# Self-host models with AIP

You can self-host models by [backing a registered model with a compute module](../compute-module-backed-models/index.md). Self-hosting allows you to run open-source or custom large language models on your own infrastructure and use them as first-class models in AIP. This is useful when you need:

* **Data sovereignty:** Keep all inference traffic within your own network boundary.
* **On-premise or air-gapped deployments:** Run models without any external connectivity.
* **Cost control:** Use your own GPUs instead of paying per-token for hosted providers.
* **Early access to new models:** Deploy newly released open-source models before they are available through a hosted provider.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, review the general [prerequisites](../compute-module-backed-models/index.md#prerequisites) and [registration steps](../compute-module-backed-models/index.md#register-and-use-the-model) for models backed by compute modules.

## How to self-host a model with AIP

1. Build a container image running an inference server (such as vLLM or Ollama) that serves your model weights and exposes a [supported provider API format](../llm-provider-compatible-apis/index.md).
2. Set the `application.port` label in your Dockerfile and publish the image to Artifacts. For general container guidance, review the [compute modules containers documentation](../../compute-modules/containers/index.md).
3. Create a [compute module](../../compute-modules/overview/index.md) with the published image. Set minimum replicas to at least one.
4. [Register the model](../compute-module-backed-models/index.md#register-and-use-the-model) in Control Panel and configure capabilities.
5. Select the model in any [supported AIP application](../bring-your-own-model/index.md#supported-applications-and-features).