B D LAUNCH YO FIRST APP WITH AI
A Complete Beginner’s Guide
Created by Navin Ramharak
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
What is Lovable.dev and Why Should You Care?
Let’s start from the very top.
Imagine this: You have an idea for an app. A fitness tracker. A marketplace. A journaling tool. Or maybe just a landing page for your new business.
But you don’t know how to code. You’ve tried those clunky no-code tools before. You don’t have a developer. And you definitely don’t have $10K to spend on a dev shop. This is where Lovable.dev steps in.
Lovable is your AI co-founder — a powerful platform that lets you build real, working apps just by describing what you want in plain English. It writes the code, sets up the database, designs the interface, and even deploys your app for you. No code. No technical background. No gatekeeping. If you can describe it, you can build it.
Who This Is For
Aspiring founders
Indie hackers
Designers and marketers
Students
Non-tech entrepreneurs
Developers looking to build faster MVPs
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to go from idea to live app — step-by-step — even if you’ve never built anything before.
P.S. I’ve explored a lot of AI app builders, but Lovable.dev is hands down the one I trust and use the most.
Part 1:
HOW LOVABLE WORKS — THE MINDSET SHIFT
Before we dive in, let’s talk about the paradigm shift Lovable introduces — and why it’s such a big deal.
The Traditional Approach
You come up with an idea. Then you need to learn how to code or find (and pay) someone who can. You spend months or years building something — just to test if anyone even wants it. You burn time, money, and energy before ever going live.
The Lovable Approach
You describe your app in simple English. The AI turns your words into real, working code. You can tweak anything visually or with prompts. In hours — not months — you can have a live, functional app to test, share, or scale. It’s like going from writing sheet music to having an AI band play your song instantly.
What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?
Lovable combines a few powerful tools to make the magic happen: GPT (AI Language Model): Understands your instructions and writes smart, readable code. Tailwind CSS: A styling framework that makes your app look clean, modern, and responsive. React: A powerful front-end framework that brings your interface to life. Supabase: A backend platform that handles databases, authentication, and more — without you writing server code. GitHub Integration: Lets you save and version your app like a developer would, with just a click.
You don’t need to know how these tools work — Lovable uses them behind the scenes so you can focus on your idea.
Why This Matters
In the past, building an app was a long and technical journey. Now, it’s more like having a conversation with a creative partner. Lovable bridges the gap between your idea and execution and it does it in a way that feels intuitive, fast, and fun.
Part 2:
GETTING STARTED — FROM SIGN-UP TO FIRST PROMPT
Let’s walk through how to get started with Lovable, step-by-step — even if this is your first time using any kind of builder or AI tool.
Step 1: Create Your Free Account
Head to lovable.dev
Click Sign Up and use your Google account or email to get started. You’ll automatically start on the Free Plan, which gives you: 5 AI messages per day (up to 50/month)
Unlimited public projects
One-click deployment
Access to core features
What are AI messages?
These are the “credits” you use each time you ask Lovable to build or change something using a prompt. Think of them as conversations with your AI cofounder.
Step 2: Create a New Project
Once inside the dashboard, click “+ New Project”. Give your app a name (don’t worry, you can change this later).
Choose to start from:
A blank canvas (best if you want total freedom)
A template (helpful if you want a head start)
Step 3: Describe Your App Idea in Plain English
In the prompt bar, write a simple sentence that explains your app idea.
Example:
“I want to build a simple habit tracker where users can sign up, add habits, mark them complete, and view their streak.”
Lovable will:
Create a file structure
Build the front-end with styled UI components
Connect it to a backend with a database (using Supabase)
Show you a live preview
You don’t need to be technical The more clearly you describe what you want, the better the AI can deliver it
Step 4: Explore Your New App
After the first prompt is submitted, you’ll see:
A visual live preview of your app on the right
A project file structure with editable code (if you want to see under the hood)
The ability to click on elements and tweak them using AI (like “make this text bigger”)
You can now continue building by typing new prompts or using the Select & Edit feature to modify anything visually. You’ve just gone from zero to seeing the foundation of your app — without writing a single line of code. It might not look perfect yet, and that’s okay. What matters is you’ve taken the hardest step: starting. From here, you can add pages, customize designs, connect features, and truly shape your app into something real. And the best part? Lovable will walk with you every step of the way.
