Local LLMs via Ollama & LM Studio - The Practical Guide
Learn how to run open large language models like Gemma, Llama or DeepSeek locally to perform AI inference on consumer hardware.
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Unlock the Power of Private, Powerful AI on Your Own PC!
ChatGPT, Google Gemini and all those other AI chatbots are standard tools for everyday use. But like all tools, they're not the best choices for all tasks.
When privacy, cost, offline access, or deep customization matter, running powerful open models locally on your own computer beats all those proprietary models and third-party AI chatbots.
This course will teach you how to leverage open LLMs like Meta's Llama models, Google's Gemma models or DeepSeek models to run AI workloads and AI chatbots right on your machine - no matter if it's a high-end PC or a normal laptop.
Why Local & Open LLMs?
In an era dominated by cloud-based AI and chatbots like ChatGPT, running state-of-the-art models locally offers game-changing advantages. Imagine leveraging cutting-edge AI with:
- Zero or Low Cost: Forget expensive subscriptions; tap into powerful models freely.
- 100% Privacy: Your prompts and data stay securely on your machine – always.
- Offline First: Operate powerful AI tools anytime, anywhere, no internet required.
- Freedom from Vendor Lock-in: Access a diverse and rapidly growing ecosystem of open models.
- Astonishing Capability: Discover how open models like Gemma, Llama, and DeepSeek are not just alternatives, but top performers, ranking high on benchmarks and the Chatbot Arena leaderboard!
Course Overview
This course is your comprehensive, hands-on journey into the practical world of local LLMs. We'll cut through the complexity, guiding you step-by-step from setup to advanced usage.
Here's what you'll master:
- The Open LLM Landscape: Understand what open models are and why they matter (and where to find them).
- Hardware Demystified: Learn the realistic hardware requirements for running LLMs locally.
- Quantization Explained: Uncover the technique that makes running huge models feasible on consumer hardware.
- LM Studio In-Depth: Get hands-on with installing, configuring, selecting, downloading, and running models using LM Studio.
- Ollama Mastery: Learn to install, configure, and interact with models seamlessly via Ollama.
- Real-World Use Cases: Apply your knowledge to practical tasks like image OCR (reading text from images), summarizing PDF documents, mastering few-shot prompting, and generating creative content.
- Programmatic Power: Discover how to integrate these locally running models into your own scripts and applications using their built-in APIs (LM Studio & Ollama).
- And much more! Build a solid foundation and gain the confidence to explore the vast potential of local AI.
Who Should Enroll?
This course is tailor-made for:
- Developers looking to integrate powerful, private AI into their workflows or applications.
- Tech enthusiasts eager to experiment with cutting-edge AI without the cloud constraints.
- Privacy-conscious individuals wanting full control over their data when using AI.
- Anyone seeking powerful AI solutions without ongoing subscription costs.
- Students and professionals aiming to add practical, in-demand AI skills to their toolkit.
Ready to Take Control of Your AI Future?
Step into the world of powerful, private, and cost-effective artificial intelligence. Enroll now in "Unlock Local AI Power" and start running incredible Large Language Models directly on your own computer today!
4
hours
50+
lessons
Course Curriculum
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StartWelcome To The Course! (2:06)
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StartWhat Exactly Are "Open LLMs"? (6:27)
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StartWhy Would You Want To Run Open LLMs Locally? (6:52)
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StartPopular Open LLMs - Some Examples (3:43)
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StartWhere To Find Open LLMs? (4:47)
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StartRunning LLMs Locally - Available Options (7:17)
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StartCheck The Model Licenses! (4:04)
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StartRunning Locally vs Remotely (1:08)
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StartModule Introduction (2:03)
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StartInstalling & Using LM Studio (3:09)
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StartFinding, Downloading & Activating Open LLMs (9:04)
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StartUsing the LM Studio Chat Interface (4:53)
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StartWorking with System Prompts & Presets (3:26)
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StartManaging Chats (2:32)
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StartPower User Features For Managing Models & Chats (6:28)
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StartLeveraging Multimodal Models & Extracting Content From Images (OCR) (2:48)
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StartAnalyzing & Summarizing PDF Documents (3:27)
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StartOnwards To More Advanced Settings (1:52)
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StartUnderstanding Temperature, top_k & top_p (6:32)
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StartControlling Temperature, top_k & top_p in LM Studio (4:45)
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StartManaging the Underlying Runtime & Hardware Configuration (4:17)
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StartManaging Context Length (5:21)
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StartUsing Flash Attention (5:08)
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StartWorking With Structured Outputs (5:29)
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StartUsing Local LLMs For Code Generation (2:35)
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StartContent Generation & Few Shot Prompting (Prompt Engineering) (5:21)
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StartOnwards To Programmatic Use (2:25)
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StartLM Studio & Its OpenAI Compatibility (6:00)
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StartMore Code Examples! (5:04)
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StartDiving Deeper Into The LM Studio APIs (2:10)
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StartUsing the Python / JavaScript SDKs
Course Prerequisites
Basic understanding of LLM functionality & usage
NO programming or advanced technical expertise is required
If you want to run models locally: At least 8 GB of (V)RAM will be required
All pre-requisites are covered by courses in our "Academind Pro" Membership.
Don't take my word for it - here's what other students are saying.
Ira Scott Herman
The more I go through this course, the more incredible I think it is! The course is well organized and practical knowledge. The instructor uses best practices, and is consistently updating the course so I just keep getting more and more value from my initial purchase.
J. Scott Cromie
I feel like I learned a ton and feel like I can build custom apps to store on the flat thingy I keep in my pocket! Thanks for the course. It's great. Highly recommended.
Rachael Bouissey
As always, great teacher. I got a lot out of the React course and React Native is starting out just as helpful. Never would have made it through bootcamp without Maximillian!
30 Day Money Back Guarantee - No Questions Asked!
Our courses helped thousands of students learn something new and improve their lives.
We're so convinced by our course quality that we guarantee your success and provide a full refund within the first 30 days if you're not happy with the course.
Your Instructor
As a self-taught professional I really know the hard parts and the difficult topics when learning new or improving on already-known languages. This background and experience enable me to focus on the most relevant key concepts and topics. My track record of many 5-star rated courses, more than 3.500,000 students worldwide as well as a successful YouTube channel with 900.000 subscribers is the best proof for that.
The most rewarding experience for me is to see how people find new, better jobs, build awesome web applications, work on amazing projects or simply enjoy their hobby with the help of my content.
That's why, together with Manuel Lorenz, I founded Academind to offer the best possible learning experience and to share the pleasure of learning with our students.
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