Getting Started with Bubble: Build a Web App Without Code

Bubble is revolutionizing how we build web applications. With its powerful visual programming interface, you can create production-ready, full-stack applications without writing a single line of code. In this comprehensive tutorial, you'll learn how to build your first web app from scratch.

What is Bubble?

Bubble is a no-code platform that lets you build complete web applications using a visual editor. Unlike simple website builders, Bubble gives you the power to create complex, database-driven applications with custom logic and workflows.

What You Can Build:

• SaaS applications
• Marketplaces (like Airbnb or Etsy)
• Social networks
• CRM systems
• Internal tools
• E-commerce platforms

Key Features:

• Visual design editor (drag-and-drop UI)
• Built-in database
• Workflow automation
• User authentication
• API integrations
• Responsive design
• Custom domains and SEO

Bubble vs Other No-Code Tools

• vs Webflow: Bubble includes backend/database, Webflow is primarily frontend
• vs Retool: Bubble is for public apps, Retool for internal tools
• vs Traditional Coding: 10x faster, but less flexibility for complex scenarios

Prerequisites

All you need to get started:

• A free Bubble account (sign up here)
• A modern web browser (Chrome recommended)
• An idea for your app (we'll build a job board!)

No coding knowledge required!

Our Project: Building a Job Board

We'll build "DevJobs" – a simple job board where companies can post jobs and candidates can browse them. This covers all Bubble fundamentals:

Features:

• User authentication (companies vs candidates)
• Database for job listings
• Create, read, update, delete (CRUD) operations
• Search and filtering
• Responsive design

Step 1: Create Your Bubble App

1. Log into your Bubble account
2. Click "New app"
3. Name it: devjobs-yourname
4. Choose a template or start from blank (select Blank)

You'll be taken to the Bubble editor – the command center for your app.

Understanding the Bubble Editor

The editor has four main tabs:

1. Design Tab

Where you build your UI by dragging elements onto the page.

2. Workflow Tab

Where you define what happens when users interact with your app.

3. Data Tab

Where you structure your database.

4. Styles Tab

Where you create reusable design styles.

Let's explore each!

Step 2: Set Up Your Database

Click the Data tab, then Data types.

Create "Job" Data Type

1. Click "New type"
2. Name: Job
3. Click "Create"

Now add fields to your Job type:

Field Name	Field Type	Notes
title	text	Job title
company	text	Company name
location	text	Job location
description	text (long-form)	Job details
salary_range	text	e.g., "$80k-$120k"
job_type	text	Full-time, Part-time, Contract
posted_date	date	Auto-set to current date
posted_by	User	Link to user who posted
is_active	yes/no	Default: yes

Create "Application" Data Type

This tracks job applications:

1. Create new type: Application
2. Add fields:

Field Name	Field Type	Notes
job	Job	Link to job
applicant	User	Link to user
applied_date	date	Auto-set
status	text	Default: "pending"
cover_letter	text (long-form)	Application message

Modify User Data Type

Click the User type (built-in), and add:

Field Name	Field Type	Notes
account_type	text	"company" or "candidate"
company_name	text	For companies only

Your database structure is ready!

Step 3: Design the Homepage

Go to the Design tab. You're now looking at the index page.

Set Page Width

1. Click anywhere on the page canvas
2. In the properties panel, set:
   • Container layout: Column
   • Min width: 320
   • Max width: 1200

Add a Header

1. Drag a "Group" element to the top

2. Configure:

   • Height: 60px
   • Background: #2D3748 (dark gray)
   • Container layout: Row
   • Horizontal alignment: Space between

3. Inside the header group, add:

   • Text: "DevJobs" (style: white, bold, 24px)
   • Button: "Post a Job"
   • Button: "Sign Up / Login"

Your header should span the full width with the logo on the left and buttons on the right.

Add a Hero Section

Below the header, add:

1. Group element:

   • Background: #4299E1 (blue)
   • Padding: 60px all around
   • Container layout: Column
   • Horizontal alignment: Center

2. Inside, add:

   • Text: "Find Your Dream Developer Job" (48px, white, bold)
   • Text: "Connecting companies with amazing talent" (18px, white)
   • Input: Search box (placeholder: "Search jobs...")
   • Button: "Search" (white background, blue text)

Add Job Listings Section

Below the hero:

1. Text: "Latest Jobs" (32px, bold)
2. Repeating Group:
   • Type of content: Job
   • Data source: Do a search for Jobs (is_active = yes)
   • Layout: Full list
   • Rows: 10
   • Sort by: posted_date (descending)

Inside the Repeating Group, add one row design:

1. Group (this represents one job):

   • Background: White
   • Border: 1px solid #E2E8F0
   • Padding: 20px
   • Margin bottom: 10px

2. Inside the job group:

   • Text: Current cell's Job's title (20px, bold)
   • Text: Current cell's Job's company (16px, gray)
   • Text: Current cell's Job's location (14px, gray)
   • Text: Current cell's Job's salary_range (14px, green)
   • Button: "View Details"

The Repeating Group automatically creates copies of this design for each job in your database.

