# Overview (/desktop)

<Callout type="info">
**Jan 0.8.4 is now live!** Native web search and fetch tools, per-model chat-template kwargs for llama.cpp, a token counter for remote and MLX providers, settings and credentials moved into a backend store, and a batch of chat, MCP, provider, and streaming fixes. [See the full changelog.](https://jan.ai/changelog/2026-07-21-jan-v0.8.4)
</Callout>

Jan is an open-source replacement for Claude and ChatGPT. It comes with built-in foundation models and an application ecosystem that runs entirely on your hardware, keeping your data private and giving you full ownership over your AI.

## Get Started [#get-started]

<DocCards>
  <DocCard title="Quickstart" href="/desktop/quickstart" icon={<Rocket size={20} />}>Install Jan on macOS, Windows, or Linux and chat with AI in minutes — no account needed.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Models" href="/desktop/jan-models/jan-code-4b" icon={<Package size={20} />}>Jan ships with foundation models built for reasoning, agents, and deep research — ready to run on your computer.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Cowork (Preview)" href="/desktop/cowork" icon={<Hammer size={20} />}>Give Jan a task and it works on it autonomously — files, commands, and web research.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Agents" href="/agent" icon={<Bot size={20} />}>Autonomous AI agents that run on your hardware — read files, manage calendars, and take actions via WhatsApp, Discord, or Slack.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Integrations" href="/desktop/integrations/claude-code" icon={<Plug size={20} />}>Connect Jan with Claude Code, OpenClaw, MCP servers, and more.</DocCard>
</DocCards>

## Ecosystem [#ecosystem]

<DocCards>
  <DocCard title="Jan Desktop" href="/desktop/quickstart" icon={<Monitor size={20} />}>macOS, Windows, and Linux apps with full offline support.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Jan Web" href="https://chat.jan.ai" icon={<Globe size={20} />}>Jan in the browser — a direct alternative to chatgpt.com.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Jan Server" href="/desktop/api-server" icon={<Server size={20} />}>Run a local OpenAI-compatible API server on your machine.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Jan Models" href="/desktop/jan-models/jan-code-4b" icon={<Brain size={20} />}>Optimized for reasoning, agents, and deep research — built to match frontier AI capabilities and small enough to run on your personal computer.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Jan CLI" href="/desktop/cli" icon={<Terminal size={20} />}>Serve local models and launch autonomous agents from your terminal using Jan's local AI.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Jan Platform" href="https://jan.ai" icon={<Layers size={20} />}>The infrastructure layer for building AI products on top of Jan. (Coming Soon)</DocCard>
</DocCards>

## Community [#community]

<DocCards>
  <DocCard title="Discord" href="https://discord.gg/FTk2MvZwJH" icon={<MessageCircle size={20} />}>Join the Jan community — get help, share your setup, and talk local AI.</DocCard>
  <DocCard title="Reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/askjan/" icon={<MessageCircle size={20} />}>Ask questions, share setups, and discuss local AI on r/askjan.</DocCard>
</DocCards>

## Principles [#principles]

- [Open source](https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/open-source-culture-9-core-principles-and-values): [Apache 2.0](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0) licensed, built in public.
- No [vendor lock-in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in): Switch freely between local and frontier models.
- [Right to Repair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair): Inspect, audit, and modify your AI stack.

## Acknowledgements [#acknowledgements]

Jan exists because we've borrowed, learned, and built on the work of others.

- [llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cpp) and [GGML](https://github.com/ggerganov/ggml) for efficient inference
- [r/LocalLLaMA](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/) for ideas, feedback, and debate
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) for MCP integrations
- The open-source community for contributions, bug reports, and improvements