Let's Build Something Real
There's a big difference between reading about a tool and actually using it. So instead of explaining what BYOB can do in the abstract, we're going to build something together: a personal task manager. It's simple enough to complete in ten minutes, but complex enough to show you how the core workflow actually feels.
By the end, you'll have a working app deployed to the internet—not a mockup, not a prototype, but actual software that you can share with anyone who has a browser.
Step 1: Getting Started with Your First Prompt
The blank page is always the hardest part. But here's the thing: you don't need to describe every pixel of your app upfront. You just need enough information for the AI to give you something to react to.
Open the BYOB dashboard and click to start a new project. Give it a name like "My Task Manager" and you'll land in the editor with three panels: code on the left, chat in the center, preview on the right.
Now, in the chat panel, type something like this:
"Create a personal task management dashboard. I want a clean, minimalist design with a dark mode toggle. It should have three columns: 'To Do', 'In Progress', and 'Done', allowing me to move cards between them."
Notice what we're doing here: we're describing the purpose (task management), the aesthetic (clean, minimalist, dark mode), and the structure (three-column Kanban board). We're not saying anything about CSS or JavaScript frameworks. We're speaking like a person describing what they want to a skilled developer.
Hit enter and watch the preview panel. Within about thirty seconds, you'll see a Kanban board appear—columns, cards, the whole layout. It won't be perfect, but it will be surprisingly close to what you imagined.
Step 2: Understanding What Just Happened
Let's pause and appreciate what the AI actually did. It didn't just generate some HTML and call it a day. It:
- •Created a proper project structure with organized files
- •Built a responsive three-column layout
- •Implemented drag-and-drop functionality so you can actually move cards between columns
- •Added the dark mode toggle you asked for
- •Applied consistent styling throughout
But here's the important part: the AI's first output is rarely exactly right. It's more like a first draft—good enough to show you whether the basic direction is correct, but almost certainly needing refinement. And that's fine, because refinement is fast.
Step 3: Refining the Design
Now that you have something tangible, you can make it better. This is where the iterative nature of AI development really shines.
Let's say the columns are there, but they all look the same. You want visual distinction. Type:
"Make the 'To Do' column header blue, 'In Progress' yellow, and 'Done' green. Add a subtle shadow to the task cards so they pop off the background."
Within seconds, the preview updates. Blue header, yellow header, green header. Cards now have depth. You didn't have to find the CSS file, locate the right class name, or figure out the correct box-shadow syntax. You just described what you wanted.
This is the core loop of working with BYOB: prompt, see, refine. Each iteration takes seconds instead of minutes. You can try ten different design directions in the time it would normally take to implement one.
Step 4: Adding Real Functionality
A task manager that can't track due dates isn't useful for very long. Let's add that functionality:
"I need to know when tasks are due. Add a date picker to the task creation form and display the due date on the card. If a task is overdue, highlight its card with a red border."
Now we're asking for something more complex: form modifications, data persistence (even if just in local state), conditional styling. The AI handles all of it. You get a date picker in the creation form, due dates showing on each card, and overdue tasks highlighted in red.
You're not writing JavaScript to compare dates or figuring out how to integrate a date picker library. You're just describing the behavior you want and letting the AI figure out the implementation.
Step 5: Deploying to the Real Internet
Your task manager works in the preview. But it's still just running in your browser, on your machine. Nobody else can see it yet.
Normally, getting a web app onto the internet involves a series of steps: choosing a hosting provider, configuring a VPS or serverless platform, setting up DNS, getting an SSL certificate, configuring build pipelines. It's the kind of thing that can eat an entire afternoon if you're not experienced with it.
With BYOB, you click one button: Deploy.
Behind the scenes, BYOB compiles your project into an optimized production build, compresses images, minifies JavaScript and CSS, pushes everything to a global content delivery network, and provisions an SSL certificate. In about thirty seconds, you get a URL like task-app-xyz.byob.site that anyone in the world can visit.
Your task manager is now live on the internet. You built it in ten minutes.
Where to Go From Here
What you've built is a genuine, functional application—not a demo, not a wireframe, but real software. And it's just the beginning.
From here, you can expand in any direction. Want user accounts so each person can have their own task list? Ask for it:
"Add user authentication. When someone visits, they should be able to sign up or log in, and each user should only see their own tasks."
Want the tasks to persist so they're still there after a page refresh?
"Connect this to a database so tasks are saved permanently, not just in browser memory."
Want to add some AI magic?
"Add a button that uses AI to break a big task into smaller sub-tasks automatically."
Each of these is a substantial feature that would normally require significant development time. With BYOB, each one is a conversation.
The constraint isn't time anymore. It's imagination.
Start building your first app