Open Source App Builder

Open the Workspace and click Create new app to start from scratch or pick a template to get a scaffold with a README, license, and .gitignore preconfigured. You can also Remix a community project to jump-start an open-source app. After creation, customize the scaffold and docs, then invite collaborators. Everything runs instantly in the Workspace so you can code and deploy right away.

Yes—use Replit Agent to turn a natural-language prompt into a full project via automated code generation. As you iterate, Replit Assistant offers inline autocomplete and proposes edits as a diff you can review. Click Apply All to accept changes, and Agent/Assistant automatically save a checkpoint each time. If something goes wrong, use rollback to restore a prior state.

Use GitHub import to bring an existing repo into Replit with built-in version control. Work with Git inside the Workspace: make a commit, create a branch, and pull the latest changes. When ready, push back to GitHub and open a PR (pull request) on the repo for review. Replit keeps your Git history in sync so you can collaborate smoothly.

Invite teammates for real-time collaboration with multiplayer editing directly in your project. External developers can click Remix (fork) to create their own copy, make changes, and submit contributions via Git. Merge changes through code review on GitHub and track issues to coordinate work. This flow lets open-source maintainers manage contributions efficiently.

Replit’s Visual Editor provides lightweight WYSIWYG UI tweaks—great for editing text, styles, and images in the live preview. It is not a full drag‑and‑drop app builder: complex logic, backend services, and state management are handled in code. Use the editor to polish visuals, then rely on Agent/Assistant or manual coding for structural changes. This keeps your source of truth in code while speeding up design touch-ups.

Store API keys in Secrets manager as environment variables so they’re not committed to your repo. The Agent can scaffold configuration for OAuth providers and services like Stripe and SendGrid, reading values from secrets at runtime. Avoid committing a .env file; instead define keys in Secrets and reference them via environment variables in your code. This keeps integrations secure while remaining easy to configure across environments.

Ask Agent to add storage using Replit Database for simple key‑value needs or a managed PostgreSQL instance for relational data. Configure your connection string and use migrations and seeding to evolve and populate your schema. When ready, cloud deploy your app from the Workspace, attach a custom domain, and serve over HTTPS/TLS by default. This gives you a production path without leaving the browser.

Use Assistant for documentation generation to produce a clear README and keep it updated alongside code changes. Maintain a changelog, adopt semantic versioning, and tag releases so users can track updates. When you need current APIs or library versions, Agent can leverage Web Search and provide citations before making changes. This ensures your project stays accurate and well-documented.