AI app launch

Deploy Your Lovable App to a Custom Domain

Your app works on the Lovable preview and breaks on your domain. That gap is configuration, not code, and it is exactly what Launch Essentials fixes for $950, usually within a week.

Book a Technical Audit ($795)

How Do You Deploy a Lovable App to a Custom Domain?

Lovable apps fail on custom domains for three configuration reasons: DNS records not pointing where the app is hosted, Supabase URL configuration still allowing only the preview domain, and environment variables unset on the production host. Launch Essentials ($950 fixed) fixes all three plus SSL and deploy verification.

The three failures, in the order they bite

In our launch work these three account for most "works on the preview, breaks on my domain" problems, in this order; the launch hub carries the exact checklist.

DNS

Your domain must point at the host actually serving the app, and propagation genuinely takes time.
Supabase URL configuration

The Site URL and redirect allowlist must include your domain or auth silently dies.
Environment variables

The production host needs every key the preview had.

What does Lovable require for a custom domain?

The setup is documented and short; the failures come from the parts around it. Linked facts come from vendor documentation, checked 10 October 2026; unlinked cells are our description.

What Lovable and Supabase document for custom domains, and what that means in practice
Comparison point	What the docs say	What it means in practice
Plan and records	Custom domains are on paid plans. DNS needs an A record plus a `_lovable` TXT record, and SSL is issued automatically (Lovable docs: custom domains).	Both records must exist and resolve before the certificate can issue, so a blank page is usually one missing or wrong record.
Propagation	Up to 72 hours, though most updates are live within a few hours (Lovable docs: custom domains).	Lower the record TTL before the change and check from more than one resolver, so you are not guessing.
Cloudflare	Set records to DNS only, not proxied (Lovable docs: custom domains).	A proxied record is a common reason verification times out.
Sign-in	Supabase redirects only to URLs on its allow list, and the Site URL is the default redirect (Supabase docs: redirect URLs).	Add the production domain to both before cutover, or sign-in fails on the new domain only.
Security scan	A scan runs before publishing, with deeper scans on request. Lovable states these tools do not replace a thorough security review (Lovable docs: security).	Treat the scan as a first pass. Apps with payments or personal data still need a person to read the auth and data paths.

What the docs say

Plan and records: Custom domains are on paid plans. DNS needs an A record plus a `_lovable` TXT record, and SSL is issued automatically (Lovable docs: custom domains).
Propagation: Up to 72 hours, though most updates are live within a few hours (Lovable docs: custom domains).
Cloudflare: Set records to DNS only, not proxied (Lovable docs: custom domains).
Sign-in: Supabase redirects only to URLs on its allow list, and the Site URL is the default redirect (Supabase docs: redirect URLs).
Security scan: A scan runs before publishing, with deeper scans on request. Lovable states these tools do not replace a thorough security review (Lovable docs: security).

What it means in practice

Plan and records: Both records must exist and resolve before the certificate can issue, so a blank page is usually one missing or wrong record.
Propagation: Lower the record TTL before the change and check from more than one resolver, so you are not guessing.
Cloudflare: A proxied record is a common reason verification times out.
Sign-in: Add the production domain to both before cutover, or sign-in fails on the new domain only.
Security scan: Treat the scan as a first pass. Apps with payments or personal data still need a person to read the auth and data paths.

Sources, checked 10 October 2026

Stay on Lovable hosting or move out

In our experience Lovable's own hosting suits demos and early traffic; move out when you need infrastructure control, your own analytics stack, or costs at scale. Moving means exporting the repo and deploying to Vercel or Netlify, which is the standard path Launch Essentials wires up.

A developer configuring custom domain settings on a laptop

When you need more than a launch

If real customers, payments, or personal data touch the app, launch is the halfway point: auth debugging, a security pass, and baseline SEO work live in Production Hardening ($2,950 fixed), and everything hands off to a retainer afterward on the Website Management page.

A software engineer running a security pass on application code

The launch checklist

The same checklist we run against every Lovable app before it goes live:

text

DNS: domain resolves to the production host
Supabase Site URL: production domain added
Supabase Redirect URLs: production domain added
Environment variables: every preview key set on production
SSL: certificate issued and verified from multiple resolvers

Every AI-Builder Launch Path We Run

Every AI-builder launch path we run, and the checklist behind it.

Ongoing Maintenance for the Deployed Lovable App

Predictable monthly retainers that keep your website updated, secure, backed up, and monitored, on any platform, including custom PHP/CodeIgniter applications.

Building on v0 or Bolt Instead of Lovable?

Deploying a v0 or Bolt.new App to Production

The same launch process, for v0 and Bolt.new apps instead.

Ongoing Support for AI-Built Apps After Launch

Ongoing support once an AI-generated app is live on its own domain.

Going deeper

Lovable launch questions

Why does my Lovable app show a blank page on my domain?

Usually DNS pointing at the wrong target or an SSL certificate that hasn't issued yet. Both are checkable in minutes with the right tools, and both are covered in Launch Essentials.

Why does login work on the preview but not my domain?

Supabase URL configuration: your production domain isn't in the Site URL or redirect allowlist, so auth callbacks fail. It's a two-field fix that's nearly impossible to find if you don't know it exists.

How long does DNS propagation actually take?

Lovable's docs say up to 72 hours, with most updates live within a few hours. We lower TTLs before cutover so the wait is short, and we verify from multiple resolvers instead of guessing.

Do I need a paid Lovable plan for a custom domain?

Yes. Lovable's docs say custom domains are available on paid plans, so a free-plan project needs an upgrade before the domain can connect.

Does Lovable's security scan replace a security review?

No, by Lovable's own account. It scans before publishing and offers deeper scans, and its docs say the tools do not replace a thorough security review. Production Hardening is that review by a person.

Can I keep developing in Lovable after you deploy it?

Yes, with a defined flow: Lovable pushes to the repo, the repo deploys to production. You keep the builder; production keeps its discipline.

What does this cost?

$950 fixed for Launch Essentials, $2,950 fixed for Production Hardening. Published on the pricing page, no quote dance for productized work.