Skip to main content

Quickstart

Prerequisites​

  • Databricks CLI v0.296+ with an authenticated profile
  • Node.js 22+ (AppKit apps are Node/TypeScript)
  • Databricks workspace with Apps enabled

Template path​

Templates are agent-ready prompts organized by use case. Pick one that fits, copy it into your AI coding assistant, and the assistant handles scaffolding, plugin selection, and deployment.

Common starting points:

TemplateBest for
Set Up Your Local Dev EnvironmentInstall the CLI, authenticate, verify the workspace
Spin Up a Databricks AppScaffold a fresh AppKit app, run it locally, and deploy
Onboard Your Coding AgentInstall agent skills, wire up the DevHub Docs MCP server
AI Chat AppConversational AI, chatbots, assistants
App with LakebaseCRUD apps with persistent storage

The templates catalog has the full list, including Lakebase Postgres, Genie spaces, AI Gateway, and Agent Bricks.

Give your AI assistant Databricks platform context by installing the agent skills before copying in the template:

databricks experimental aitools install

Manual path​

Without a template, databricks apps init generates a working AppKit project. Here is what --features lakebase produces (you don't write this yourself):

import { createApp, server, lakebase } from "@databricks/appkit";

const AppKit = await createApp({
  plugins: [server(), lakebase()],
});

AppKit.server.extend((app) => {
  app.get("/api/items", async (_req, res) => {
    const { rows } = await AppKit.lakebase.query("SELECT * FROM items");
    res.json(rows);
  });
});

Scaffold, run locally, and deploy:

databricks apps init --name my-app --features lakebase   # generates the project above
cd my-app && npm install && npm run dev                  # runs locally
databricks apps deploy                                   # deploys to your workspace

After deploy, the CLI prints your app's workspace URL.

To scaffold with specific plugins, pass --features with a comma-separated list. Run databricks apps manifest to see all available plugins and their required resource fields.

Where to next​

For the full local development workflow, deploy flags, and plugin setup, see Apps development.

On this page