Preview versus deployed
In the preview, everything runs in your own tab, with your own data and environment. Once deployed, environment variables, API keys, database connections and routing can all behave differently. The first person to find out shouldn't be your first user.
Where Bolt.new apps usually break
- Missing environment variables in production: a feature that silently does nothing.
- Data stored in the browser instead of a database, gone on another device.
- Deep links and refresh on a sub-page returning a 404.
- API keys exposed in the front end.
- Layouts that only work at the width you built them in.
What to put in your brief
- 1The deployed URL, and whether accounts are real or reset.
- 2The main task a new user should finish.
- 3Ask testers to open the app on a second device and check their data followed them.
- 4List what's unfinished.





