Installation

Get AppLighter set up on your machine in minutes. Step-by-step guide to install dependencies, configure your workspace, and run the development server.

Prerequisites

Before installing AppLighter, make sure you have the following:

  • Node.js 20 or later
  • Yarn 1.22 or later
  • Expo CLI (installed globally via npm install -g expo-cli)
  • A code editor (we recommend Cursor or VS Code with Claude Code)

Getting the Starter Kit

After purchasing AppLighter, download the starter kit from your dashboard:

  1. Go to https://www.applighter.com/dashboard
  2. Download the latest version of the starter kit
  3. Extract the zip file to your desired location
cd code

Install Dependencies

First, install dependencies at the root of the project:

yarn

Then navigate to the mobile app and install its dependencies:

cd apps/mobile
yarn

This will install dependencies for all workspaces:

  • apps/mobile - Expo React Native app
  • apps/api - API server
  • packages/* - Shared packages (@supabase/supabase-js, etc.)

Project Structure

code/
├── apps/
│   ├── mobile/          # Expo React Native app
│   │   ├── app/         # File-based routing (Expo Router)
│   │   ├── components/  # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── src/         # Business logic, hooks, stores
│   │   └── lib/         # Utilities and helpers
│   └── api/             # API backend
│       └── src/         # API routes and handlers
├── .ai/                 # AI assistant configuration
├── .claude/             # Claude Code configuration
├── claude.md            # Project context for AI
└── package.json         # Workspace root

Running the Development Server

Start the Mobile App

From the apps/mobile directory, run:

yarn start

This will start Expo DevTools. From there, you can:

  • Press i to open in iOS Simulator
  • Press a to open in Android Emulator
  • Scan the QR code with Expo Go app on your device

Start the API Server

yarn dev:api

The API server runs on http://localhost:3001 by default.

Run Both Simultaneously

yarn dev

This uses Turbo to run both the mobile app and server in parallel.

Available Scripts

| Command | Description | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | yarn dev | Start all development servers | | yarn start | Start the mobile app (from apps/mobile) | | yarn dev:api | Start only the API server | | yarn build | Build all packages | | yarn lint | Run ESLint across all packages | | yarn typecheck | Run TypeScript type checking | | yarn clean | Clean all build artifacts and node_modules |

Next Steps

  1. Configure your Environment Variables based on your chosen adapter
  2. Follow the Quick Start guide to build your first feature
  3. Explore the Folder Structure to understand the codebase