Getting started

From first prompt to full-stack app

Overview of Lovable

Welcome to this step-by-step guide on how to create a full-stack application using Lovable:

The Lovable Platform Overview

Create your First Project

1. Step 1

   To get started, head over to lovable.dev and create an account.

2. Step 2

   Once registered, you’ll be able to create your first project.

3. Step 3

   Simply enter an initial prompt to kick things off, and Lovable will do the rest! This is the starting block for any project in Lovable, where you can bring your ideas to life instantly.

   

Lovable Dashboard

At Lovable, simplicity is key:

• Here you kickstart your project with a single prompt.
• Explore all projects, including the latest and featured ones.
• Jumpstart with a template from our curated selection.
• Personalize your experience by viewing and editing your profile.
• Manage your account to check monthly credits and adjust settings.
• Experiment with Labs features like Chat mode—toggle them on or off.
• Upgrade or downgrade your plan seamlessly.

Project Overview

At Lovable, every project follows a structured workflow:

• Edit with ease using a chat-based interface.
• Attach images for precision edits and inspiration.
• Select and visually edit components for a seamless design experience.
• Switch effortlessly between edit mode and chat mode.
• Track changes with version history and restore any previous version.
• Navigate through pages of your project with ease.
• Enable remixing or rename your project as needed.
• Integrate with Supabase for backend capabilities.
• Collaborate via GitHub to edit and manage your code.
• Publish, deploy, and share your project with a preview link (remember to re-publish after changes).
• Toggle between web and mobile view for responsive design.
• Refresh the preview modal to see updates instantly.
• Open your project directly using the preview link.

Project Settings

Every project’s settings empower you to:

• View key project details like total edits and creation date.
• Set up custom knowledge to tailor your project’s context.
• Connect to a GitHub repository for seamless collaboration.
• Adjust project visibility from public to private.
• Manage the badge display (available for paid plans only).
• Rename your project anytime.
• Delete your project (⚠️ Danger Zone).

Project Quick Access

You can always quickly access:

• Dashboard for an overview of your projects.
• Account settings to manage your profile and preferences.
• Documentation, Feedback Portal, and Support for guidance and assistance.
• Log out securely from your Lovable account.

Start your Project

There are several ways to get started with Lovable, depending on your preferences and resources:

Prompt

Lovable’s prompt-based system makes app creation simple.

• Just describe what you want to build in the prompt box.
• The more specific you are, the better the results.
• Start with clear and detailed prompts.
• You can refine and adjust your project as you go.

Example:

“Create a dashboard with user login, monthly sales in a line chart, and customer demographics in a pie chart.”

Templates

1. Step 1

   Lovable offers templates to help you get started quickly on popular project types, such as dashboards, e-commerce sites, or social apps, for a quick setup.

2. Step 2

   Once the template loads, use prompts to adjust features, add new elements, or fine-tune the design to match your vision.

Remix an Existing Project

You can remix an existing public project or one of your own. Remixing allows you to reuse the current state of a project as a starting point and build upon it. It’s a great way to explore new ideas, make adjustments, or iterate with different changes while preserving the original version.

Note that it is not possible to remix projects when Supabase is connected.

Using Figma

If you have a design in Figma,

1. Using screenshots: Take a screenshot of any part of it. You can paste the screenshot directly into Lovable or drag-and-drop the image file. Once you press Enter, Lovable will convert your design into functional code.
2. Using Builder.io integration: First, structure your Figma design using Auto-Layout and clear layer naming. Then, open the Builder.io plugin in Figma, select your design, and click “Open in Lovable” to generate a fully functional app. More information here.

Using a Sketch

1. Step 1

   Use Excalidraw or any similar tool to sketch your UI.

2. Step 2

   Take a screenshot of your drawing, then paste or drag-and-drop it into Lovable.

3. Step 3

   The platform will transform your sketch into working code.

More information here.

Cloning a Website or Application

If you want to replicate an existing webpage,

1. Step 1

   Take a screenshot using shortcuts like Cmd+Shift+4 on Mac or tools like the GoFullPage Chrome Extension.

