How to Vibe Code for Free – Part 7: Ship It Like a Pro

From Local to Global: Deploying Your First App the Easy Way

You have vibe-coded your app. It looks good. It works. The database remembers things.
Now comes the question: how do you share it with other humans?

This is where deployment comes in.

Or, in other words, it’s time to ship!

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What’s Deployment Anyway?

Deployment is the step where your app moves from your laptop → the internet.
Instead of just showing it to your kids, your friends, or your cat, you’re giving it an address (a link) that anyone can open on their phone or laptop.

Without deployment, your app is a private experiment.
With deployment, it’s real. 🎉

My cat giving feedback on my vibe-coded app

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Option 1: Built-In Hosting (Bolt & Lovable)

The easiest way to ship is to let your vibe coding tool handle it for you.

• Bolt Hosting now comes with one-click publishing, custom domains, and even SEO baked in (docs here). No fiddling with configs: you hit “publish,” pick your domain, and it’s live.

• Lovable Hosting works the same way (docs here). Publish directly inside Lovable, connect a custom domain, and you’re done.

Why this is great:

• Zero setup.

• Everything stays inside the tool you’re already using.

• Custom domains make your app look pro.

The tradeoff:

• You’re tied to their ecosystem. If you want to grow beyond Bolt or Lovable, you may eventually migrate to a more advanced tool.

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Option 2: Netlify

There are plenty of hosting platforms out there, but Netlify has become a vibe coder’s best friend. It has been my go-to for apps that live outside of one ecosystem. It connects directly to GitHub (or other repos), offers free hosting, and is popular among frontend devs.

What’s nice:

• Free tier is generous.

• One-click setup with GitHub (where your code lives)

• Automatic redeploys when you update your app, so you don’t have to remember to push the changes live

• Integrates with Supabase, Neon, and other databases.

The learning curve:

• You’ll need to connect all the pieces (database, environment variables, etc.).

• Not as plug-and-play as Bolt/Lovable.

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Option 3: Vercel

If Netlify is the friendly Swiss Army knife, Vercel is the high-performance sports car.

What you get:

• Lightning-fast hosting.

• Built-in scaling.

• Free custom domains and easy previews.

Downside?

• IIt feels more like a tool for developers than for vibe coders. You might need to read a doc or two.

But if you want your app to feel production-grade from day one, Vercel is a solid pick.

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Which One Should You Use?

Here’s the vibe coder’s comparison table:

Deployment platform comparison table

The Vibe Coder’s Rule

If you want fastest to live, go with your app’s built-in hosting (Bolt or Lovable).
If you want flexibility and growth, go with Netlify or Vercel.

Either way, the key is this: don’t let your app sit unseen in your editor. Ship it. Let it breathe. Show it off.

Because the best app is not the one on your laptop, it’s the one your audience can use, too.

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The Takeaway

Deployment doesn’t need to be scary or expensive.
With your vibe coding app and/or Netlify, you can go from “fun project on my laptop” to “real live app” in under 10 minutes… all for free!

And once your app is live, you’re not just coding anymore! You’re connecting with an audience.

📎 Save this: [Download the Netlify Deployment Cheatsheet infographic]

📥 Next up: Part 8: Error Monitoring Without Tears (or Bills) → how to catch problems before your users do.