Migrating Lovable to Domo
Converting Generated Apps (Lovable/v0) to Domo
Many developers use AI tools like Lovable, v0, or similar LLM-based generators to create app prototypes. However, these tools typically generate apps with server-side rendering (SSR) that are incompatible with Domo's client-side-only architecture.
The Conversion Challenge
Generated apps often include:
- Server-side rendering (Next.js, Remix, SvelteKit, Nuxt)
- API routes (
pages/api/orapp/api/directories) - Server-side data fetching (
getServerSideProps, loaders, etc.) - Framework-specific routing (Next.js App Router, Remix routes)
Domo apps must be:
- Pure client-side React - No server rendering
- Static file-based - Domo serves static files only
- Domo API integration - Use
domo.get(),Query,AppDBClient, etc. instead of backend endpoints
Recommended Conversion Pattern
DA CLI is NOT a conversion tool - it doesn't automatically convert apps. However, you can use it as a reference structure and starting point.
Step 1: Generate Reference Structure
# Create a fresh Domo app to use as reference
da new my-converted-app
cd my-converted-app
# This gives you the correct structure to compare againstStep 2: Detect and Remove SSR Code
Check for SSR indicators:
getServerSideProps,getStaticProps(Next.js)loader,actionfunctions (Remix)+page.server.js,+server.js(SvelteKit)pages/api/orapp/api/directories- Server-side
process.envusage - Database connections in components
Action: Remove all server-side code. Domo apps run entirely in the browser.
Step 3: Replace Data Fetching
Before (Next.js example):
// ❌ Server-side data fetching
export async function getServerSideProps() {
const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
const data = await res.json();
return { props: { data } };
}
// ❌ API route
// pages/api/users.ts
export default async function handler(req, res) {
const users = await db.users.findMany();
res.json(users);
}After (Domo):
// ✅ Client-side with Domo APIs
import domo from 'ryuu.js';
import Query from '@domoinc/query';
import { AppDBClient } from '@domoinc/toolkit';
// Fetch from Domo dataset
const data = await domo.get('/data/v1/sales');
// Or use Query API for filtered/aggregated data
const summary = await new Query()
.select(['region', 'sales'])
.groupBy('region', { sales: 'sum' })
.fetch('sales-dataset');
// Or use AppDB for document storage
const tasksClient = new AppDBClient.DocumentsClient('Tasks');
const tasks = await tasksClient.get();Step 4: Update Routing
Before (Next.js):
// ❌ Next.js routing
import Link from 'next/link';
<Link href="/dashboard">Dashboard</Link>After (Domo):
// ✅ HashRouter for client-side routing
import { HashRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';
import domo from 'ryuu.js';
// Use HashRouter (works without server rewrites)
<HashRouter>
<Routes>
<Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
<Route path="/dashboard" element={<Dashboard />} />
</Routes>
</HashRouter>
// For Domo navigation, use domo.navigate()
domo.navigate('/page/123456789');Step 5: Fix Build Configuration
Before (Next.js):
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
// Next.js config
}After (Domo - Vite):
// vite.config.js
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react';
export default defineConfig({
base: './', // CRITICAL: Relative paths for Domo
plugins: [react()],
});Remove Lovable-specific Vite plugins like lovable-tagger:
// ❌ Remove this
import { componentTagger } from "lovable-tagger";
plugins: [react(), mode === "development" && componentTagger()].filter(Boolean),
// ✅ Replace with
plugins: [react()],Step 6: Remove Lovable-Specific Dependencies
Lovable/v0 apps include tooling that must be removed:
Dependencies to remove:
next-themes— SSR theme provider; replaceuseTheme()with a hardcoded theme string (e.g."light")lovable-tagger— Lovable's dev-only component tagger
Files to delete:
playwright.config.ts— Useslovable-agent-playwright-configplaywright-fixture.ts— Re-exports Lovable test fixturesbun.lock/bun.lockb— Lovable uses Bun; standardize on npmApp.css— Often unused in generated apps (verify first)
Fix next-themes usage in Sonner toaster:
// ❌ Before (depends on next-themes)
import { useTheme } from "next-themes";
const { theme = "system" } = useTheme();
<Sonner theme={theme as ToasterProps["theme"]} />
// ✅ After (hardcoded, no SSR dependency)
<Sonner theme="light" />Step 7: Create Domo Manifest
Domo requires a manifest.json in the publish directory:
{
"name": "My App Name",
"version": "1.0.0",
"size": {
"width": 10,
"height": 10
},
"mapping": [],
"fileName": "index.html",
"id": "",
"proxyId": ""
}name— Display name in Domosize— Card dimensions (columns x rows on the Domo dashboard grid)mapping— Dataset mappings (empty array if using mock data or AppDB)fileName— Entry HTML file (alwaysindex.html)id— Leave empty;domo publishfills this on first publish
Step 8: Create Thumbnail
REQUIRED — domo publish will fail without this.