2. Step 2

   Paste or drag the screenshot into Lovable

3. Step 3

   Lovable will recreate the structure of the webpage in your project.

More information here.

Edit your Project

Add Custom knowledge to your project

The Custom knowledge in Lovable acts as your project’s blueprint, organizing functionality, design, and goals in one place.

Select & Visual Edit

Visual Edits allows AI-driven development with Tailwind-native visual controls for easy refinement.

Revert a Change

Speed matters when building AI-driven apps, but so do stability and control. That’s why we’ve upgraded versioning to make tracking changes effortless.

1. Restore Past Versions Instantly

   If you want to go back to a previous version of your app, click ‘restore’ on the version you want to revert to.

2. Bookmark Key Edits

   Keep your work organized by bookmarking important edits, making it easy to find and revisit them later.

   
3. Intuitive Version History

   The history panel now works like Google Docs, making tracking changes easier.

   

Add Animation Component with 21st dev

Add Images to Prompt

Attach images directly to the chat to add context to your prompts. This makes it easier to illustrate ideas or concepts that are better shown than described.

Add a New Page to your Project

Refactor Code

Connect to GitHub

Integrate your project with GitHub to iterate on your application seamlessly. You can make code changes in GitHub or your preferred IDE while keeping everything in sync with Lovable.

More information here.

Add Fullstack Capabilities to your Project

Connect a Backend

Supabase is a backend-as-a-service platform that integrates smoothly with Lovable to add powerful backend capabilities to your application.

1. Set Up Supabase

   Create an account on Supabase and create a new project.

2. Link to Lovable

   In Lovable, go to Settings -> Connect Supabase and follow the steps.

3. Manage Data

   Set up tables, manage user data, and configure email notifications.

Getting Started with Supabase

After setting up your Supabase project, you’ll need to connect it to your Lovable project. This connection enables Lovable to leverage Supabase’s backend services seamlessly.

Streamline Your App's Authentication with Supabase

Implementing secure authentication is crucial for any application. With Lovable’s AI form builder and Supabase integration, you can effortlessly create robust login and sign-up forms.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Create a Supabase Account

   • Visit Supabase and sign up.​
   • Access the dashboard to manage your projects and databases.​
2. Integrate Supabase with Lovable

   • In Lovable, navigate to the integration settings.​
   • Input your Supabase project URL and API keys to establish a connection.
3. Design Authentication Forms with Lovable

   • Use Lovable’s AI form builder to craft intuitive login and sign-up forms.​
   • Customize the UI to align with your application’s branding.
4. Implement Authentication Workflows

   • Set up Supabase Edge Functions to handle tasks like token validation and user sessions.
   • Ensure secure storage of user credentials and manage session persistence.
5. Enable Email Verification

   • Configure Supabase to send verification emails upon user registration.​
   • This adds an extra layer of security by confirming user identities.
6. Test and Deploy

   • Thoroughly test the authentication flows to ensure seamless user experiences.​
   • Once satisfied, deploy your application with confidence.

More information on Supabase here.

Supabase Edge Functions

Enhance your app with Supabase Edge Functions, enabling AI features, payments, and email integration with ease. Follow this guide to build your first full-stack app on Lovable:

You can add AI capabilities to your application, for example:

• OpenAI
• Gemini
• Groq

Add Payment Capabilities to your Application

There are many ways to connect Stripe to Lovable, but the most straight-forward way is to utilize Stripe’s built in payment links. Use this resource to make sure you get this right!

Add Email Capabilities with Resend

Deploy & Publish your Project

Set up SEO

You can check this section of the documentation to ensure all SEO capabilities are properly enabled.

Add a Custom Domain

You can add a custom domain using:

• Entri (native to Lovable)
• Netlify
• Vercel
• Namecheap

You can check this section of the documentation for more information.

Publish my Project

When your project is ready, publish it to generate a shareable URL. This makes it easy to showcase your application or share it with collaborators and stakeholders.

You can refer to this section of the documentation for more information.