How Do I Add a Database to My Vibe Code App?

Building an app with Claude Code? You'll probably need to store data at some point - user preferences, content, application state. With itsalive.co, adding a database is as simple as telling Claude what to save.

Prerequisite: Run npx itsalive in your project first. This creates an ITSALIVE.md file that teaches Claude how to use the database APIs.

No Setup Required

Unlike traditional databases, there's nothing to configure. No connection strings, no schemas, no migrations. Just tell Claude to save data and it works.

What Claude Knows

When you deploy with itsalive, Claude automatically knows how to:

• Save data: Store any JSON data under a key
• Load data: Retrieve stored data
• List data: See what keys exist
• Delete data: Remove data you no longer need
• Scope to users: Keep each user's data private
• Make data public: Share data across all users when needed

Tell Claude What to Store

Just describe what data you need to save. Here are some examples:

"Add a settings page where users can choose dark or light mode,
set their preferred language, and toggle email notifications.
Save their choices to the database so they persist when they
come back."

"Build a reading list app. Users can add books with title and
author. Save the books to the database. Show the list when
they visit, and let them mark books as 'read' or delete them."

"Create a contact form with name, email, and message fields.
When someone submits, save it to the database. Show me a list
of all submissions on an admin page."

"Add a workout logger. Users enter the exercise, reps, and
weight. Save each workout with the date. Show a history of
past workouts and let them filter by exercise type."

Example Apps with Database

"Build a todo app where I can add tasks, mark them complete,
and delete them. Save the tasks to the database so they're
still there when I refresh the page. Show completed tasks
in a separate 'Done' section."

"Create a recipe app. I want to add recipes with a name,
ingredients list, and cooking instructions. Save them to
the database. Let me browse all recipes, search by name,
and filter by ingredient. Add edit and delete buttons."

"Build a notes app like Apple Notes. Create new notes with a
title and content (support markdown). Auto-save as I type.
Show all my notes in a sidebar, sorted by last edited.
Let me delete notes I don't need anymore."

"Make a habit tracker. I add habits I want to build (like
'drink water' or 'exercise'). Each day I check off which
ones I did. Save everything to the database. Show my current
streak for each habit and a weekly overview."

"Create a simple blog. I log in to write posts with a title
and content. Save posts as public so anyone can read them
without logging in. Show posts on the homepage sorted by
date. Only I can edit or delete posts."

Private vs Public Data

By default, data is private to each logged-in user. When you want data that everyone can see (like blog posts or a product catalog), tell Claude:

"Make the posts visible to everyone, not just logged-in users.
Anyone should be able to read posts without an account."

Tips

• Describe what persists: Say "save to the database" or "remember this"
• Mention when to load: "Show my saved items when the page loads"
• Think about updates: "Let me edit items" or "auto-save as I type"
• Consider deletion: "Add a delete button" or "let me clear completed items"
• Specify sorting: "Sort by date" or "show newest first"

Next Steps

• Add user login to personalize the experience
• Add AI features to analyze or generate content
• Deploy your app if you haven't already