Cloud and local projects

Every Nowa project is either a cloud project or a local project. The difference is where its files live. A cloud project lives in your Nowa account and opens on any device you sign in on. A local project is a folder of app files on your computer, which you open in the desktop app.

Editing, Nowa AI and Run work in both. If you don't write code, a cloud project is all you need, and it's what Nowa creates unless you ask for a local one.

The difference at a glance

	Cloud project	Local project
Where the files live	In your Nowa account, in Personal or in a workspace.	In a folder on your computer.
Where you can open it	The web app and the desktop app, on any device you sign in on.	The desktop app, on that computer only.
Where it shows in the dashboard	Under Projects.	Under On this device, tagged LOCAL-ONLY.
How you create it	New project, the prompt box, or Clone from GitHub. In the desktop app, Import project can upload a folder as a cloud project.	In the desktop app: New project → Advanced → Local-only project. Import project and Clone from GitHub can also keep a project local.
Deploy to web, Android and iOS	Yes, from Deploy, on paid plans.	No. Link a cloud copy with Project Sync first.
Share preview and Public project	Yes.	No.
Workspaces and teammates	Yes.	No. Local projects appear only under Personal.
Getting your code	Download a zip from code mode (depends on your plan).	It's already on your disk.
Git (version history)	Git panel. Git runs on Nowa's servers.	Git panel. Git runs on your computer.
VS Code (a code editor)	Not available.	Open in VS Code opens the same folder, and Nowa picks up changes you make there.
Run on devices and emulators	Yes, with the desktop app. Nowa keeps a temporary copy on your computer (Local cache).	Yes, with the desktop app.
Run in the editor	Runs on Nowa's servers. Scan a QR code to open it on your phone. When you save, the app restarts with your changes (Hot Restart).	Runs on your computer. Open in Browser opens it. When you save, the running app updates in place (Hot Reload).

Which should you pick?

• Pick a cloud project to open your work from any device, share previews, deploy from Nowa, or invite teammates. It's the default, and the right choice for most people.
• Pick a local project when you want the files stored only on your computer, or want to work on the same files in VS Code or another code editor. You need the desktop app.

Either way, Nowa needs an internet connection, even in the desktop app and for local projects: it checks your account with Nowa's servers when you open the dashboard or a project.

warning

Delete on a local project erases its folder from your disk. To keep the files, use Remove from list in the project's ⋮ menu instead.

Tell which kind you have

• On the dashboard: local projects sit under On this device, tagged LOCAL-ONLY. The section's description reads "Opted out of the cloud — no Cloud Build, sharing or backups." In the list view, each project row also shows a Cloud or Local badge.
• In the editor: a local project has no Deploy button in the top bar. While your app runs, its controls read Hot Reload and Open in Browser, where a cloud project shows Hot Restart and Open on Mobile.

Create each kind

• Cloud: use the prompt box or New project on the dashboard. See Create and manage projects.
• Local: install the desktop app, set up Flutter, then create or import a project. See Install the desktop app and Work with local projects.

Link a cloud copy and a local copy

Want both? Project Sync clones a cloud project to a folder on your computer, or a local project to the cloud, and links the two. Open it from Settings → Project Sync in the desktop app. On the dashboard, Upload to cloud in a local project's ⋮ menu opens the same options.

After that, Sync from Cloud and Sync from Local copy everything one way and overwrite the other side, so sync in the direction of the copy you changed. Use the cloud copy for Deploy and Share preview, which work on cloud projects only. See Work with local projects.

Badges in these docs

Pages mark what a feature needs with a badge, so you can tell at a glance whether it applies to you.

Badge	Meaning
Cloud projects	Works for cloud projects only.
Local projects	Works for local projects only.
Desktop app	Needs the desktop app.
Web app	Only in the web app.
Beta	Beta or experimental.
Enterprise	Enterprise only.
Paid plans	Needs a paid plan. See pricing.

Next steps

• Install the desktop app: set up Flutter so you can use local projects.
• Work with local projects: create one, link it to the cloud and find it again if it goes missing.
• Create and manage projects: start, find and move your projects.