> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://archie.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Archie FAQ: Getting started

> What Archie is, who it's for, what happens after your first prompt, and how the prototype becomes a full-stack app.

The questions people ask first when they meet Archie. Can't find yours? Ask in [Discord](https://discord.gg/EwKqQH5TQU) or email [support@archie.com](mailto:support@archie.com).

## What is Archie?

Archie is an agentic AI platform that turns an idea into a production-ready, full-stack application. Before it writes any code, Archie generates a [plan](/docs/features/plan/overview) — a structured definition of your app's modules, user types, services, and integrations — and you shape it until it matches what you mean. Then Archie builds from it: a [prototype](/docs/features/frontend/prototype/overview) of your screens first, then a real application with a database, APIs, authentication, and hosting.

We call this **clarity before code**. See [How Archie works](/docs/introduction/getting-started/welcome#how-archie-works).

## Who is Archie for?

Founders, product teams, designers, and developers who want to move fast without ending up with code they have to throw away. Whether you're validating an idea, building a first MVP, or shipping a production app, Archie gives you structure from the start. You don't need to know how to code. If you do, you get full access to the [code](/docs/features/frontend/code-editor), the [data model](/docs/features/backend/data-model/overview), and the infrastructure.

## Do I need to know how to code to use Archie?

No. You describe what you want in plain language, shape the plan, and Archie builds the app. After the build, you keep changing it by [talking to Archie](/docs/features/frontend/talking-to-archie) or with the [visual editor](/docs/features/frontend/visual-editor). Technical users can open the [code editor](/docs/features/frontend/code-editor) or sync to GitHub and work in their own tools — but nobody has to.

## How do I get started with Archie?

Type your idea into the prompt bar at [archie.com](https://archie.com), or sign in at [app.archie.com](https://app.archie.com). If you don't have an account yet, Archie creates one as part of the flow. The Free plan needs no credit card and lets you generate your plan and prototype before you pay anything. The [Quick start](/docs/introduction/getting-started/quick-start) walks through the whole flow.

## What happens after I submit my first prompt?

Archie generates your plan. It may ask a few clarifying questions first, and you can attach reference material to give it more context. You then review and edit the plan — modules, user types, services, integrations — with sample screens that show how it translates into UI.

When the plan is right, you generate the frontend: Archie lays out every screen in a sitemap, and you pick which screens to build into a click-through prototype. When the prototype holds together, you generate the full-stack app. See [Generating a plan](/docs/features/plan/generating) and [Generating the frontend](/docs/features/frontend/generating).

## How long does it take to build an app with Archie?

The plan arrives in minutes, not days. From there, most of your time goes into shaping it — which is the point, because the plan is cheap to change and a build is not. Screen generation, the prototype, and the full-stack build each take minutes, and the build view shows live progress. How long the whole thing takes depends mostly on how long you spend getting the plan right.

## What's the difference between the prototype and the full-stack app?

The prototype is an interactive, click-through version of your screens, with your design system applied and real navigation — but no real data and no backend. It's where you check that the screens and flows make sense.

The full-stack app is the real thing: a deployed frontend connected to a backend on [Archie Core](/docs/features/backend/overview), with a database, APIs, authentication, and role-based access. You go from one to the other with **Generate Full-Stack**. See [From prototype to real app](/docs/features/frontend/generating#from-prototype-to-real-app).

## What is Archie Core, and how is it different from Archie?

Archie is the platform that takes your idea to a finished application. [Archie Core](/docs/features/backend/overview) is the backend underneath every app Archie builds: the database, auto-generated GraphQL and REST APIs, authentication, roles and permissions, file storage, notifications, queues, and environments. Developers can also use Archie Core on its own, as a full-featured backend for apps they build themselves.

## What is Archie Labs?

Archie Labs is Archie's professional services arm, at [archielabs.com](https://archielabs.com). It offers custom software design and development, AI strategy and transformation, data, machine learning and business intelligence, agentic AI, and staff augmentation. Archie is self-serve; Archie Labs pairs Archie's technology with a hands-on team when a project needs people, not just software.