development experience. The host also explores the potential of using BuildShip for various operational and AI workflow use cases, emphasizing the flexibility and customization options available to users. The discussion is complemented by a Q&A segment addressing queries about real-time events, e-commerce integrations, and building CMS-driven sites with Web Studio.
Takeaways
- 🚀 **BuildShip Overview**: BuildShip is a visual low-code backend builder that allows users to create APIs, scheduled jobs, AI workflows, and more through a visual, step-by-step interface.
- 🌐 **Web Studio Introduction**: Web Studio is designed to build flexible frontends without backend complexities, focusing on providing the best visual frontend experience without writing code.
- 🤖 **AI Assistant Integration**: The session focuses on integrating AI assistants into websites, showcasing how they can be connected to databases like Google Sheets for dynamic interactions.
- 🔗 **Frontend-Backend Decoupling**: Emphasizes the importance of decoupling frontend and backend to allow for flexibility in building the frontend and choosing the appropriate backend services.
- 📚 **Google Sheets Integration**: Demonstrates using Google Sheets as a data source for AI assistants to provide informed responses based on the website's content and company's products.
- 📈 **Customizability and Flexibility**: Highlights the ability to customize and place components anywhere in the frontend, showcasing the flexibility of using Web Studio and BuildShip together.
- 🔧 **API Endpoint Utilization**: Once a workflow is shipped, an instant API endpoint is generated, which can be used in various frontend applications for data retrieval and actions.
- 📝 **Documentation and Resources**: Points to the availability of documentation, video tutorials, and community support on Discord for both BuildShip and Web Studio to help new users get started.
- 🔄 **Real-time Data Handling**: Discusses the potential for real-time data handling and streaming responses, which could be a future enhancement for both platforms.
- ⚙️ **E-commerce and CMS Integration**: Addresses the possibility of integrating with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and building CMS-driven sites, indicating upcoming support and integrations.
- ✅ **Server-Side Rendering**: Notes the advantage of server-side rendering in Web Studio, which allows for SEO-friendly and fast-loading web pages that are cached on the edge.
Q & A
What is the primary function of BuildShip?
-BuildShip is a visual low-code backend builder that allows users to create APIs, scheduled jobs, AI workflows, and other backend functionalities in a visual, step-by-step manner. It enables the creation of an instant API through a drag-and-drop interface and AI-generated nodes.
How does Web Studio differ from BuildShip?
-Web Studio is focused on building flexible frontends without backend complexities. It provides a visual interface for designing the user interface without writing code, while BuildShip specializes in the backend API and workflow creation.
What is the significance of combining Web Studio and BuildShip for app development?
-Combining Web Studio and BuildShip allows developers to create a complete app experience. Web Studio handles the frontend design, and BuildShip manages the backend logic, databases, and dynamic content, making the overall app development process seamless and efficient.
How can AI assistants be integrated into a website using BuildShip and Web Studio?
-AI assistants can be integrated into a website by using BuildShip to create a workflow that connects with an AI service like OpenAI and then leveraging Web Studio to design a chat widget interface for the frontend. This allows users to interact with the AI assistant through the website.
What is the process of connecting a Google Sheet to a BuildShip workflow?
-In BuildShip, you can add a Google Sheets node to your workflow. You provide the URL and authenticate to access the Google Sheet data. This data can then be used in the AI assistant's responses to provide meaningful information to users.
How does the chat widget builder in BuildShip work?
-The chat widget builder in BuildShip allows you to plug in the endpoint URL of your workflow. You can customize the widget's appearance and behavior, such as adding a title or greeting message. Once set up, you can copy the widget's code snippet and embed it into any frontend platform.
What are the steps to connect a frontend to a BuildShip API?
-To connect a frontend to a BuildShip API, you need to perform a REST API call, which can be a GET or POST request. The API endpoint URL is used in the frontend to trigger the backend workflow. You may also test the workflow and use the API endpoint in your frontend application.
How can BuildShip be used for operational use cases?
-BuildShip can be used for various operational use cases by setting up workflows that trigger based on specific events, such as API calls, Stripe payments, or database changes. These workflows can automate tasks, process data, and integrate with various tools and services.
What are the benefits of using Web Studio for building a frontend?
-Web Studio offers a visual, no-code interface for building frontends, allowing for flexibility and customization without writing code. It also supports server-rendered components, which can be beneficial for SEO and performance, and provides a cloud-based platform for easy deployment and management.
How can users get started with Web Studio?
-New users can get started with Web Studio by visiting the documentation site, watching tutorials on the official YouTube channel, and joining the community on Discord for support. Web Studio also offers a learning page with resources and documentation to help users understand and utilize the platform effectively.
What is the potential for integrating BuildShip with e-commerce platforms like Shopify?
-BuildShip has the potential to integrate with e-commerce platforms like Shopify by using API calls to perform actions such as listing cart items or updating the shopping cart. Although a direct integration may not be available initially, users can leverage BuildShip's AI-generated nodes and other tools to simplify the connection process.
Outlines
🚀 Introduction to BuildShip and Web Studio
The video begins with an introduction to BuildShip, a visual low-code backend builder that allows users to create APIs, scheduled jobs, and AI workflows in a visual, step-by-step manner. Web Studio is also introduced as a tool for building flexible front ends without the complexity of backends. The host expresses excitement about combining both tools to build a complete app-building experience.