Step 4: Create Sign Up/Login Workflow

Click the Workflow tab.

Create Signup Popup

First, create a reusable element for authentication:

1. Go to Design tab
2. Top menu: Reusable elements → Create a new reusable element
3. Type: Popup
4. Name: "AuthPopup"

Design the popup:

1. Input: Email (type: email)
2. Input: Password (type: password)
3. Dropdown: Account Type (choices: "company", "candidate")
4. Input: Company Name (only visible if account type = "company")
5. Button: "Sign Up"
6. Button: "Log In"

Sign Up Workflow

1. Click "Sign Up" button

2. In workflow editor, click "Click here to add an action"

3. Select Account → Sign the user up

4. Configure:

   • Email: Input Email's value
   • Password: Input Password's value

5. Add another action: Data → Make changes to thing

6. Configure:

   • Thing to change: Result of step 1 (Sign the user up)
   • account_type: Dropdown Account Type's value
   • company_name: Input Company Name's value

7. Add action: Navigation → Hide popup

8. Add action: Navigation → Go to page → index

Log In Workflow

1. Click "Log In" button

2. Add action: Account → Log the user in

3. Configure:

   • Email: Input Email's value
   • Password: Input Password's value

4. Add action: Navigation → Hide popup

Connect to Homepage

Go back to your index page:

1. Click the "Sign Up / Login" button in the header
2. Add workflow: Element Actions → Show popup → AuthPopup

Test it! Click "Preview" (top right) to test signup/login.

Step 5: Create Job Posting Page

Create a new page:

1. Top left: Page dropdown → Add a new page
2. Name: post-job
3. Clone header from index page

Design the job posting form:

1. Text: "Post a New Job" (32px, bold)
2. Input: Job Title
3. Input: Company (prefilled with Current User's company_name)
4. Input: Location
5. Input: Salary Range
6. Dropdown: Job Type (Full-time, Part-time, Contract)
7. Text Area: Description (multiline)
8. Button: "Post Job"

Post Job Workflow

1. Click "Post Job" button

2. Workflow tab opens

3. Add action: Data → Create a new thing

4. Configure:

   • Type: Job
   • title: Input Job Title's value
   • company: Input Company's value
   • location: Input Location's value
   • description: Text Area Description's value
   • salary_range: Input Salary Range's value
   • job_type: Dropdown Job Type's value
   • posted_by: Current User
   • posted_date: Current date/time
   • is_active: yes

5. Add action: Navigation → Go to page → index

6. Add action: Element Actions → Reset inputs (to clear the form)

Add Privacy Rule

Only companies should post jobs:

1. Click "Post a Job" button on index page
2. Edit workflow
3. Add condition: Only when Current User's account_type is "company"

Step 6: Create Job Details Page

Create a new page:

1. Name: job-details
2. Type: Job (this makes it a dynamic page)

Design:

1. Text: Current Page Job's title (40px, bold)
2. Text: Current Page Job's company (24px)
3. Text: Current Page Job's location (18px, gray)
4. Text: Current Page Job's salary_range (18px, green)
5. Text: Current Page Job's description (16px)
6. Text: "Posted on:" Current Page Job's posted_date (14px, gray)
7. Button: "Apply Now" (only visible if Current User's account_type = "candidate")

Link to Details Page

Go back to index page:

1. Click "View Details" button in the repeating group
2. Add workflow: Navigation → Go to page → job-details
3. Data to send: Current cell's Job

Step 7: Add Application Workflow

On the job-details page:

1. Click "Apply Now" button

2. Add workflow action: Data → Create a new thing

3. Configure:

   • Type: Application
   • job: Current Page Job
   • applicant: Current User
   • applied_date: Current date/time
   • status: "pending"

4. Add action: Alert → "Application submitted!"

Prevent Duplicate Applications

Add a condition to the "Apply Now" button:

1. Select button
2. Conditional tab
3. When: Do a search for Applications:count where:
   • job = Current Page Job
   • applicant = Current User
   • is greater than 0
4. Then: Make button disabled, text = "Already Applied"

Step 8: Add Search Functionality

On the index page:

1. Click the "Search" button
2. Add workflow: Element Actions → Display list
3. Configure:
   • Element: Repeating Group Jobs
   • Data source: Do a search for Jobs where:
     • is_active = yes
     • title contains Input Search's value
     • :or company contains Input Search's value

Now jobs are filtered based on search input!

