
The founders of Greptile initially came up with the idea for their company at a hackathon. They were a group of recent Georgia Tech grads who decided to take a different approach to generative AI implementation for developers by using AI to help developers understand the code base. Instead of solely using a chat interface, they built an API that developers could connect to the code base and build custom apps based on an AI-driven query.

Greptile has taken a unique approach to assist developers in understanding code bases by using AI to help developers understand the code base, rather than solely focusing on generating code like most other generative AI tools in developer tools26. Additionally, Greptile has built an API that developers can connect to the code base and build custom apps based on an AI-driven query. This allows developers to get answers to questions about large code bases via Greptile's web app, automatically update their docs, build PR review bots on the API, and more4.

Greptile's API is designed to help developers understand large codebases using AI. It offers a unique approach by allowing developers to connect the API to their codebase and build custom applications based on AI-driven queries. The main features of Greptile's API include:
Indexing and Searching Codebases: The API allows developers to index and search large codebases, enabling LLMs (Large Language Models) to find the right context for better understanding6.
Natural Language Queries: Developers can use natural language queries to ask questions about the codebase, such as "How does the authentication work in this codebase?".
Integration with Developer Tools: Greptile's API can be integrated with various developer tools, such as Slack, GitHub, and Linear, to provide context-aware information and automate tasks like PR reviews and ticket enrichment.
Customizable Internal Developer Tools: The API provides building blocks for software teams to create custom, bespoke AI developer tools tailored to their specific system setup3.
Security: Greptile offers a self-hosted alternative, allowing users to host their AI models on the cloud, ensuring data security by preventing code from escaping the user's environment.
By providing these features, Greptile's API aims to simplify understanding complex codebases, save developers time, and streamline the process of navigating through lines of code.