🌐 Building a Workflow with Templates and AI Nodes
The host demonstrates how to use BuildShip's templates to start building a workflow, focusing on a chat with Google Sheets template. The process involves setting up an API trigger, adding nodes like an assistant node that connects to OpenAI, and using AI to generate missing nodes. The assistant node is configured with detailed instructions for the AI's role, such as being a home specialist with knowledge about furniture products.
📚 Integrating with Google Sheets and Notion
The video continues with the integration of Google Sheets into the workflow to provide the AI with information about products. The host also shows how to add additional tools to the assistant, using Notion as an example to fetch a FAQ page. The process of adding and configuring nodes for different functionalities is detailed, emphasizing the flexibility and customization options.
🔗 Creating a Project in Web Studio and Widget Integration
The host moves on to Web Studio, where they create a new project and demonstrate how to integrate a widget from BuildShip into the front end. They discuss the possibility of using either a provided widget or directly using the API to build a custom front end. The process includes adding a chat widget, customizing it, and ensuring it runs on the client side without server rendering.
🤖 Building a Backend Workflow for a Frontend Chat Interface
The host outlines the steps for connecting a frontend to a backend API, emphasizing the simplicity of triggering a workflow with a GET or POST request. They create a simple 'Hello World' example to illustrate the process, showing how to ship the workflow and obtain a URL endpoint for frontend use.
📝 Designing the Frontend Chat Interface
The host focuses on designing the frontend chat interface in Web Studio, using boxes to create a form for user input and a button for submission. They discuss the importance of layout and styling, as well as the use of system variables to handle form submissions and interact with the backend API.
🔗 Connecting the Frontend to the Backend API
The process of connecting the frontend form to the backend API is detailed, including capturing user input from the URL query string and setting up a POST request to send the message to the backend. The host also discusses how to structure the JSON body for the request and the importance of setting the correct content type headers.
📈 Viewing Logs and Debugging the Workflow
The host shows how to view logs in BuildShip to verify that the backend is receiving requests correctly. They also discuss debugging techniques, such as checking the response from the AI and ensuring that the frontend is correctly rendering the received messages.
📝 Customizing the Chat Experience and Handling Responses
The host customizes the chat experience by adjusting the frontend to handle different types of responses from the backend. They address issues related to rendering responses and ensuring that the chat interface updates dynamically with new messages.
🔍 Exploring Real-time Integrations and Future Possibilities
The host explores the potential for real-time event listening and streaming responses, suggesting that these features could be integral to future developments. They discuss the possibility of a universal real-time interface and the benefits it could bring to event-driven applications.
🛍️ Integration with E-commerce Platforms and CMS
The host addresses questions about integrating with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and building CMS-driven sites with Web Studio. They discuss the potential for using templates and AI-generated nodes to simplify integration with various APIs and building complex CMS systems.
✂️ Combining Visual Building with Frameworks and Final Thoughts
The host discusses the possibility of combining visual building experiences with frameworks like Next.js and the potential for hosting Web Studio on Vercel. They emphasize the flexibility of using Web Studio components within different frameworks and the future of building complex, enterprise-grade websites with Web Studio.
📚 Creating a CMS with Web Studio and Database Integration
The host talks about creating a CMS using Web Studio by connecting it to databases like Airtable or using an inbuilt database service. They highlight the ability to manage Firestore data through a spreadsheet-like UI and serve it via an API to Web Studio, effectively building a custom CMS solution.
📝 Conclusion and Invitation for Further Engagement
The session concludes with a summary of the capabilities demonstrated and an invitation for viewers to join Discord for further questions and engagement. The host expresses excitement about the potential for future sessions and encourages viewers to send in questions and topics for demonstration.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡BuildShip
💡Web Studio
💡API
💡AI Assistant
💡Google Sheets
💡Workflow
💡Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
💡Chat Widget
💡Open AI
💡Low-Code
💡Cloud Functions
Highlights
BuildShip is a visual low-code backend builder that allows users to create APIs, scheduled jobs, and AI workflows in a step-by-step manner.
Web Studio is a tool designed to build flexible front-end experiences without the complexity of backend systems.
Combining BuildShip and Web Studio provides a complete app-building experience, with Web Studio handling the front end and BuildShip the backend.
The session demonstrates building AI assistants and integrating them with a website, using data from Google Sheets.
BuildShip offers templates to start with, reducing the complexity of starting from scratch.
Users can trigger workflows with API calls, either GET or POST requests, and pass on incoming inputs to the next node in the workflow.
BuildShip enables the use of AI to generate missing nodes in a workflow based on the provided input and desired logic.
Web Studio allows for the creation of a front end that can connect to any backend, providing flexibility and a seamless user experience.
The integration of AI assistants with databases like Google Sheets enables dynamic and informative interactions on websites.
Web Studio's cloud-based rendering allows for server-rendered widgets that can be easily embedded and customized.
BuildShip provides an endpoint URL after 'shipping' a workflow, which can be used in any front-end application.
Web Studio's visual development approach enables users to customize components without writing code, offering a high level of flexibility.
The live session showcases how to structure a chat widget for a website, including handling user inputs and displaying AI responses.
BuildShip's assistant node connects to OpenAI, allowing users to create and utilize AI assistants within the platform.
Web Studio's approach to server-rendering ensures that the front end is SEO-friendly, cached on the edge, and provides fast performance.
The session discusses future capabilities, such as integrating with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and building internal dashboards.
BuildShip's AI-generated nodes and webhooks enable the creation of complex backend processes without extensive coding.
Web Studio is developing a universal method to connect any CMS through an HTTP API, allowing for a flexible and scalable front-end experience.
The live demonstration highlights the potential for real-time event handling and streaming responses in web development.