ai-builders
How to Host a Lovable Site Without Lovable's Hosting
Jul 12, 2026 · 2 min read
Lovable is built so you're never locked into its own hosting — every project can sync to GitHub, and from there you can build and deploy the static output anywhere. Here's the fastest path to a live link outside Lovable, with a password gate or a custom domain if you need one.
Why host outside Lovable
A few common reasons this comes up:
- You want to password-protect a client preview before it's ready for the world.
- You want a custom domain without changing your whole stack.
- You want a stable link that doesn't change as you keep shipping updates.
- You're sending a one-off preview and don't want it living in your main Lovable workspace.
Step 1: Sync your project to GitHub
In your Lovable project, open the GitHub integration and connect (or create) a repository. Lovable keeps this repo in sync with your project automatically, so this is a one-time setup per project.
Step 2: Build the static output locally
Clone the repo and build it — Lovable projects are standard Vite + React apps, so this is the normal Vite build:
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd <your-repo>
npm install
npm run build
This produces a dist/ folder containing the static site: index.html plus the compiled JS, CSS, and assets.
Step 3: Zip the build output
Zip the contents of dist/, not the folder itself, so index.html sits at the root of the archive — that's the reliable path (PreviewSend will also find an index.html nested one level deep, but don't rely on it):
cd dist
zip -r ../site.zip .
Step 4: Upload and get a live link
- Sign up for PreviewSend — the free plan doesn't need a card.
- Create a project and upload
site.zip. - You get a live URL immediately.
From there:
- Add a password to keep it private before launch (included on every plan, even Free).
- Point a custom domain at it via CNAME once you're on Starter or above.
- Ship an update later by uploading a new ZIP to the same project — the link stays the same, and PreviewSend keeps your version history so you can roll back.
What stays on Lovable
If your project uses Lovable Cloud for the backend (database, auth, server functions), leave that where it is. You're only moving the frontend's static build — it keeps talking to the same backend URL, so nothing about your data or logic changes.
Want to see how this compares for other AI export sources? Read how to share a Claude artifact as a website next.
FAQ
Do I lose my Lovable project if I host the build elsewhere?
No. Hosting the built output somewhere else doesn't touch your Lovable project — you can keep editing in Lovable and re-run this export whenever you ship an update.
What if my Lovable app uses Lovable Cloud for the backend?
You can split them: keep the backend on Lovable Cloud and host only the frontend build elsewhere. No architecture changes are required — the frontend just points at the same backend URL it already uses.
Does this work for other AI builders too?
Yes. Bolt, v0, and Cursor all produce a similar static build step (npm run build) — the export and upload steps above are the same regardless of which tool generated the code.
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