# Using NLU Only

If you want to use Rasa only as an NLU component, you can!

## Training NLU-only models  
To train an NLU model only, run:
```
rasa train nlu
```
This will look for NLU training data files in the `data/` directory and saves a trained model in the `models/` directory. The name of the model will start with `nlu-`.

## Testing your NLU model on the command line  
To try out your NLU model on the command line, use the `rasa shell nlu` command:
```
rasa shell nlu
```
This will start the rasa shell and ask you to type in a message to test. You can keep typing in as many messages as you like.

Alternatively, you can leave out the `nlu` argument and pass in an nlu-only model directly:
```
rasa shell -m models/nlu-20190515-144445.tar.gz
```

## Running an NLU server  
To start a server with your NLU model, pass in the model name at runtime:
```
rasa run --enable-api -m models/nlu-20190515-144445.tar.gz
```
You can then request predictions from your model using the `/model/parse` endpoint. To do this, run:
```
curl localhost:5005/model/parse -d '{"text":"hello"}'
```

👋 I can help you get started with Rasa and answer your technical questions.