Database Out of Sync: Why Your App and Data Don’t Match
Everything worked in your demo, but the live app shows “something went wrong” when a user tries a new feature. Often the cause is simple: the app expects data or a structure that doesn’t exist online yet. In vibe‑coded and no‑code projects, it’s easy to change screens quickly and forget to update the data behind them, which leaves your database out of sync with the app.
What “out of sync” means
Your app believes a certain field, list, or table exists. On your laptop it does, because you created it there. In production it doesn’t, so the app asks for something the live environment can’t provide. Users see broken screens, failed saves, or empty dashboards, even though everything looked fine when you tested alone.
How to spot the problem fast
Look for issues that affect first‑time actions: sign‑up, creating the first item, or viewing a brand‑new dashboard. If returning users have fewer issues than new users, your app and your live data likely disagree about what exists. That’s a strong sign the database is out of sync.
A simple way to bring things back together
- Make a short list of the new screens and fields you added recently
- In your hosting provider or data tool (for example, Supabase or Firebase), create the missing pieces your app expects
- Try the action again as a brand‑new user and confirm the page works
- If you can, add a quick check so the app fails gracefully when something is missing
If you are not sure what changed, ask your AI tool to compare recent edits to the data the app uses. Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, and Bolt.new can all help you draft the missing updates once you state what the live app should support.
Keep app and data in step
When you add a feature, add the data change that goes with it. Write the relationship in your own words: “The Reports page needs a table for saved reports,” or “The Profile page needs a field for job title.” Put that line in your one‑page plan so prompts stay aligned and you remember to update both the screen and the data.
Preview deployments also help. They let you test the full flow against the same kind of data the live app will use, so mismatches appear before your users find them.
Why this matters for users
People judge your app by whether it works the first time. Out‑of‑sync data turns first‑use moments into errors, which hurts trust and makes churn more likely. By pairing each screen change with the data it needs—and testing as a brand‑new user—you keep those first moments smooth.
If your app keeps breaking for new users and you need help aligning the pieces, Spin by fryga can step in to sync the app and data so your live product behaves the way your demo did.
Founder FAQs
Do we need migrations at MVP? You need a way to keep app and data aligned. That can be a simple checklist at first; adopt formal migrations when the feature set stabilizes.
How do we test for out‑of‑sync issues? Use a new account on the live site and try first‑time actions. If something fails, list what the screen needs and add those pieces to production before you try again.
Which tools help? Services like Supabase and Firebase make it clear which tables/collections and rules exist. Align what the app expects with what the service shows in its dashboard.