In the next section, I’ll show you how to build out your app piece by piece — with just your ideas and a few simple prompts.
So, you’ve got your app started. You’ve seen the basic layout, maybe even tested a form or clicked through some pages. Now it’s time to start building it into the real thing — the version that reflects your vision
Lovable makes it easy to grow your app one feature at a time using simple prompts or visual edits. Let’s break down how to do that.
1. Add New Pages or Sections
Want to build out more of your app? Try prompts like:
“Add an About page with a short description and image”
“Create a Profile page where users can update their info”
“Build a simple admin dashboard that shows a list of users”
Every time you send a prompt, Lovable will add that functionality and update your app preview automatically.
2. Add Forms and User Inputs
Most apps need some kind of interaction. Ask Lovable to:
“Add a form so users can submit feedback”
“Create a signup form with email and password”
“Add a habit tracker input with title, frequency, and reminder toggle”
These inputs are automatically connected to your app’s backend (usually powered by Supabase), so you don’t need to worry about wiring up databases — it’s done for you.
3. Style and Customize the Design
You can either click on elements to visually edit them, or type in prompts like:
“Change the font to something modern and bold”
“Make the background a soft gradient”
“Add spacing between the cards”
“Switch this layout to two columns instead of one”
Lovable uses Tailwind CSS, which means it builds beautiful and responsive layouts automatically — no need to mess with CSS manually.
4. Add Logic and Flow
Want to add functionality beyond design? Ask for:
“Show a success message after a form is submitted”
“Display a loading spinner while data is loading”
“Redirect users to the dashboard after login”
Lovable will create the logic and code for you — from loading states to page redirects.
5. Build Feature-by-Feature (and Don’t Rush)
It’s tempting to try and build the entire app at once. But the best approach? Go feature by feature. Each time you think of something you want:
Prompt it
Preview it
Test it
Refine it
Remember: your app is a living thing, and you can keep shaping it at your pace.
What’s Next?
Once your app has its key features in place and looks the way you want it to, it’s time to launch it to the world — or share it with your team for feedback.
In Part 4, we’ll walk through how to deploy your app, set up a custom domain, invite collaborators, and connect GitHub.
Part 4:
GOING LIVE: DEPLOY, SHARE, AND LEVEL UP
Your app is built. The core features are working. You’ve shaped the design, added functionality, and tested things out. Now it’s time for the part most people never get to — launching. And with Lovable, it’s surprisingly easy.
Step 1: Preview One Last Time
Before you launch, do a quick check:
Click through every page
Submit any forms
Make sure links and buttons work
Check mobile responsiveness using the preview toggle
If anything looks off, don’t worry — you can still fix it using prompts or the visual editor.
Step 2: One-Click Deploy
Lovable lets you deploy your app with a single click. Just hit “Deploy”, and within seconds you’ll get a live, shareable link. No servers to manage No hosting setup required No dev tools to install
It’s now a real app, hosted on the web — and ready to show off to users, investors, clients, or your community.
Step 3: Set Up a Custom Domain (Optional but Powerful)
Want your app to live at your own URL (like myhabitapp.com)?
Just type a prompt like: “Set up a custom domain at myhabitapp.com”
Lovable will guide you through the quick setup — or let you connect one through your domain provider.
Step 4: Connect to GitHub (for Developers or Teams)
If you or your teammates want to work with the actual code, Lovable integrates directly with GitHub: Sync your entire project to a repo
Track version history
Collaborate with developers Push changes manually or auto-sync
Even if you’re not technical, this is a great way to future-proof your app or hand it off to a dev if needed.
Step 5: Invite Collaborators
You can invite team members to work on your app: Designers can suggest visual changes
Developers can dive into the code PMs can provide feedback directly
Just send them an invite — and they can join your workspace instantly.
What’s Next? Keep Iterating, Keep Building
Your app is live — but this isn’t the finish line. It’s the launch pad. Now you can:
• Share it with users and gather feedback
• Add new features based on real use
• Launch your startup, side hustle, or personal project with confidence The best way to improve your app? Put it in front of people.
BONUS SECTION: MASTERING PROMPTS IN LOVABLE
Why Prompts Matter
Prompts are how you communicate with the AI. They are your instructions, your blueprint, and your creative fuel — all rolled into one.
