liblab.ai

Build internal apps using AI.

Securely connect your database, build an app, and deploy in seconds.

🚀 Jump to Quick Start - Get up and running in minutes!

✨ Key features

• Securely connect your database (or use a Sample database)
• Build internal apps that can communicate with your database
• AI builds the whole full-stack app and auto-fixes any issues
• Preview your built app live and make edits
• Download the built app code or connect directly to GitHub
• Deploy your built app

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Deploy with Docker (Recommended) ⭐

Prerequisites

Node.js (Only required for configuration, not for running the app)

Node.js is a program that helps your computer run certain types of applications. You'll need it to set up this project, but don't worry - it's free and easy to install!

📱 macOS (Mac computers)

Option 1: Simple download (Recommended for beginners)

1. Open your web browser and go to nodejs.org
2. You'll see two download buttons - click the one that says "LTS" (it's the safer, more stable version)
3. The file will download automatically
4. Double-click the downloaded file (it will end in .pkg)
5. Follow the installation wizard - just click "Continue" and "Install" when prompted
6. Enter your computer password when asked

Option 2: Using Homebrew

1. Open Terminal
2. Copy and paste this command: brew install node
3. Press Enter and wait for it to finish

🪟 Windows

Option 1: Simple download (Recommended for beginners)

1. Open your web browser and go to nodejs.org
2. You'll see two download buttons - click the one that says "LTS" (it's the safer, more stable version)
3. The file will download automatically
4. Find the downloaded file (usually in your Downloads folder) and double-click it
5. Follow the installation wizard - just click "Next" and "Install" when prompted
6. Click "Finish" when done

🐧 Linux

Ubuntu/Debian (most common Linux versions)

1. Open Terminal (press Ctrl + Alt + T)
2. Copy and paste this command: sudo apt update && sudo apt install nodejs npm
3. Press Enter and type your password when asked
4. Type "Y" and press Enter to confirm

Other Linux versions

1. Open Terminal
2. Copy and paste this command: sudo snap install node --classic
3. Press Enter and type your password when asked

✅ How to check if it worked

After installation, you can verify it worked:

1. Open Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows)
2. Type: node --version and press Enter
3. You should see something like "v22.0.0" or higher
4. Type: npm --version and press Enter
5. You should see a version number like "9.6.7"

❓ Need help?

• Windows users: If you get an error about "node is not recognized", restart your computer after installation or refer to the official Windows guide
• Mac users: If you get a security warning, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and click "Allow"
• Linux users: If you get a permission error, make sure to type sudo before the commands

pnpm (Package manager, faster than npm)

# Install pnpm globally
npm install -g pnpm

# Verify installation
pnpm --version

Docker (Required for containerized setup)

Install Docker Desktop from docker.com/get-started

Verify the Installation

docker --version
docker-compose --version

Anthropic API Key (Required for AI model access)

Step 1: Create an Anthropic Account

1. Go to console.anthropic.com/signup
2. Create an account
3. Verify your email

Step 2: Generate an API Key 4. Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys 5. Click "Create Key" 6. Give it a name (e.g., "liblab-ai") 7. Copy the API key (starts with sk-ant-)

Step 3: Save your API Key Add this to your .env file during setup, but keep it handy:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-api-key-here

Netlify Key (Optional to run the builder. Required to deploy completed apps)

Step 1: Create a Netlify account

1. Go to netlify.com
2. Sign up for a free account

Step 2: Generate an auth token 3. Go to User Settings > Applications > New access token 4. Generate and copy your token

Step 3: Add the token to your .env file

NETLIFY_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token-here

Once configured, you can deploy any app you generate through liblab.ai to Netlify using the deploy option in the UI.

liblab.ai runs best on Chrome or Chromium browsers when using a desktop. Mobile browsers don't have full support right now.

Some browser add-ons like ad blockers or VPNs might cause problems. If things aren't working right, try disabling them and reload the page.

Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/liblaber/ai.git
cd ai

Run the quickstart

Make sure your Docker Desktop is running.

Run the following command to set up and start the app:

pnpm run quickstart

That's it! 🎉 The app will be available at http://localhost:3000

Quickstart Behavior

The pnpm run quickstart command now always pulls the latest code and Docker images to ensure you're running the most up-to-date version. Here's what happens:

• ✅ Always rebuilds Docker images with latest code
• ✅ Preserves your database by default (keeps existing data)
• ✅ Interactive prompts if you have existing data
• ✅ Migration support for database schema changes

Additional quickstart options:

# Standard quickstart (preserves database)
pnpm run quickstart

# Fresh start (removes all existing data)
pnpm run quickstart:fresh

# Explicitly preserve database
pnpm run quickstart:preserve

Database Migration

If you encounter database issues after updating, use the migration tool:

pnpm run docker:migrate

This provides options to:

• Auto-migrate database schema
• Create backups before migrating
• Reset database (⚠️ loses all data)

How Quickstart Handles Your Data

Your data is PRESERVED when:

• You run pnpm run quickstart:preserve
• You run the standard pnpm run quickstart and choose to preserve data when prompted (this is the default)

Your data is REMOVED (fresh start) when:

• You run pnpm run quickstart:fresh
• You run the standard pnpm run quickstart and choose to reset the database when prompted
• No existing data is found (e.g., on first-time setup)

Important Notes:

• 🔄 Code is always updated - Docker images are rebuilt with latest code
• 💾 Database behavior is configurable - You control whether to keep or reset data
• ⚠️ Schema changes may require migration - Use pnpm run docker:migrate if needed

Option 2: Manual Installation

For developers who prefer full control over their environment or need to run without Docker.

