Launch a Spanish AI App on Gonka in 30 Minutes

What is Gonka?

Gonka is a proof-of-work AI computing network designed to facilitate inference tasks across a network of verified hardware providers. This decentralized approach distributes computing power, creating a new ecosystem for AI services.

Key features of the Gonka network include:

• GNK token payments – Incentive system for network participants
• Randomized inspection mechanism – Ensures network integrity and prevents fraud
• Verified hardware providers – Distributed computing power across trusted nodes
• OpenAI compatibility – Works with existing OpenAI-based applications

By leveraging Gonka’s decentralized infrastructure, developers can focus on building innovative AI applications without the high costs and scalability limitations of centralized cloud services.

Case Study: Spanish Learning Application

Consider an intelligent Spanish learning tool that continuously generates personalized practice exercises. This application, named Carrera, demonstrates the potential of decentralized AI for educational tools.

How It Works

The application creates an immersive, interactive learning experience:

1. User clicks “Start New Exercise”
2. AI generates a cloze sentence with a single blank
3. User enters their answer and clicks “Check“
4. AI provides immediate feedback with score and personalized analysis
5. System automatically advances to the next exercise

This seamless learning cycle showcases the efficiency of using decentralized AI computing for real-world educational applications.

Technical Architecture

The application follows a classic front-end and back-end separation architecture:

Front-End

• React and Vite – Modern web framework for fast development
• Vendor-agnostic design – Compatible with OpenAI without Gonka-specific code
• Single endpoint integration – All backend interaction through one chat completion endpoint

Back-End

• Node proxy layer – Approximately 50 lines of core code
• Request signing – Handles authentication with private keys
• Request forwarding – Routes calls to Gonka network
• OpenAI-compatible API – Exposes standard chat completion endpoint

Quick Start Guide

Prerequisites

You’ll need Node.js 20+ installed on your system.

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository: git clone [email protected]:product-science/carrera.git
2. Navigate to directory: cd carrera
3. Create Gonka account using the inferenced CLI
4. Set environment variables: ACCOUNT_NAME, NODE_URL, and GONKA_PRIVATE_KEY

Start the Proxy Service

1. Navigate to proxy directory: cd gonka-proxy
2. Install dependencies and build: npm install && npm run build
3. Start service: NODE_URL=http://node2.gonka.ai:8000 ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:5173 PORT=8080 npm start
4. Verify: curl http://localhost:8080/healthz (should return {"ok":true,"ready":true})

Run the Front-End

1. Navigate to web directory: cd web
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Start development server: VITE_DEFAULT_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080/v1 npm run dev
4. Configure base URL and model in application settings

Core Technology Implementation

Gonka Proxy Service

The Gonka proxy service is central to network integration. It signs requests using a private key and forwards OpenAI-like calls over the network. The Gonka OpenAI TypeScript SDK (gonka-openai) simplifies interaction with the network.

Key capabilities:

• Authentication signing – Secure request handling with private keys
• Streaming support (SSE) – Enable with stream: true parameter
• Dockerfile included – Ensures reproducible builds and easy deployment

Security recommendation: Add authentication mechanisms to ensure only authorized users can request inference.

Prompt Engineering

The application uses two prompt templates:

• Generate prompt – Instructs AI to act as Spanish teacher, generating cloze sentences with answers, explanations, and difficulty levels in strict JSON format
• Grading prompt – Instructs AI to grade assignments, providing pass/fail status and parsing instructions in JSON format

The parsing mechanism is fault-tolerant, automatically cleaning up code markers and extracting the first JSON data block when needed.

Enhancement Recommendations

For developers looking to extend the application:

• Custom exercise types – Add new learning activities and scoring rules
• Streaming UI – Enable fluid responses with Server-Sent Events (SSE)
• Authentication and rate limiting – Protect the Gonka broker from abuse
• Production deployment – Deploy to your infrastructure with proper VITE_DEFAULT_API_BASE_URL configuration

Why Choose Gonka?

Gonka offers several advantages over traditional cloud services:

• Cost efficiency – Lower operational costs compared to centralized cloud providers
• Enhanced privacy – Request signing ensures secure communication
• OpenAI ecosystem compatibility – Seamless integration with existing tools and workflows
• Service availability – Distributed network reduces single points of failure

Gonka facilitates a transition into decentralized computing while allowing developers to maintain existing development practices and leverage the cost benefits of distributed infrastructure.