How to build Bot Framework Composer from source
APPLIES TO: Composer v2.x
We recommend installing Bot Framework Composer as a desktop application. If the desktop app isn't suited to your needs, you can build Composer from source or host Composer in the cloud.
If you're on an internal network, you might need to Configure your proxy server before you can use Composer.
In this guide, you'll learn how to build Composer from source and run it locally as a web application using Yarn.
Prerequisites
Install the following software before building Composer:
- Git.
- Node.js LTS 14.x, x64 or x32.
- Yarn 1.x.
- .NET Core SDK 3.1 or later.
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019 14.28 or later. Only x64 and x32 editions are supported.
Composer is built to run on x64 architectures. For a full list of supported operating systems, see Supported operating systems and architectures.
Build and run Composer
Follow these steps to build Composer from source and run it locally:
Clone the Composer repository:
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-Composer.gitSwitch to the Composer directory:
cd BotFramework-Composer\ComposerInstall dependencies:
yarn installBuild Composer with extensions and libraries:
yarn buildTo enable the use of QnA Maker, run this command every time before starting Composer:
Note
Azure QnA Maker will be retired on 31 March 2025. Beginning 1 October 2022, you won't be able to create new QnA Maker resources or knowledge bases. A newer version of the question and answering capability is now available as part of Azure AI Language.
Custom question answering, a feature of Azure AI Language, is the updated version of the QnA Maker service. For more information about question-and-answer support in Composer, see Natural language processing.
set QNA_SUBSCRIPTION_KEY=<Your_QnA_Subscription_Key>Start the client and server:
yarn startallOpen a browser and navigate to
http://localhost:3000.
That's it, you're ready to use Composer.
Next steps
In this article, you learned how to build Composer from source. Next, learn how to build your first bot or how to configure a proxy server.
- If you're on a private network, you might need to configure your proxy server before using Composer. Check with your network administrator or IT department whether you need to use a proxy with Composer.
- Otherwise, you can Create your first bot with Composer without additional steps.