Build a GPT-3 Powered App with NextJS and Replit in 20 Minutes

Why Should You Build a GPT-3 Powered App?

Dive into the revolutionary world of Artificial Intelligence with OpenAI's GPT-3. In less than 20 minutes, you'll learn how to harness the immense capabilities of a 175 billion parameter text transformer to develop your own application. This tutorial is designed for individuals with foundational skills in React and NextJS, guiding you step by step through the easy process of creating and deploying a web application.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have a basic understanding of React and NextJS. If you're new to these technologies, don't worry—plenty of resources are available online to help you get up to speed.

Setting Up Replit and Importing Your Project from GitHub

The first step is to create an account on Replit, which will allow you to import and initialize your project smoothly. This setup enables you to view updates in real-time as you develop.

Getting Started with Replit

Log in to Replit or create a new account.
Click the + sign in the top right corner to create a new project.
Import the GPT-3 boilerplate from GitHub to kickstart your project. Use the following link:

GitHub URL: GPT-3 NextJS Tailwind Starter

Click the Import from GitHub button.

Installing Dependencies & Configuring Your Project

To begin, you will need your GPT-3 API key from OpenAI. If you do not have one, visit OpenAI's website to sign up.

Integrating Your API Key

Click the lock icon on the right side and create a new key.
In the key field, enter OPENAI_API_KEY and in the value field paste your API key, which looks something like sk-tKyMX1XbOS***Agaa5qx89UToRCy.
Adjust the run command from npm run start to npm run dev and click on the Done button.

Installing Dependencies

After clicking the big green RUN button, wait for the environment to install and start. This will show output in the console window confirming your package installations and server startup.

Building Your GPT-3 Powered Application

Now that you have a basic frontend connected to your GPT-3 powered backend, let's test it out!

Enter text into the text field and click the create button.
Your input will generate a response from GPT-3.

Customizing Your GPT-3 Powered Application

With a functioning GPT-3 application, the next step is customization based on your specific needs. For example, you might want to create a tool that summarizes articles for social media posts.

Configuring the API Endpoint

Navigate to /pages/api/openai.js. This file will allow you to modify the prompts sent to GPT-3 by using variables like $beforePrompt and $afterPrompt.

Edit /pages/index.js to adjust the <H1> and other tags, reflecting the functionalities of your application.

Testing Your Application Results

For testing, copy a short article like this one from TechCrunch: Instagram has just announced a new feature that allows businesses to boost their Reels...

Final Words

Congratulations on completing this quick GPT-3 tutorial! You've successfully laid the groundwork to build various applications. Why not take it a step further? Join our AI Hackathons, where in just seven hours, you can collaborate with a global community of over 52,000 enthusiasts to create a working AI app prototype.

Let’s shape the future with AI!

For a more detailed understanding, refer to our articles on NextJS Basics and Understanding AI Technologies.