> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vlyai-1c28d863.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is vly.ai?

> vly.ai is a YC F24-backed AI app builder. Describe software in plain English; vly returns a deployed React + Convex application with auth, data, and a custom domain.

export const YCBadge = ({size = "md"}) => {
  const sizeClass = size === "xl" ? "vly-yc-xl" : size === "lg" ? "vly-yc-lg" : "";
  return <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/vly-ai-2" className={`vly-yc-badge ${sizeClass}`} aria-label="Backed by Y Combinator" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">
      <span>Backed By</span>
      <span className="vly-yc-mark" aria-hidden="true">Y</span>
      <span>Combinator</span>
    </a>;
};

vly is an **AI app builder**. You write a prompt — usually a paragraph or two describing the app you want — and vly returns a working, deployed full-stack application. The frontend is React + Vite + Tailwind + shadcn/ui. The backend is [Convex](/convex/overview), a real-time database and serverless function platform. Authentication is built in. So is deployment.

The pitch is short: **describe software, get software**. Everything that's normally a week of plumbing — the database schema, the API layer, the type-safe RPC client, the auth wiring, the deploy pipeline — vly handles automatically and gives you back a typed codebase you can keep editing.

<div style={{ marginTop: "1rem", marginBottom: "1.5rem" }}>
  <YCBadge size="lg" />
</div>

## Who vly is for

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Founders building MVPs" icon="rocket">
    From idea to functional product in an afternoon. Skip the "set up Next.js, configure Tailwind, install Prisma, wire up Clerk, deploy to Vercel" tax that eats the first month.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Internal-tools teams" icon="briefcase">
    The CRM, dashboard, or admin panel your team needs but can't justify hiring a contractor for. Built in a meeting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Designers prototyping with real data" icon="palette">
    Lo-fi mockups never tell the truth. Ship a clickable, data-backed prototype to a stakeholder by the end of the day.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Engineers tired of boilerplate" icon="code-2">
    Use vly for the 80% of every project that's the same — auth, schema, layouts, settings pages — then drop into the editor for the parts that aren't.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What you actually get

Every app vly generates includes the same baseline:

<Steps>
  <Step title="A typed full-stack codebase">
    React frontend, Convex backend, end-to-end TypeScript. The same `Project` type your queries return is the type your components consume — no codegen, no DTO mapping.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A reactive backend">
    [Convex](/convex/overview) gives you queries, mutations, actions, file storage, scheduled functions, vector search, and full-text search. Subscriptions are automatic — when data changes, every connected client updates.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Built-in authentication">
    Email + password, magic links, Google, GitHub, and SSO out of the box. Roles and permissions are first-class. See [Built-in auth](/features/auth/built-in-auth).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tailwind + shadcn/ui design system">
    Components are styled, accessible, and themeable. Light and dark mode toggle automatically. Replace any component without breaking the rest.
  </Step>

  <Step title="One-click deployment">
    Apps deploy to a managed `*.vly.app` URL by default. Custom domains take two DNS records and three minutes. SSL is automatic.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Powered by three coding agents

vly doesn't pick a side in the AI model debate. You can route any change to one of three coding agents, depending on the task:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Claude Code" icon="brain" href="/features/agents/claude-code">
    Anthropic's Claude. Best for **large refactors**, deep file-graph reasoning, and tasks that touch many files at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="OpenAI Codex" icon="terminal" href="/features/agents/openai-codex">
    OpenAI's coding model. Fastest on **small, surgical edits**. The default for one-line fixes and quick changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gemini CLI" icon="sparkles" href="/features/agents/gemini-cli">
    Google's Gemini. Strong on **multi-file design work** — schema design, data modeling, and frontend layout passes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

[Choosing an agent](/features/agents/choosing-an-agent) walks through how to pick.

## What vly is *not*

Honest scope is more useful than a marketing reel. vly will not, today:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Generate native mobile apps" icon="smartphone">
    vly's output is a web app. Responsive design works on mobile browsers, but if you need a native iOS/Android app, vly is not the right tool. (You can wrap a vly app in a thin React Native shell, but it's not the supported path.)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Replace your existing codebase" icon="git-branch">
    vly is for net-new apps and additions to vly-built apps. There's no "import my Next.js project and start prompting" workflow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Export the code (yet)" icon="download">
    Code export is on the [roadmap](/resources/roadmap) but not currently shipped. Apps run on vly's managed infrastructure, with your own custom domain.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Pick a different backend" icon="database">
    The backend is Convex. You can integrate other databases (Supabase, Postgres via the [integrations directory](/integrations/directory)) but Convex is always the primary store for app state and auth.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## How vly compares

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="vs Lovable" icon="scale" href="/migration/from-lovable">
    Both ship full-stack output. vly's backend (Convex) is reactive by default; Lovable defaults to Supabase. vly is meaningfully cheaper and ships with three agent options.
  </Card>

  <Card title="vs v0" icon="scale">
    v0 ships a frontend; you wire up the backend yourself. vly ships everything.
  </Card>

  <Card title="vs Bolt" icon="scale">
    Bolt focuses on rapid prototyping in-browser. vly focuses on production-ready output with a managed backend.
  </Card>

  <Card title="vs Replit Agent" icon="scale">
    Replit Agent is a generalist; vly specializes in production React + Convex apps with a documented happy path.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

[See the full comparison →](/getting-started/compare)

## Backed by

vly is a [Y Combinator F24](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/vly-ai-2) company, backed by Goodwater Capital, 468 Capital, and other investors. The team previously shipped consumer and developer products at YC startups.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Get started in 5 minutes" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started/quickstart">
    Sign up, write your first prompt, watch your first deploy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Read the prompting guide" icon="message-square-code" href="/prompting/overview">
    The single biggest lever on output quality. Worth 30 minutes of your time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browse recipes" icon="utensils-crossed" href="/recipes/overview">
    Step-by-step builds for SaaS, marketplaces, chatbots, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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