Turn an API key into a paid AI chat site in ten minutes

What it does

GPTLink is a full-stack PHP (Hyperf) and Vue starter that turns an LLM API key into a hosted AI chat service. It bundles user management, conversation export, custom paid tiers, offline payments, and redemption codes so you can bill customers immediately. The stack is clearly aimed at the Chinese market, with optional WeChat login, official-account integration, and WeChat Pay.

The interesting bit

Rather than just piping chat to a model, it treats the API as inventory: it includes task-based user acquisition (referral tasks) and a full order lifecycle, essentially giving you a mini SaaS storefront out of the box. The project also pushes its own gpt-link.cn key as the default upstream, which sidesteps OpenAI’s regional friction but adds a middleman dependency.

Key highlights

• Apache 2.0 license, pitched as free for commercial use.
• Mobile-first chat UI with an admin dashboard at /admin.
• Docker, Docker Compose, and bare-metal PHP deployment options.
• WeChat ecosystem hooks (login, OA, payments) built in, not bolted on.
• Offline payment support and redeemable codes for access control.

Caveats

• The management-frontend source is still marked “under development” and not yet open; the backend API docs are available, but the admin UI remains a work in progress.
• Default administrator credentials are hardcoded to admin / admin888 if you don’t override them in the environment file.
• The README prominently recommends a third-party API-key proxy (gpt-link.cn) over OpenAI’s official endpoint; it’s convenient, but the project’s reliance on it is unclear.

Verdict

Worth a look if you need a low-code, China-ready storefront around GPT-style chat. Skip it if you want a fully open admin layer or if you’re building a generic global SaaS without WeChat in your stack.