🤖 FAQ-Chatbot

A modern AI-powered chatbot with intelligent knowledge base search and LLM integration, built with Vue 3 and Node.js.

🔗 Live Demo

Try the Live Demo | Video Demo

📋 Overview

This project demonstrates a full-stack chatbot application with dual operational modes:

• FAQ Mode: Intelligent search through structured knowledge bases with fuzzy matching
• AI Assistant Mode: OpenRouter API integration with Google Gemma 3 for conversational AI

Built as a technical showcase demonstrating modern web development practices, component architecture, and AI integration patterns.

✨ Key Features

🧠 Intelligent Search System

• Multi-layered Search: Exact match → Keyword detection → Fuzzy search → PDF fallback
• Semantic Understanding: Synonym handling and context-aware responses
• PDF Processing: Automatic document parsing and content extraction

🤖 AI Integration

• OpenRouter API: Integration with Google Gemma 3 model (free tier)
• Conversation Management: Stateful chat with conversation history
• Mode Switching: Seamless transition between FAQ and AI modes

🎨 Modern Frontend

• Vue 3 Composition API: Component-based architecture with reactive state
• Real-time UI: Typing indicators, loading states, and smooth animations
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with elegant chat interface

🔧 Developer Experience

• Hot Reload: Development servers with live updates
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error boundaries and fallback responses
• API Documentation: Well-documented RESTful endpoints

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• Vue 3 - Progressive JavaScript framework with Composition API
• Vite - Fast build tool and development server
• Axios - HTTP client for API communication
• CSS3 - Custom animations and responsive design

Backend

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime environment
• Express.js - Web application framework
• Fuse.js - Powerful fuzzy search library
• PDF-Parse - PDF text extraction utility

AI & APIs

• OpenRouter API - LLM gateway service
• Google Gemma 3 - Large language model (free tier)
• REST Architecture - Clean API design patterns

DevOps & Tools

• Git - Version control with conventional commits
• npm workspaces - Monorepo dependency management
• Environment Configuration - Secure API key management

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ and npm
• OpenRouter API key (free tier available)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/NelakaWith/faq-chatbot.git
   cd faq-chatbot

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure environment

   cd backend
   cp .env.example .env
   # Add your OPENROUTER_API_KEY to .env

4. Start development servers

   Backend (Terminal 1):

   cd backend
   npm run dev

   Frontend (Terminal 2):

   cd frontend
   npm run dev

5. Access the application

   • Frontend: http://localhost:5173
   • Backend API: http://localhost:3000
   • API Health: http://localhost:3000/health

Windows Quick Start

# Run the included batch file
run-demo.bat

📚 Project Structure

faq-chatbot/
├── backend/              # Express.js API server
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── controllers/   # Request handlers
│   │   ├── routes/        # API endpoints
│   │   ├── services/      # Business logic
│   │   └── utils/         # Helper functions
│   ├── data/             # Knowledge base JSON files
│   └── server.js         # Entry point
├── frontend/             # Vue 3 SPA
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/    # Vue components
│   │   ├── composables/   # Reusable logic
│   │   └── styles/        # CSS modules
│   └── vite.config.js
├── documents/            # PDF knowledge base
├── .github/workflows/    # CI/CD automation
└── README.md

🧪 API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/chat	FAQ knowledge base search
POST	/api/chat/llm	OpenRouter AI conversation
GET	/api/status	Service status and metrics
GET	/api/health	Health check endpoint

📖 Key Learnings

Technical Implementation

• Vue 3 Composables: Learned reactive state management and composition patterns
• API Integration: Implemented secure proxy patterns for external API consumption
• Search Algorithms: Built multi-tier search with fallback strategies
• Component Architecture: Designed reusable, maintainable component structures

Best Practices

• Error Handling: Implemented comprehensive error boundaries and user feedback
• State Management: Used reactive patterns for real-time UI updates
• API Design: Created RESTful endpoints with proper status codes and responses
• Security: Implemented environment-based configuration and API key protection

Problem Solving

• Performance: Optimized search algorithms for large knowledge bases
• User Experience: Added loading states, animations, and contextual feedback
• Scalability: Designed modular architecture for easy feature expansion

🚧 Future Improvements

Short-term Enhancements

• Vector Search: Implement semantic search with embeddings
• User Authentication: Add login/logout and conversation persistence
• Chat History: Save and restore previous conversations
• File Upload: Allow users to upload documents for analysis

Advanced Features

• Multi-model Support: Add support for GPT-4, Claude, and other LLMs
• Voice Integration: Implement speech-to-text and text-to-speech
• Admin Dashboard: Content management interface for knowledge base
• Analytics: Usage tracking and conversation analytics

Technical Improvements

• Testing Suite: Unit tests, integration tests, and E2E testing
• Docker Deployment: Containerization for easy deployment
• CDN Integration: Asset optimization and global distribution
• Monitoring: Application performance monitoring and alerting

⚠️ Default Chat Mode Change

• The default chat mode is now LLM-powered chat (llm).
• Users will start in LLM mode instead of FAQ mode.
• Ensure you have configured a valid API key (OpenRouter, Gemini, or Groq) in your backend .env before first launch, or the chat may not function.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines for details on our code of conduct and development process.

👨‍💻 Author

Nelaka Withanage

• GitHub: @NelakaWith
• Portfolio: nelakawith.netlify.app
• LinkedIn: in/nelaka-withanage/

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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Built with ❤️ using Express.js, Vue.js, and the OpenRouter API