Replit Tutorial: Building Your First App in 10 Minutes
Learn how to build and deploy your first application on Replit in just 10 minutes. No installation required, just your browser and creativity.
Why Replit for Your First App?
Replit is the fastest way to go from idea to deployed application. Unlike traditional development that requires installing software, configuring environments, and setting up servers, Replit lets you start coding immediately in your browser.
In this tutorial, you'll build a simple but functional web application and deploy it live to the internet - all in under 10 minutes.
Step 1: Create Your Replit Account (1 minute)
Head to replit.com and sign up for a free account. You can use your email, Google, or GitHub account. No credit card required.
Step 2: Create a New Repl (30 seconds)
Once logged in, click the "+ Create" button and select your template:
- Node.js - For JavaScript/TypeScript web apps
- Python - For Python web applications with Flask
- HTML/CSS/JS - For static websites
- Next.js - For React applications
For this tutorial, we'll use HTML/CSS/JS. Give your Repl a name like "my-first-app".
Step 3: Write Your Code (5 minutes)
Replit automatically creates starter files. Replace the content of index.html with this simple web app:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>My First Replit App</title>
<style>
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
height: 100vh;
margin: 0;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);
color: white;
}
.container {
text-align: center;
}
button {
padding: 15px 30px;
font-size: 18px;
background: white;
color: #667eea;
border: none;
border-radius: 8px;
cursor: pointer;
margin-top: 20px;
}
button:hover {
transform: scale(1.05);
transition: transform 0.2s;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<h1>🚀 My First Replit App!</h1>
<p>Built and deployed in under 10 minutes</p>
<button onclick="handleClick()">Click Me!</button>
<p id="message"></p>
</div>
<script>
let clicks = 0;
function handleClick() {
clicks++;
document.getElementById('message').textContent =
`You've clicked ${clicks} time${clicks !== 1 ? 's' : ''}! 🎉`;
}
</script>
</body>
</html>Step 4: Run Your App (10 seconds)
Click the big green "Run" button at the top of the screen. Replit will:
- Start a local web server automatically
- Open a preview window showing your app
- Enable hot reload for instant updates
You should see your app running in the preview pane on the right!
Step 5: Deploy to the Internet (2 minutes)
Now let's make your app accessible to anyone on the internet:
- Click the "Deploy" button in the top right
- Choose "Autoscale deployment" for production-ready hosting
- Click "Deploy"
Replit will give you a public URL like my-first-app.username.repl.co. Share this link with anyone - your app is now live on the internet!
What Just Happened?
In less than 10 minutes, you:
- Created a development environment (0 installations needed)
- Wrote a web application with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Ran the app with automatic server setup
- Deployed to production with SSL certificate and hosting
This same process would take hours or days with traditional development tools.
Next Steps
Now that you've built your first app, try these next:
- Add a database: Use Replit's built-in database to store data
- Invite collaborators: Share your Repl and code together in real-time
- Connect to APIs: Integrate with external services
- Build something bigger: Create a full-stack application
Conclusion
Replit removes all the friction from learning to code and building applications. No setup, no configuration, no deployment headaches - just pure creativity and building.
Ready to build something amazing? Your next great idea is just 10 minutes away on Replit.
