From Idea to Deployed App in 60 Seconds with AI Agents

Here's a challenge: describe an app in one sentence and have it running at a public URL in 60 seconds.

"Build a feedback board where users can submit ideas, upvote them, and I can mark them as planned, in progress, or done."

That's a real app. It needs a database, authentication, a REST API, a responsive UI, and deployment. Traditionally, that's a weekend project minimum. With the right AI agent setup, it's a minute.

This article walks through exactly how to make that happen.

The 60-Second Timeline

Let's break down each step.

Second 0-2: The Prompt

The user types:

"Build a feedback board where users can submit ideas, upvote them, and I can mark them as planned, in progress, or done."

Your backend receives this and sends it to the Planner agent. The Planner is a permanently running workspace - it's always warm and responds in seconds.

Second 2-5: The Technical Spec

The Planner agent is a fine-tuned prompt + reasoning model that converts natural language into a build specification:

App: Feedback Board
Tech: Next.js 14, SQLite (embedded), Tailwind CSS
  
Pages:
  - / (public board - list ideas, upvote)
  - /submit (submit new idea - title, description)
  - /admin (manage ideas - change status)

Models:
  - Idea: id, title, description, status, votes, createdAt
  
API Routes:
  - GET /api/ideas (list all)
  - POST /api/ideas (create new)
  - POST /api/ideas/:id/vote (upvote)
  - PATCH /api/ideas/:id/status (admin: update status)

Status values: submitted, planned, in-progress, done
UI: Card grid with vote count, status badges, sort by votes
Auth: Simple admin password for /admin route

The Planner makes opinionated choices to minimize complexity:

• SQLite instead of Postgres (no separate database workspace needed)
• Simple password auth instead of OAuth (faster to build)
• Minimal API (4 endpoints)
• Server-side rendering for SEO

Second 5-8: Workspace Boots

A fresh workspace is created with the Node.js image. In ~130ms, a full Linux VM is running with:

• Node.js 22
• npm and common global tools
• Empty filesystem ready for the project

The Scaffolder (which can be part of the Planner or a separate step) initializes the project:

npx create-next-app@latest feedback-board --typescript --tailwind --app --no-git
cd feedback-board
npm install better-sqlite3

This takes 3-5 seconds with pre-cached npm packages.

Second 8-35: The Coding Agent Writes Everything

This is where the magic happens. Claude Code (or your preferred coding agent) receives the technical spec and writes the entire application.

The agent works fast because:

• The spec is precise (no ambiguity to resolve)
• The tech stack is familiar (Next.js + Tailwind - common training data)
• The scope is well-defined (4 API routes, 3 pages)

What gets written:

Database layer - SQLite initialization, table creation, query functions

API routes - Four endpoints with proper validation and error handling

Pages - Public board with vote buttons, submit form, admin panel

UI components - Idea cards, status badges, vote animations, responsive layout

Styling - Clean Tailwind design with proper spacing, colors, and hover states

The agent writes 15-25 files in about 25 seconds. It's not generating from templates - it's writing custom code based on the spec.

Second 35-45: Build Verification

The agent runs npm run build to verify everything compiles. If there are errors (happens maybe 20% of the time), it:

1. Reads the error output
2. Identifies the issue (usually a missing import or type error)
3. Fixes the file
4. Runs the build again

This retry loop typically resolves issues in 1-2 attempts. If it fails 5 times, it falls back to a simpler implementation.

Second 45-55: Database Setup

For this simple app with SQLite, database setup is just running the initialization function on first server start. The database file lives in the workspace filesystem - encrypted at rest like everything else.

For more complex apps using Postgres:

• A second workspace boots with a Postgres image (~130ms)
• Private networking connects the app workspace to the database workspace
• Prisma migrations run against the database
• Connection string is injected as an environment variable

Second 55-60: Deploy and Go Live

The app is built and verified. Now:

1. Start the production server: npm run start
2. Expose port 3000 as a public URL
3. Return the URL to the user

The user gets: https://f7g8h9.preview.oblien.com

They click it and see their feedback board - fully functional, accepting submissions, with working upvotes and an admin panel.

But Is It Actually Good?

Here's what the generated feedback board looks like after 60 seconds:

Public board:

• Clean card grid layout
• Each idea shows title, description, vote count, and status badge
• Big upvote button with animation
• Sort by: newest, most votes, status
• Responsive (works on mobile)

Submit page:

• Simple form: title + description
• Character limit indicators
• Success confirmation

Admin panel:

• Password-protected
• Same card view with status dropdown on each idea
• Status options: submitted → planned → in-progress → done
• Delete button per idea

Is it production-ready? For an MVP or internal tool, absolutely. For a SaaS product, you'd want to iterate - add real authentication, email notifications, categories, and better styling.

The point is: you have a working starting point in 60 seconds instead of starting from nothing.

What Makes 60 Seconds Possible

Several infrastructure decisions make this achievable:

Instant environments

~130ms VM boot means no waiting for infrastructure. The coding agent starts writing code 5 seconds after the user submits their prompt.

Pre-cached images

Node.js, npm caches, and common packages are already on the workspace image. npm install for a standard Next.js project takes 3-5 seconds, not 30.

Agent-native SDK

The coding agent doesn't need to SSH into a server, configure Docker, or set up deployment pipelines. It calls ws.exec() to run commands and ws.fs.write() to create files. The deployment is a single call to expose a port.

Disposable workspaces

If something goes wrong, throw away the workspace and try again. The cost of a failed attempt is ~30 seconds of compute. No rollback needed, no cleanup, no leftover infrastructure.

Scaling This to a Product

To turn this into a product people pay for:

Templates for faster generation

Pre-build common app types (landing page, dashboard, CRUD app, chat app). When the Planner recognizes a match, it uses the template as a starting point instead of generating from scratch. Cuts generation time by 40%.

Iteration, not recreation

After the initial generation, let users describe changes: "add a dark mode toggle" or "make the admin panel require Google login." The agent modifies the existing codebase rather than regenerating.

Persistent workspaces

Convert the temporary generation workspace into a permanent deployment workspace. The user's app stays live, and they can come back to modify it anytime.

Custom domains

Replace the preview URL with a custom domain: feedback.mycompany.com. Auto-provision TLS certificates.

Version history

Snapshot the workspace before each modification. Users can rollback to any previous version.

The Numbers

Based on real-world testing:

The infrastructure cost is negligible. The LLM cost is the dominant factor, and it's dropping every quarter.

Summary

60-second app deployment works because:

1. Planner converts language to spec - removes ambiguity
2. Instant VMs boot in ~130ms - no infrastructure wait
3. AI coding agents write fast - 25 files in 25 seconds
4. Auto-fix catches bugs - retry loop handles common errors
5. One-call deployment - expose a port, get a URL

The era of "it takes a week to build an MVP" is ending. With the right agent orchestration and infrastructure, a working app is 60 seconds away.

Try it → Oblien Documentation | Build Your Own App Builder