How to Migrate from Bolt to ProjectCode
Bolt is a fast in-browser prototype tool - but when you need a real backend, team collaboration, and production deployment you own, here is how to move to ProjectCode.
ProjectCode Insights Desk · Product strategy and engineering research
Bolt.new (by StackBlitz) made a strong impression by running a full development environment in the browser - no local setup, fast iteration, and an impressive in-browser sandbox. For quick experiments and tech demos, it works well. But Bolt's in-browser execution model has real limits when a project grows beyond a prototype: file system constraints, compute ceilings, limited backend depth, and a deployment story that requires leaving Bolt to manage separately.
ProjectCode gives you the same prompt-first development experience - describe what you want, get working code - but on an architecture that handles real production workloads: a proper backend, a managed database, team collaboration, and one-click deploy to your own domain.
Bolt vs. ProjectCode at a glance
| Capability | Bolt.new | ProjectCode |
|---|---|---|
| Development environment | In-browser (WebContainer) | Cloud-hosted, production-grade |
| Prompt-to-code | Yes | Yes |
| Backend / server-side | Node.js in WebContainer (limited) | Full Node.js backend generation |
| Database | In-memory or external | Integrated managed PostgreSQL |
| Authentication | External (Supabase, Firebase) | Built-in auth with RBAC |
| Deployment | Manual export + host elsewhere | Built-in one-click deploy |
| Custom domain | Manual - external hosting required | Integrated DNS management |
| Team collaboration | Single user by default | Real-time multi-user |
| File size / compute limits | WebContainer limits apply | No sandbox limits |
| Code ownership | Export to GitHub | Your code, always |
When teams move from Bolt
- The project has outgrown the browser sandbox - heavy compute, large files, or complex server logic.
- You need a persistent database with real data, not an in-memory store.
- The team is growing and needs real-time collaboration in a shared environment.
- Deployment is a recurring pain - export, push, configure hosting, manage DNS separately.
- The app needs background jobs, webhooks, or services that cannot run in a browser tab.
- Production reliability and uptime matter - not just demo reliability.
What carries over from Bolt
Bolt generates standard web code. Whatever it produced - React or Vue frontend, Express or Vite-based backend - is portable.
- All frontend component code.
- Any server-side API routes already written.
- Package dependencies (package.json).
- Business logic and utility functions.
- Static assets.
What changes and improves
- Backend runs on real infrastructure - no WebContainer compute ceiling.
- Database is managed PostgreSQL - persistent, backed up, with migration tooling.
- Auth is built-in - no need to wire Supabase or Firebase as external services.
- Deployment is one click - no manual export and hosting configuration.
- Team collaboration is native - multiple people work simultaneously.
Step-by-step migration
Step 1: Export your Bolt project to GitHub
Use Bolt's GitHub export to push the full project source to a repository. This captures all the code generated in the browser session.
Step 2: Audit the exported code
Review the exported code for any WebContainer-specific workarounds - in-memory data stores, browser filesystem APIs, or environment hacks. Note these for replacement. Most code will be clean standard JavaScript.
Step 3: Import into ProjectCode
Create a new ProjectCode project. Connect your GitHub repository or describe your application from scratch to ProjectCode's AI, which will regenerate a cleaner full-stack version with a proper backend and database. Choose the approach that best fits your timeline - import for existing code, regenerate for a clean slate.
Step 4: Set up the database
If your Bolt project had an in-memory or mocked database, define the proper schema in ProjectCode. If you had real data in an external database, export and import it into the ProjectCode managed database.
Step 5: Replace external auth services
If Bolt used Supabase Auth or Firebase Auth, switch to ProjectCode's built-in authentication. Update the frontend auth calls to use the new endpoints. Users on the old system will need to reset passwords or re-authenticate via a migration email.
Step 6: Configure environment and deploy
Add your environment variables in the ProjectCode env manager. Trigger the first deploy. Verify functionality on the staging URL before connecting your production domain.
Typical migration timeline
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Export and code audit | 1–2 hours |
| ProjectCode setup and import | 2–4 hours |
| Database schema and data migration | 2–6 hours |
| Auth migration | 2–4 hours |
| Testing and deployment | 2–4 hours |
| Total | 1–2 days for most projects |
Common migration questions
- Does Bolt code need rewriting? Usually no - minor cleanup for WebContainer-specific patterns.
- Can I keep iterating with AI in ProjectCode? Yes - ProjectCode has AI-assisted editing throughout.
- What if my team is used to Bolt's speed? ProjectCode's prompt-to-code is comparably fast, without the sandbox limits.
- Will I lose any functionality? Functionality in standard JavaScript carries over entirely. WebContainer-specific browser hacks are the exception.
Bolt proves an idea fast in the browser. ProjectCode takes that idea to a production product. The move from sandbox to real infrastructure is a natural step in any project's lifecycle.
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