Quickstart

In this tutorial we will walk through creating a full-stack app with Flutter and Serverpod and deploying it to the cloud as a web app. You will have an app up and hosted within 10–15 minutes.

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Before we start, make sure that you have Serverpod installed. You will also need to have Docker installed.

Create the project

Use Serverpod's create command to create a new project. The create command is interactive and will guide you through the setup process. Create the project with all the default settings. (Just press Enter.)

serverpod create my_project

Next, open your newly created project with your favorite AI agent. (Open the root folder of the full project—for example, my_project—which includes the server, client, and Flutter app.) We have tested the default setup with Antigravity, Cursor, and Claude Code.

If required by your editor, enable the MCP servers for Serverpod and Dart.

Start the server and the app

Start the server by opening up a terminal window and running the serverpod start command:

serverpod start

When the server is running, start the Flutter app. Select Chrome as the Flutter target (it's located at the bottom-right corner of the window). Open the main.dart file in the my_project_flutter/lib/ directory. Click the Run button above the main method.

After your app has finished building, it will open in a new window. Try it out by entering your name and clicking the send button.

Build your app

Instruct the agent to build your app. Here are a few simple prompts that you can try:

Personal expense tracker

Build a personal expense tracker with a Serverpod backend. Include a frontend form to log expenses (amount, category, description), a list displaying past entries, and a header calculating the running total.

Digital flashcard maker

Build a digital flashcard app with a Serverpod backend. The UI should have a form to create cards (question and answer) and a 'Study Mode' view that shows one card at a time, featuring a 'Flip' button to reveal the answer and a 'Next' button.

Daily journal

Build a journal app with a Serverpod backend. Include a simple UI with a large text area to save plain-text entries, and display a chronological feed of past entries below it (newest first).

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The server will automatically hot reload any changes made by the AI agent. However, if the agent modifies the database, you may need to create and apply the migrations. You can do this in the server's console by hitting the M key (Create Migration), followed by the A key (Apply Migration).

To reload the app, hit the 🔄 hot restart button in the editor.

Deploy the app to the cloud

To deploy your app to Serverpod Cloud, you will need to create an account and set up a new project in Serverpod Cloud. Head to the Serverpod Cloud Console and follow the instructions there. You get a 1-month free trial. No credit card required.

Install the Serverpod Cloud command line tools:

dart install serverpod_cloud_cli

With the Serverpod Cloud project set up and the CLI tools installed, you can deploy your backend and web app using the scloud launch command:

scloud launch

After the project has been uploaded for the first time, use the deploy command whenever you make changes to your project:

scloud deploy

tip

In the Serverpod Cloud console, open Serverpod Insights to view server logs, CPU usage, and other information.