💡 Note: We recommend using Docker (Option 1) for the best experience, as it handles all dependencies and provides a consistent environment.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have all the following installed and configured:

Node.js (22 or higher) (Required for running the application)

Node.js is a program that helps your computer run certain types of applications. You'll need it to run this project on your computer.

📱 macOS (Mac computers)

Option 1: Simple download (Recommended for beginners)

1. Open your web browser and go to nodejs.org
2. You'll see two download buttons - click the one that says "LTS" (it's the safer, more stable version)
3. The file will download automatically
4. Double-click the downloaded file (it will end in .pkg)
5. Follow the installation wizard - just click "Continue" and "Install" when prompted
6. Enter your computer password when asked

Option 2: Using Homebrew (if you're comfortable with Terminal)

1. Open Terminal (press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", press Enter)
2. Copy and paste this command: brew install node
3. Press Enter and wait for it to finish

🪟 Windows

Option 1: Simple download (Recommended for beginners)

1. Open your web browser and go to nodejs.org
2. You'll see two download buttons - click the one that says "LTS" (it's the safer, more stable version)
3. The file will download automatically
4. Find the downloaded file (usually in your Downloads folder) and double-click it
5. Follow the installation wizard - just click "Next" and "Install" when prompted
6. Click "Finish" when done

Option 2: Using Windows Store (Windows 10/11)

1. Open the Microsoft Store app
2. Search for "Node.js"
3. Click "Install" on the official Node.js app
4. Wait for it to finish installing

🐧 Linux

Ubuntu/Debian (most common Linux versions)

1. Open Terminal (press Ctrl + Alt + T)
2. Copy and paste this command: sudo apt update && sudo apt install nodejs npm
3. Press Enter and type your password when asked
4. Type "Y" and press Enter to confirm

Other Linux versions

1. Open Terminal
2. Copy and paste this command: sudo snap install node --classic
3. Press Enter and type your password when asked

✅ How to check if it worked

After installation, you can verify it worked:

1. Open Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows)
2. Type: node --version and press Enter
3. You should see something like "v22.0.0" or higher
4. Type: npm --version and press Enter
5. You should see a version number like "9.6.7"

❓ Need help?

• Windows users: If you get an error about "node is not recognized", restart your computer after installation or refer to the official Windows guide.
• Mac users: If you get a security warning, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and click "Allow"
• Linux users: If you get a permission error, make sure to type sudo before the commands

pnpm (Package manager, faster than npm)

# Install pnpm globally
npm install -g pnpm

# Verify installation
pnpm --version

Anthropic API Key (Required for AI model access)

Step 1: Create an Anthropic Account

1. Go to console.anthropic.com/signup
2. Create an account
3. Verify your email

Step 2: Generate an API Key 4. Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys 5. Click "Create Key" 6. Give it a name (e.g., "liblab-ai") 7. Copy the API key (starts with sk-ant-)

Step 3: Save your API Key Add this to your .env file during setup, but keep it handy:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-api-key-here

Netlify Key (Optional to run the builder. Required to deploy completed apps)

Step 1: Create a Netlify account

1. Go to netlify.com
2. Sign up for a free account

Step 2: Generate an auth token 3. Go to User Settings > Applications > New access token 4. Generate and copy your token

Step 3: Add the token to your .env file

NETLIFY_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token-here

liblab.ai runs best on Chrome or Chromium browsers when using a desktop. Mobile browsers don't have full support right now.

Some browser add-ons like ad blockers or VPNs might cause problems. If things aren't working right, try disabling them and reload the page.

Setup

Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/liblaber/ai.git
cd ai

Run the setup

pnpm run setup

Start the app

Start the development server with:

pnpm run dev

That's it! 🎉

📚 Resources

• Contributing Guidelines - How to contribute to the project
• Security & Privacy
• Configuration
• Deploy on EC2 with HTTPS & Auto-Restart
• Getting Started
• Features
• Environments
• Team Roles and Permissions
• Tips
• Governance
• License

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

1. 📖 Read our Contributing Guidelines - Complete setup and development guide
2. 🐛 Browse Issues - Find something to work on
3. 🏛️ Check our Governance Model - Understand how we work

New to the project? Look for good first issue labels.

📞 Community & Support

• 🐛 GitHub Issues - Report bugs, request features, or discuss project-related topics
• 📧 General Inquiries - Contact us directly for questions or concerns

📄 License

This project is currently licensed under the MIT License. Please note that future versions may transition to a different license to support the introduction of Pro features. We remain committed to keeping the core open source, but certain advanced capabilities may be subject to commercial terms.

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Copyright (c) 2025 Liblab, Inc. and liblab.ai contributors

Ready to contribute? Check out our Contributing Guidelines and join our community! 🚀