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This guide walks you through connecting your Bilt app to Bilt Cloud — giving your app user sign-in, a PostgreSQL database, file storage, and server-side logic, all managed by Bilt.

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Prerequisites

That’s it — no external accounts or setup needed.

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Step 1: Open Database settings

In your project, go to Settings → Database. You’ll land on the Backend Connection screen. You don’t have to start from settings: when your app needs a backend, Bilt posts a card in chat with an Enable Backend button that does the same thing.

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Step 2: Enable the Bilt-managed backend

Under Bilt-managed backend, click Enable. Bilt provisions a database and backend for your project — setup takes up to a minute.
Backend Connection screen with the Bilt-managed backend Enable button
Once connected, the page shows Bilt Backend — Managed by Bilt, and the Data, Users, Automations, Files, and Advanced tabs appear, with status chips for Database, Auth, Functions, and Storage.
The Data tab right after enabling, before the app stores anything
Your database is ready immediately. Sign-in and file storage switch on the first time your app needs them — or turn them on yourself with Turn on sign-in (Users tab) and Turn on file storage (Files tab).

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Step 3: Build features

Now tell Bilt what you want. Bilt generates the code that connects your app to its backend.

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Add authentication

Users can sign in with email or with Apple and Google — manage providers on the Users tab.
The Users tab before sign-in is enabled, with the Enable Auth button

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Create and use a database table

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Store files

Uploaded files land in a storage bucket you can browse on the Files tab.
The Files tab with a storage bucket, its visibility, size limit, and file types

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Add server logic

Server-side logic runs as an automation — see it, its deployments, and its invocation logs on the Automations tab.
The Automations tab listing a deployed function with its auth and status

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Step 4: Verify data

Use the built-in inspector (under Settings → Database) to check that everything works:
  • Data — browse your tables and click View Data to see the rows in them
  • Users — confirm accounts are created when users sign up
  • Advanced — run raw SQL queries when you want to dig deeper
The Data tab populated with tables, their columns, links, and protection badges
The Users tab with a signed-up user and Apple / Google social sign-in settings

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Connect your own Supabase instead

Prefer your own infrastructure? On the Backend Connection screen, click Connect Supabase organization and authorize Bilt with your Supabase account. Then create a new Supabase project or connect an existing one — Bilt builds against it the same way.
If your project uses the older Bilt-managed Supabase backend, you’ll see a Migrate to Bilt button that moves your data, users, files, and functions to Bilt Cloud.

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Tips

  • Real-time sync isn’t included — if any user should instantly see another user’s changes, ask Bilt to refresh data periodically or on navigation instead
  • Check the inspector if something isn’t working — confirm the table and data Bilt created actually exist
  • Keep secrets on the server — ask Bilt to put API keys and sensitive logic in an automation, not in the app itself

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Further reading