Step 9: Make It Responsive

Click the "Responsive" tab at the top.

Bubble shows breakpoints for different screen sizes:

• Page width > 991px: Desktop
• Page width < 991px: Tablet
• Page width < 480px: Mobile

For each breakpoint:

1. Adjust element widths (make them 100% on mobile)
2. Stack elements vertically
3. Reduce font sizes
4. Hide non-essential elements

Pro tip: Use Container layout: Column for auto-responsiveness.

Step 10: Deploy Your App

Once you're happy with your app:

1. Click "Deployment" in the top menu
2. Click "Deploy to live"
3. Your app is now live at: yourappname.bubbleapps.io

To use a custom domain:

1. Settings → Domain/email
2. Add your domain (requires paid plan)

Advanced Features to Explore

Option Sets

Create reusable lists (job types, statuses) in Data → Option Sets.

Plugins

Add functionality:

• Stripe: Payment processing
• Google Maps: Location features
• Rich Text Editor: Better text input
• Email: Send transactional emails

API Connector

Connect to external APIs like Supabase or any REST API.

Workflows API

Trigger Bubble workflows from external tools like Make.com or n8n.

Custom Code

Add JavaScript for advanced functionality (Action: Run JavaScript).

Bubble Best Practices

1. Plan Your Database: Sketch your data structure before building
2. Use Reusable Elements: Don't repeat designs
3. Optimize Searches: Add constraints to limit database queries
4. Test Responsiveness: Preview on different devices
5. Use Styles: Create consistent design tokens
6. Version Control: Save versions before major changes
7. Privacy Rules: Protect sensitive user data

Performance Optimization

Database Indexing

In Data → Data types → Enable Indexing on frequently searched fields.

Conditional Formatting

Hide elements rather than delete them, using conditions.

Minimize Searches

Store calculated values in the database instead of doing searches repeatedly.

Use Custom States

For temporary UI states, use custom states instead of database fields.

Bubble Pricing

• Free: Development only, Bubble subdomain
• Starter: $29/month, custom domain, remove Bubble branding
• Growth: $134/month, more capacity and features
• Team: $399/month, collaboration tools

Most apps start on Starter and scale to Growth.

Common Bubble Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-complicated Data Structure: Keep it simple
2. Not Using Privacy Rules: Always protect user data
3. Ignoring Mobile: Design mobile-first
4. Too Many Plugins: Plugins can slow your app
5. Not Testing Workflows: Test every user interaction
6. Forgetting Loading States: Show loaders for better UX

When to Use Bubble vs Code

Use Bubble when:

• Building MVPs quickly
• Non-technical founders
• Standard CRUD applications
• Budget constraints

Use Traditional Code when:

• Complex algorithms
• Real-time performance critical
• Need full control
• Large-scale enterprise apps

Bubble Alternatives

• Retool: Better for internal tools
• Webflow: Better for content websites
• Adalo: Better for mobile apps
• FlutterFlow: Better for native mobile apps

Resources to Continue Learning

1. Bubble Manual: Official documentation
2. Bubble Forum: Active community
3. YouTube: Tons of Bubble tutorials
4. Bubble Coaching: 1-on-1 expert sessions
5. Templates: Start with pre-built apps

Real Apps Built with Bubble

• Dividend Finance: $365M in funding
• Qoins: Debt repayment app
• Comet: Freelancer platform
• Nuudii: Social networking app

These companies prove Bubble can scale to serious applications.

Connect Bubble to Your Tech Stack

Integrate Bubble with:

• Databases: Supabase, Airtable, PostgreSQL
• Automation: Make.com, Zapier, n8n
• Analytics: Google Analytics, Mixpanel
• Email: SendGrid, Mailgun
• Payments: Stripe, PayPal

Join the House of Loops Community

Ready to become a no-code expert? Join House of Loops to access:

• 50+ Bubble app templates and components
• $100K+ in startup credits (including Bubble credits)
• Weekly no-code workshops
• Community of 1,000+ builders
• Direct feedback on your Bubble projects

Join House of Loops Today →

Bubble democratizes app development. What used to take months of coding can now be built in days. Start building, iterate fast, and launch your ideas without waiting for a technical co-founder. The best way to learn Bubble is to build. Happy building!