How to Deploy Your AI-Built Web App to a Live Server

You built your app with Lovable, Bolt, or Cursor. Now what? Here's how to put it online so real people can use it — in under 30 minutes.

6 steps ~30 min No DevOps experience needed

How to deploy an AI-built web app in 2026: Export your project from Lovable, Bolt, or Cursor, run npm run build, and upload the output to shared hosting (Hostinger, $3/month) or free static hosting (Netlify, Vercel). Configure your domain, enable SSL, and your app is live. The entire process takes 15-30 minutes with no coding experience needed.

AI app builders have made it incredibly easy to go from idea to working code. But there's a gap nobody talks about: your app runs in the builder's sandbox, not on the internet. To get real users, you need to deploy it to a real server.

This guide walks you through the entire process — from exporting your files to having a live URL you can share with anyone.

Step 1

Export your project files

First, get your code out of the AI builder:

Step 2

Build your project

Most AI builders generate modern web apps (React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte). These need to be "built" before deploying. Open a terminal in your project folder and run:

npm install
npm run build

This creates a dist/ or build/ folder with optimized files ready for production. This is what you'll upload to your hosting.

If your app has a backend (Node.js, Python, etc.), you'll need VPS hosting instead of shared hosting — skip to the "Backend apps" note below.

Step 3

Get a hosting account

You need a server to serve your files to the world. For most MVPs and early-stage projects, shared hosting is more than enough.

Our recommendation: Hostinger

Business plan starts at ~$3/month. Includes free domain, free SSL, 100 websites, and a file manager that makes uploading dead simple. Perfect for AI-built frontends.

Get Hostinger →

Affiliate link — we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Step 4

Upload your files

Log into your hosting control panel (Hostinger calls it hPanel). Then:

  1. Open File Manager
  2. Navigate to public_html/
  3. Upload everything from your dist/ or build/ folder
  4. Make sure index.html is in the root of public_html/

Important: If your app uses client-side routing (React Router, Vue Router), you need to add a .htaccess file so page refreshes don't show a 404:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.html [L]

Upload this .htaccess file to public_html/ alongside your index.html.

Step 5

Configure your domain and SSL

If you bought your domain through your hosting provider, it's already pointed to your server. If not:

  1. Go to your domain registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
  2. Update the nameservers to your hosting provider's nameservers
  3. Wait for DNS propagation (usually 1-2 hours, can take up to 48h)

Once your domain works, enable SSL in your hosting panel. On Hostinger: hPanel → Security → SSL → Install. This makes your site accessible via https:// — required for modern web apps.

Step 6

Test everything

Visit your domain and test:

Common issue: If your app worked locally but breaks online, check that environment variables (API URLs, Supabase keys) are set for production, not localhost. In most hosting panels you can set environment variables under the "Advanced" or "Website" section.

How to Deploy a Backend App (Node.js, Python, or Full-Stack)

If your AI builder generated a backend (Express, FastAPI, etc.), shared hosting won't work. You need a VPS (Virtual Private Server). Options:

For most MVPs, Railway or Render are the simplest: connect your GitHub repo, and they handle the rest.

From Idea to Live Website: The Complete AI-to-Deploy Workflow

Here's the thing: deploying is the easy part. The hard part is building something worth deploying.

Most people who use AI builders go through this loop:

  1. Describe their idea vaguely to the AI
  2. Get a generic result that doesn't match their vision
  3. Spend hours rewriting prompts
  4. Burn through credits on failed attempts
  5. Eventually get something "good enough"
  6. Deploy and realize it's missing key features

Inputo skips steps 2-5. Our 7-step wizard takes your raw idea and produces a structured master prompt — with tech stack, database schema, auth flow, and features pre-decided. You paste that prompt into Lovable, Bolt, or Cursor and get a working MVP on the first try. Then you deploy it here.

Ready to build and deploy?

Start with Inputo's free wizard to get your structured prompt, then use this guide to put it online.

Start building with Inputo →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I deploy a Lovable app to my own hosting?

Export your project from Lovable (GitHub sync or download), run npm run build to create the production files, then upload the contents of the dist/ or build/ folder to your hosting provider via FTP or file manager. Most shared hosting like Hostinger works perfectly for static React apps. Make sure to configure a .htaccess or equivalent for SPA routing so all paths redirect to index.html.

Can I deploy a Bolt app to shared hosting?

Yes. Download your project from Bolt, run npm run build, and upload the build output to your shared hosting. You'll need to add a .htaccess file (Apache) or equivalent redirect rule to handle client-side routing. Shared hosting like Hostinger is the cheapest option starting around $2-3/month. For apps with a backend, you'll need a VPS or serverless functions instead.

What's the cheapest way to host an AI-built web app?

Shared hosting starts at $2-3/month (Hostinger, Namecheap). For static sites, Netlify and Vercel have generous free tiers. For apps with backends, Railway starts at $5/month. The cheapest production-ready option for most AI-built React apps is shared hosting — it handles thousands of daily visitors on the basic plan. Avoid over-engineering your hosting for an MVP.

Do I need a VPS or is shared hosting enough?

Shared hosting is enough if your app is a static React/Vue frontend (most AI-generated apps). A VPS is needed only if you have a custom backend server (Node.js, Python), need WebSocket connections, or expect high traffic (10K+ daily users). For 90% of AI-built MVPs and early-stage products, shared hosting at $3/month handles the load perfectly.

How long does it take to deploy an AI-built app?

Deploying a static React app takes about 15-30 minutes: export, build, upload, configure domain and SSL. If you're using Netlify or Vercel with GitHub integration, it's even faster — connect your repo and every push auto-deploys. The domain and DNS setup can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally, but the site is usually accessible within minutes of upload.

Your idea → Inputo → Live app

Inputo translates your idea into a structured prompt for Lovable, Bolt, or Cursor. Then this tutorial shows you how to deploy it. The full journey from idea to live website — no coding needed.