Tacobase × Lovable

The backend Lovable apps deserve

Full database, auth, realtime, and file storage for your Lovable app — auto-provisioned in seconds. Just say 'use tacobase for the backend.'

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What is Lovable?

Lovable is an AI-powered web app builder that lets you describe what you want and generates a full React + Vite application. It's built for speed — from idea to deployed app in minutes. Lovable handles the frontend; tacobase handles the backend.

Zero-Config Setup

A live backend — database, auth, realtime, and storage — without touching a dashboard.

Tell Lovable to use tacobase

Just say this in your Lovable prompt. Lovable will fetch the tacobase guide and know exactly what to do — no copy-pasting, no long setup instructions.

prompt

use tacobase for the backend

Lovable calls the instant API

Lovable fetches tacobase.dev/lovable.txt, then calls POST /api/instant to provision a live project. No account, no dashboard. Credentials are set as environment variables automatically.

auto-provisioning

POST https://tacobase.dev/api/instant
→ { url, apiKey, claimToken, claimUrl, expiresAt }

VITE_TACOBASE_URL=https://spicy-bold-taco.tacobase.dev
VITE_TACOBASE_API_KEY=tbk_...

Lovable wires everything up

Lovable installs @tacobase/client and @tacobase/react, wraps your app in TacoProvider, and writes your components using useAuth, useCollection, and useRealtime. Collections auto-create on first write — no schema setup needed.

terminal

npm install @tacobase/client @tacobase/react

Claim your project to make it permanent

Instant projects expire in 24 hours. Lovable shows you a "Claim your project" banner with a link to save it permanently and link it to your tacobase account.

SDK Patterns for Vite / React

Copy-paste ready. Env vars use the VITE_ prefix.

Wrap your app — main.tsx

import { TacoProvider } from '@tacobase/react'

<TacoProvider
  url={import.meta.env.VITE_TACOBASE_URL}
  apiKey={import.meta.env.VITE_TACOBASE_API_KEY}
>
  <App />
</TacoProvider>

Auth

import { useAuth, AuthForm } from '@tacobase/react'

// Drop-in auth UI with Google + GitHub:
<AuthForm providers={['google', 'github']} onSuccess={() => window.location.reload()} />

// Custom:
const { user, loading, signIn, signOut } = useAuth()

Database — collections auto-create on first write

import { useCollection } from '@tacobase/react'
import { createClient } from '@tacobase/client'

// Read:
const { data: posts, loading } = useCollection('posts', {
  sort: '-created',
  filter: 'published = true',
})

// Write:
const db = createClient(
  import.meta.env.VITE_TACOBASE_URL,
  import.meta.env.VITE_TACOBASE_API_KEY
)
await db.collection('posts').create({ title: 'Hello', published: true })
await db.collection('posts').update(id, { title: 'Updated' })
await db.collection('posts').delete(id)

Realtime

import { useRealtime } from '@tacobase/react'

useRealtime('posts', (event) => {
  console.log(event.action, event.record) // 'create' | 'update' | 'delete'
})

Everything Lovable Projects Need

Auto-provisioned

Lovable calls the tacobase instant API and spins up a live project in seconds. No account, no dashboard, no credentials to copy-paste.

Collections on demand

No schema setup, no migrations. Collections create themselves the first time you write data. Lovable can create any data model on the fly.

Drop-in auth

Email/password and OAuth (Google, GitHub) with a single component. useAuth gives you user, signIn, signOut — no config required.

Realtime built in

WebSocket subscriptions on any collection with useRealtime. Live feeds, collaborative features, and chat without any extra infrastructure.

File storage

Upload images and files directly from the browser. Files attach to records and serve from CDN-backed URLs with image transform support.

Vite-native env vars

tacobase uses VITE_TACOBASE_URL and VITE_TACOBASE_API_KEY — the exact env var format Lovable and Vite expect. No config gymnastics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a tacobase account to use it with Lovable?

No. The instant provisioning API creates a live project with no account required. Your project is provisioned automatically when Lovable sets up the integration. You only need an account if you want to claim the project and keep it permanently (instant projects expire after 24 hours).

How does Lovable get the credentials?

Lovable fetches the tacobase web builder guide at tacobase.dev/lovable.txt, then calls POST https://tacobase.dev/api/instant. The API returns a URL and API key which Lovable sets as VITE_TACOBASE_URL and VITE_TACOBASE_API_KEY in the project secrets panel.

Do I need to set up database tables or a schema?

No. tacobase collections auto-create on first write. When your app calls db.collection("posts").create(...) for the first time, the "posts" collection is created automatically with whatever fields you use. No migrations, no schema definitions.

What happens to my data after 24 hours?

Instant projects expire after 24 hours unless claimed. Lovable shows a "Claim your project" notice with a link. Clicking it lets you create a tacobase account and transfer ownership of the project permanently. Your data is preserved.

Can I use tacobase auth with Lovable's built-in auth?

Yes — tacobase auth is independent and works inside any Lovable app. Use the AuthForm component for a drop-in sign-in/sign-up UI, or use useAuth for custom flows. It supports email/password and OAuth (Google, GitHub) out of the box.

Is tacobase free?

Yes. The Soft tier is free and includes 2 projects and 1 GB storage. Paid plans (Crunchy at $7/mo, Loaded at $19/mo) add more projects and storage. Instant projects are always free to create.

Other Integrations

Tacobase + Bolt.new Tacobase + v0

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No account. No dashboard. No setup. Just build.

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