How to Use GitHub Copilot: Build Your First App in Under 2 Hours

If you're a solo founder or indie hacker, you know that building your first app can be daunting. You want to get something up and running fast, but the learning curve can be steep. Enter GitHub Copilot—a tool that promises to make coding easier by suggesting entire lines or blocks of code as you type. But does it really deliver? In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to use GitHub Copilot to build your first app in under two hours.

Prerequisites: What You Need to Get Started

Before you dive in, here’s what you’ll need:

1. GitHub Account: Sign up at GitHub if you don’t have one.
2. Visual Studio Code: Download and install VS Code.
3. GitHub Copilot Subscription: Copilot costs $10/month or $100/year after a free trial.
4. Basic JavaScript Knowledge: Familiarity with JavaScript will help, but Copilot can guide you through if you’re a complete beginner.

Step-by-Step: Building Your First App

Step 1: Set Up Your Environment (15 Minutes)

• Open Visual Studio Code.

• Create a new folder for your project.

• Open a terminal in VS Code and initialize a new Node.js project by running:

  npm init -y
  

• Install Express.js for your web server:

  npm install express
  

Step 2: Start Coding with GitHub Copilot (1 Hour)

1. Create a new file called app.js.

2. Enable GitHub Copilot: If you’ve installed the Copilot extension, it should be ready to use. Start typing code and watch Copilot suggest lines. For instance, type const express = require('express'); and see Copilot offer the next lines.

3. Build a Simple Web Server: Type the following comment to get Copilot to generate a basic web server:

   // Create a simple Express server
   

   Copilot should suggest a full server setup. Accept the suggestion and tweak it as necessary.

Step 3: Test Your App (30 Minutes)

• Run your app with:

  node app.js
  

• Open your browser and visit http://localhost:3000 to see if it’s running. If Copilot did its job, you should see a message like "Hello World".

Step 4: Deploy Your App (30 Minutes)

1. Deploy to Heroku: If you want to get your app live, you can deploy it to Heroku. Install the Heroku CLI and log in:

   heroku login
   

2. Create a new Heroku app:

   heroku create my-first-app
   

3. Push your code to Heroku:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Initial commit"
   git push heroku master
   

4. Visit the URL provided by Heroku to see your live app.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Copilot Not Suggesting Code: Ensure your subscription is active and the extension is enabled in VS Code.
• Server Not Running: Check for errors in your terminal. If you see issues, Copilot’s suggestions may need manual tweaking.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a basic app, consider adding features like user authentication or a database. GitHub Copilot can help here too—just ask it to generate code snippets for specific functionalities.

Pricing Breakdown of GitHub Copilot

| Feature | Pricing | Best For | Limitations | Our Take | |-----------------------|-----------------------|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|-------------------------------| | GitHub Copilot | $10/mo or $100/yr | Beginners and experienced devs | May produce incorrect suggestions | We use this for rapid prototyping and learning new APIs. |

Conclusion: Start Here

If you’re looking to get your first app off the ground quickly, GitHub Copilot can be a real asset. The combination of AI-driven suggestions and a supportive coding environment in VS Code makes it feasible to build something functional in under two hours. Just keep in mind that while Copilot is powerful, it’s not infallible—be ready to edit and refine its suggestions.

Start your journey by signing up for GitHub Copilot today and tackle that first app you’ve been dreaming of!