Ollama

Ollama makes running LLMs locally as easy as docker run. 2025 updates include Windows/AMD support, Multimodal input, and Tool Calling.

When to Use

• Local Development: Coding without wifi or API costs.
• Privacy: Processing sensitive documents on-device.
• Integration: Works with LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Obsidian natively.

Core Concepts

Modelfile

Docker-like file to define a custom model (System prompt + Base model).

FROM llama3
SYSTEM You are Mario from Super Mario Bros.

API

Ollama runs a local server (localhost:11434) compatible with OpenAI SDK.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use high-speed RAM: Local LLM speed depends on memory bandwidth.
• Use Quantized Models: q4_k_m is the sweet spot for speed/quality balance.
• Unload: ollama stop when done to free VRAM for games/rendering.

Don't:

• Don't expect GPT-4 level: Smaller local models (8B) are smart but lack deep reasoning.

References

• Ollama Website