Code Explanation: intro.js
This file demonstrates the most basic interaction with a local LLM (Large Language Model) using node-llama-cpp.
Step-by-Step Code Breakdown
1. Import Required Modules
import {
getLlama,
LlamaChatSession,
} from "node-llama-cpp";
import {fileURLToPath} from "url";
import path from "path";- getLlama: Main function to initialize the llama.cpp runtime
- LlamaChatSession: Class for managing chat conversations with the model
- fileURLToPath and path: Standard Node.js modules for handling file paths
2. Set Up Directory Path
const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));- Since ES modules don’t have
__dirnameby default, we create it manually - This gives us the directory path of the current file
- Needed to locate the model file relative to this script
3. Initialize Llama Runtime
const llama = await getLlama();- Creates the main llama.cpp instance
- This initializes the underlying C++ runtime for model inference
- Must be done before loading any models
4. Load the Model
const model = await llama.loadModel({
modelPath: path.join(
__dirname,
"../",
"models",
"Qwen3-1.7B-Q8_0.gguf"
)
});- Loads a quantized model file (GGUF format)
- Qwen3-1.7B-Q8_0.gguf: A 1.7 billion parameter model, quantized to 8-bit
- The model is stored in the
modelsfolder at the repository root - Loading the model into memory takes a few seconds
5. Create a Context
const context = await model.createContext();- A context represents the model’s working memory
- It holds the conversation history and current state
- Has a fixed size limit (default: model’s maximum context size)
- All prompts and responses are stored in this context
6. Create a Chat Session
const session = new LlamaChatSession({
contextSequence: context.getSequence(),
});- LlamaChatSession: High-level API for chat-style interactions
- Uses a sequence from the context to maintain conversation state
- Automatically handles prompt formatting and response parsing
7. Define the Prompt
const prompt = `do you know node-llama-cpp`;- Simple question to test if the model knows about the library we’re using
- This will be sent to the model for processing
8. Send Prompt and Get Response
const a1 = await session.prompt(prompt);
console.log("AI: " + a1);- session.prompt(): Sends the prompt to the model and waits for completion
- The model generates a response based on its training
- We log the response to the console with “AI:” prefix
9. Clean Up Resources
session.dispose()
context.dispose()
model.dispose()
llama.dispose()- Important: Always dispose of resources when done
- Frees up memory and GPU resources
- Prevents memory leaks in long-running applications
- Must be done in this order (session → context → model → llama)
Key Concepts Demonstrated
- Basic LLM initialization: Loading a model and creating inference context
- Simple prompting: Sending a question and receiving a response
- Resource management: Proper cleanup of allocated resources
Expected Output
When you run this script, you should see output like:
AI: Yes, I'm familiar with node-llama-cpp. It's a Node.js binding for llama.cpp...
The exact response will vary based on the model’s training data and generation parameters.