Build your first app with Base44

Your first app can solve one small problem. In this walkthrough, the project is a personal task tracker: you add a task, give it a status and come back to update it.

Base44 lets you describe an app in plain language. You still need to decide what it should do and check the result.

1. Define the first version

Write down the user, the task and the finish:

• User: a signed-in person managing their own tasks.
• Task: add a title, optional note and due date.
• Finish: see the task in a list and mark it complete.

Keep each user's tasks private. Leave payments, messaging and external integrations for a later project.

2. Give Base44 a focused starting prompt

Open a new Base44 project and adapt this brief:

Build a private personal task tracker. A signed-in user can create, read, update and delete only their own tasks. Each task has a title, optional note, optional due date and a status: To do, In progress or Done. Include a task list, an add/edit form, status filters, a useful empty state and visible save/error feedback. Enforce ownership in data access rules, not just by hiding records in the interface. Use readable type, clear labels and a mobile-friendly layout. Keep this first version small.

This is a suggested brief, not a guarantee that the first generated version meets every requirement.

3. Try the whole journey

Add three fictional tasks. Edit a title, change a status and delete a task you no longer need. Refresh and check that the saved information remains.

Try an empty title, a task without a date and a longer note. Check whether the form explains what needs correcting.

Look at the app on a narrow screen and use the keyboard to reach its controls.

4. Describe one issue at a time

When something fails, give Base44 the steps you followed and what you expected. For example:

When I edit a task title and press Save, the list still shows the old title after refresh. Please investigate the save flow and fix it. Keep the existing task fields, layout and ownership rules. Explain how I can verify the correction.

Retest the same journey after the change. Also check that adding and deleting tasks still works.

5. Check privacy with separate accounts

Use two test accounts with fictional records. Each account should see only its own tasks. Attempt to open a task belonging to the other account by its URL. Access must be refused.

A prompt asking for privacy does not prove the access rules are correct. Review the app's security settings and test them before using real private information.

6. Decide whether it is ready to share

Write down what works, what you tested and what remains unfinished. Check the app's access settings before publishing. Current plan limits and publishing options should be checked in Base44.

Your next step

Keep using the small tracker until you know what would make it more useful. Then add one improvement and repeat your checks.

Plan your next build, find more starting prompts or take the planning course.

Reference: Base44's official prompt guide.