Place a 300x300 PNG named thumbnail.png in the project root. This is used in the Domo Appstore and mobile app.
# Generate a simple thumbnail programmatically (Python + Pillow)
python3 -c "
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
img = Image.new('RGB', (300, 300), color=(15, 23, 42))
draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
draw.rectangle([0, 0, 300, 6], fill=(99, 102, 241))
try:
font = ImageFont.truetype('/System/Library/Fonts/Helvetica.ttc', 72)
except: font = ImageFont.load_default()
bbox = draw.textbbox((0, 0), 'EF', font=font)
draw.text(((300-(bbox[2]-bbox[0]))/2, 110), 'EF', fill='white', font=font)
img.save('thumbnail.png')
"Or use any 300x300 PNG image.
Step 9: Publish from dist/ Directory
CRITICAL — Running domo publish from the project root causes a 400: Unable to parse form content error because the CLI tries to upload node_modules, source files, and config files, creating an oversized payload.
Solution: Copy manifest.json and thumbnail.png into dist/, then publish from there:
# Manual publish
npm run build
cp manifest.json thumbnail.png dist/
cd dist && domo publishAutomate it by updating package.json scripts:
{
"scripts": {
"build": "vite build && cp manifest.json thumbnail.png dist/",
"publish": "npm run build && cd dist && domo publish"
}
}This ensures only built assets, the manifest, and thumbnail are uploaded.
Step 10: Port Components
Use DA CLI to generate new components with correct structure, then port logic:
# Generate component structure
da generate component SalesChart
# Copy component logic from generated app
# Replace data fetching with Domo APIs
# Update imports and dependenciesWhat DA CLI Helps With
✅ Reference structure - Shows correct Domo app organization ✅ Component generation - Creates properly structured components ✅ Pattern examples - Demonstrates Domo conventions ✅ Starting fresh - If conversion is too complex, start new and port logic
What DA CLI Doesn't Do
❌ No automatic conversion - Doesn't transform SSR to client-side ❌ No migration wizard - No step-by-step conversion tool ❌ No code transformation - Doesn't rewrite framework-specific code ❌ No API migration - Doesn't replace backend calls automatically
Complete Conversion Checklist
- Detect and remove all SSR code
- Remove API routes (
pages/api/,app/api/) - Replace
fetch()calls to backend with Domo APIs - Update routing from
BrowserRoutertoHashRouter - Configure Vite with
base: './' - Remove Lovable-specific plugins (
lovable-tagger) from Vite config - Remove
next-themesand replaceuseTheme()with hardcoded theme - Delete Lovable files (
playwright.config.ts,playwright-fixture.ts,bun.lock*) - Add
ryuu.jsdependency for Domo API integration - Replace environment variables (use Domo APIs instead)
- Update imports (remove Next.js/Remix/Lovable specific)
- Create
manifest.jsonwith app name, version, and size - Create
thumbnail.png(300x300 PNG) in project root - Update build script to copy
manifest.json+thumbnail.pngintodist/ - Test all data fetching works with Domo APIs
- Verify app builds and runs locally (
npm run build) - Publish from
dist/directory (cd dist && domo publish)
Example: Converting a Simple Dashboard
Original (Lovable/Next.js):
// pages/dashboard.tsx
export async function getServerSideProps() {
const sales = await fetch('http://api.company.com/sales').then(r => r.json());
return { props: { sales } };
}
export default function Dashboard({ sales }) {
return <div>{/* Render sales data */}</div>;
}Converted (Domo):
// src/components/Dashboard/Dashboard.tsx
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import domo from 'ryuu.js';
export default function Dashboard() {
const [sales, setSales] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
// Fetch from Domo dataset instead of backend
domo.get('/data/v1/sales').then(setSales);
}, []);
return <div>{/* Render sales data */}</div>;
}