With Lovable, every page, feature, and detail starts with a prompt. The better you get at writing prompts, the faster and more precise your app will come to life.
Think of it like this:
Prompt = the building block
AI = the builder and designer
Result = real, working code and UI
How
Prompting
Works in Lovable
Lovable’s AI is trained to:
• Interpret your intention (not just keywords)
• Build apps using best practices (clean React code, Tailwind styles, structured backend)
• Ask for clarification if needed
What makes Lovable unique is its ability to “understand the structure of an app” — meaning it can go beyond basic UI and help you with real functionality, page flows, and user experience.
Prompting Best Practices
1. Start Simple
Begin with your app’s core purpose in one clear sentence.
“A journaling app where users can sign up, write entries, and tag their mood.”
2. Break It Into Steps
Don’t ask for everything at once.
Start with the basics, then layer in features gradually.
“Add a form with fields for title, content, and mood.”
“Now display all entries on a dashboard.”
3. Be Clear & Specific
Vague:
“Make it prettier”
Better:
“Change the font to a modern serif and center the title.”
4. Use Real-World Language
Lovable isn’t a command-line interface — talk to it like a teammate:
“I want the homepage to have a bold headline, a subheading, and a call-to-action button.”
5. Iterate Like a Conversation
Prompting isn’t one-and-done. You’ll go back and forth — and that’s normal.
Build, preview, adjust, and refine.
What You Can Do with Prompts
Use prompts to:
Add pages & routes
“Create a pricing page with three plans.”
Style your app
“Make the buttons rounded and add a hover effect.”
Update text or content
“Change the title on the homepage to ‘Welcome to MindTrack’”
Connect to backends
“Set up a Supabase database and create a table called ‘Tasks’”
Add logic
“Show a loading spinner when the user submits the form”
Common Prompt Starters
You can copy/paste or tweak these:
• “Add authentication with email and password.”
• “Create a dashboard page that shows the user’s recent activity.”
• “Connect Supabase and create a ‘Posts’ table with title, content, and timestamp.”
• “Make the navbar sticky and mobile responsive.”
• “Create a form for booking appointments with name, email, and date picker.”
• “Set up a dark mode toggle in the header.”
Learning how to write great prompts is like learning a new creative superpower. It’s part design, part product thinking, and part conversation.
The more you practice, the faster you’ll go from idea to MVP — and the closer you’ll get to building something truly lovable.
COMING UP NEXT EXPLORE BEYOND THE BASICS
You’ve learned how to create, build, and launch your first app with Lovable — but that’s just the beginning.
Once you’ve built your foundation, there are powerful ways to take your app to the next level. Here are just a few advanced moves you can explore in future projects:
Set Up Stripe for Payments
Want to monetize your app? Lovable makes it easy to integrate Stripe so you can accept payments for:
Subscriptions
One-time purchases
Donations
Premium content
Just prompt:
“Add Stripe checkout so users can pay for a premium plan”
Add AI Features with OpenAI
Want your app to think? You can integrate OpenAI’s GPT models to:
Generate text or summaries
Build chatbots
Create recommendation engines
Prompt example:
“Connect OpenAI to generate a summary of user input in the notes app”
Track Analytics and Usage
Understanding how people use your app is key to improving it. Use prompts to connect tools like:
Google Analytics
PostHog
Mixpanel
Prompt example:
“Add Google Analytics tracking to every page”
Upgrade to a Paid Plan for More Power
The free plan is perfect to get started, but as you build more apps, you may want to:
Unlock more AI messages per month
Create private (non-public) projects
Remove the Lovable watermark
Invite more collaborators
This is a good option if you’re building serious MVPs or working with clients
Use Lovable for Multiple Projects or Internal Tools
You’re not limited to one app — Lovable is great for:
Spinning up MVPs for different ideas
Building landing pages or microsites
Prototyping internal dashboards and tools
Creating branded client deliverables
You’ve just taken your first big step toward building something real — and you didn’t need to know how to code to do it. Whether this is the start of a new business, a passion project, or your first app ever, remember: the tools are here, the knowledge is in your hands, and the possibilities are endless.
Created by Navin Ramharak