How to Publish a Lovable Website and Connect a Domain

To publish a Lovable website, open the project, click Publish, review the URL, visibility and security result, then confirm the deployment. The site first receives a lovable.app address. A custom domain can be connected from the Publish dialog or Project Settings on a paid plan.

This guide follows the current official publishing workflow and custom-domain documentation. It starts after the website is built and concentrates on launch, DNS and post-publication checks.

What happens after building a website with Lovable?

The editor preview is not the public production site. Publishing deploys a snapshot of the project to Lovable’s hosting. Changes you make later remain in preview until you use Publish changes. That separation lets you test edits before visitors see them.

Prepare the website for publication

Replace placeholder copy, images, links, prices and contact details.
Test the main journey from landing page to form, checkout or sign-up confirmation.
Review mobile, tablet and desktop layouts.
Resolve critical security findings, especially around secrets, authentication and data access.
Check page titles, descriptions, headings, image alt text and the social preview.
Confirm privacy, cookie and terms content where the site collects data.
Decide who should be able to view the published project.

How to publish your Lovable project

Open the project and click Publish in the editor’s top-right corner. On a narrow window, it may appear as an icon.
Review the suggested [name].lovable.app address and edit the subdomain if needed.
Review the audience. Public publishing is available on all plans; restricted internal or custom audiences depend on plan.
Review the basic security scan. Findings do not always block deployment, but critical issues should be fixed before launch.
Click Publish. When deployment finishes, open the live link in a new browser window.

To deploy later edits, return to the same dialog and click Publish changes. A dot on the Publish button indicates unpublished changes.

How to connect a custom domain to Lovable

Custom domains are available on paid plans, and the project must be published before the domain can serve it. Open Project → Settings → Domains, use Add domain in the Publish dialog, or ask Lovable in project chat. You can buy a domain through Lovable or connect one registered elsewhere.

Connect a domain you already own

Choose Connect existing domain → Connect domain.
Enter the root domain, such as example.co.ke, or a subdomain such as www.example.co.ke.
Choose root domain or subdomain and confirm whether www should redirect.
Use automatic setup where supported, or copy the DNS values shown by Lovable into the provider that controls your DNS.
Return to Lovable, finish setup and wait for ownership verification and SSL issuance.

Lovable’s documentation currently specifies an A record pointing to 185.158.133.1 and a verification TXT record whose value begins lovable_verify=. Always copy the values shown inside your own project because platform instructions can change.

How DNS configuration works

DNS tells browsers which service answers for a hostname. The root host is often represented by @; www is a separate hostname. The A record routes website traffic and the verification TXT record proves control. Email normally uses MX and related TXT records; do not remove those while changing website records.

Current Lovable prerequisites say the connected hostname must not have an interfering AAAA record and any CAA policy must permit Lovable to issue an SSL certificate. DNS updates can take up to 72 hours to propagate, although many complete within hours.

Hosting considerations

Lovable hosts published apps, includes HTTPS and delivers them through its infrastructure. Usage from traffic, database, storage and server functions can consume run credits after included grants. Review project usage rather than assuming every production workload will remain free.

You own the project code. If operational requirements call for another provider, use Git sync or the documented external deployment path and plan who will manage builds, environment variables, DNS, SSL, logs, backups and incident response.

Test the published website

Open the root domain and www variant; confirm the non-primary host redirects.
Check HTTPS and look for mixed-content warnings.
Open every important route directly, not only through navigation.
Submit forms with valid and invalid data and confirm delivery.
Test login, password reset, payment and logout flows where applicable.
Check the browser console and network panel for failed resources.
Share one URL in a messaging app to review its Open Graph preview.

Check mobile responsiveness

Test at several widths in Lovable’s preview, then use at least one real phone. Look for clipped headings, off-screen controls, cramped tables, tiny tap targets and fixed elements that cover content. Rotate the device and test forms with the on-screen keyboard open.

Configure basic SEO settings

Lovable generates titles, descriptions and a favicon, but review them page by page. Open the page selector’s Social and Search cards or ask project chat to update a specific route. After publication, run More → SEO & AI search → Scan project. If you connect a custom domain, rerun the scan for the new host and follow the Lovable SEO optimization checklist.

Common publishing and domain problems

Problem	Likely cause	What to check
Old version is live	Changes were not republished	Publish → Publish changes, then refresh without cached files.
Domain shows Action required	DNS records are missing or incorrect	Compare host, type and value character by character.
SSL is pending	DNS or CAA is not ready	Wait for propagation; verify CAA and conflicting records.
Domain points to another site	Old A/AAAA records still answer	Remove only conflicting web records, not mail records.
Email stopped	MX or mail TXT records were replaced	Restore records from the email provider.
One hostname works	Root and www were not both configured	Complete setup for each entry and set the primary domain.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to publish a Lovable website?

A public lovable.app URL is available on the Free plan. A custom domain requires a paid plan. Running a larger app may also consume credits beyond included grants.

How long does a Lovable custom domain take to connect?

Many connections complete within a few hours, but DNS propagation may take up to 72 hours. Avoid repeatedly changing records while valid updates are propagating.

Does Lovable provide SSL?

Yes. Lovable provisions HTTPS for its hosted domain and connected custom domains when DNS and certificate requirements are satisfied.

Can I keep email at my current provider?

Yes. Change only the website records Lovable requires and preserve the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records used by your email service.

Can I publish changes without disconnecting the domain?

Yes. Use Publish changes. The connected live domain serves the newly deployed snapshot when publishing completes.

Can I use a subdomain?

Yes. Connect a hostname such as app.example.com and add the specific DNS records shown for that subdomain.

Conclusion

Publishing is two jobs: deploying a tested snapshot and routing the correct domain to it. Treat DNS records carefully, preserve email configuration, verify both mobile and desktop behaviour, and republish after every approved change.