GitHub

Your app's code is yours. With GitHub you can keep a copy of it in a private repository on your own GitHub account, send newer versions there whenever you like, and share it with a developer. GitHub export is included on every plan and doesn't use credits.

How GitHub sync works

Edits made on GitHub stay on GitHub. They don't flow back into your Buildliy project or its preview.

Connect GitHub and create your repository

1. 1

   Click the GitHub icon

   Open your project and click the GitHub icon next to Publish, at the top right. If you haven't connected GitHub yet, this takes you to GitHub.

2. 2

   Approve on GitHub

   Sign in to GitHub if you need to, and approve Buildliy. GitHub shows what Buildliy asks for: full access to your repositories, public and private, which it needs to create and update your project's repository, and read-only access to your profile. You come back to your project and see "GitHub connected — you can send this project to GitHub now."

3. 3

   Create the repository

   Click the GitHub icon again and choose Create private repo. It needs at least one finished build; until then it says Build first. When it's done you see "Sent to GitHub" with the repository's name and an Open button.

You can also click Back up to GitHub in Manage → Overview (under Magic wizards, once your app's backend is ready). It does the same thing: it creates the repository the first time and updates it after that. Connect GitHub with the GitHub icon first.

Send newer versions

Click the GitHub icon to open its menu:

• Push latest version sends your newest version. The menu shows New changes when there's something to send, or Up to date.
• Open repo opens the repository on GitHub.
• Disconnect GitHub removes Buildliy's access (see below).

After a push you see one of these:

• "Pushed your latest version to…": the repository now matches your app.
• "…already has your latest version.": there was nothing new to send.
• "Opened a pull request on GitHub": the repository had changes made on GitHub, so your update went into a pull request. Click Review, then merge it on GitHub to bring the repository up to date.

What's in the repository

• All your app's files, including its images, with the same small safety fixes Buildliy makes when you publish (for example, the builder's preview-editing helper is left out).
• A README with your app's name and description, its live address if it's published, how to run it on a computer (Node.js 20 or newer, then npm install and npm run dev), any settings it needs, and a link back to your Buildliy project.
• A .env.example file, when your app reads any settings (environment variables), listing their names with notes. It never contains values.

Some things are never in the repository:

• Secrets. Buildliy won't push code that contains what looks like a secret key. If it finds one, it tells you which file it's in and asks you to move the key to Manage → Secrets (or ask the AI to) before you try again. Keys saved as secrets or connectors stay in Buildliy. See Secrets and API keys.
• Your app's data. The tables and everything saved in them stay in your app's database. Pointed at a new database, the code starts empty.
• Your app's private Buildliy key. Built-in features such as AI in your app and payments use it. It's set automatically when your app runs on Buildliy; if the code runs somewhere else, those features won't work without it.

If Buildliy can't update your repository

If the repository was deleted or archived, belongs to a different GitHub account than the one you've connected, or your account isn't allowed to push to it, Buildliy shows Can't update with the repository's name and the reason. Choose Create a new repo to send your latest version to a fresh private repository instead. The old one isn't changed or deleted.

Work with a developer

1. 1

   Give them access on GitHub

   Invite the developer to the repository from GitHub's own settings. Your repository is private, so only the people you invite can see it.

2. 2

   Let them follow the README

   The README explains how to run the app locally and which settings to fill in. They copy .env.example to .env.local and add their own values.

3. 3

   Agree where changes happen

   Buildliy doesn't pull edits from GitHub back into your project. If you keep building in Buildliy while a developer edits on GitHub, each of your pushes arrives as a pull request they can merge alongside their work.

Prefer not to use GitHub? You can download the whole codebase as a ZIP from the Code tab. See View and download code.

Disconnect GitHub

Click the GitHub icon, choose Disconnect GitHub and confirm. Buildliy stops having access to your GitHub account for every project, and the access it had is revoked. Your repositories and their code stay on GitHub, and each project stays linked to its repository. Until you reconnect, the GitHub menu on a linked project shows Connect GitHub to push. You can reconnect any time, including as a different GitHub account.

Related

• View and download code
• Secrets and API keys
• Teams
• Publish your app