For Educators

What Is Google AI Studio?

How Google's vibe coding platform goes beyond Canvas — and why it matters for your next build

Everything Canvas does. Plus deployment, APIs, and real apps.

Prompt
Describe your app
AI Builds
Full-stack code generated
Deploy
Live on Cloud Run
Building app…
Explorer
App.tsx
Scroll to explore
The Question

Have you ever built something in Canvas... and wished it could do more?

Moments like:
  • Wanted to connect to a live data source
  • Needed data to persist between sessions
  • Wished you could share it as a real URL
  • Tried to use an npm package and couldn't
  • Needed server-side logic for security
  • Wanted to deploy for your whole school

Canvas is a single-file prototyping tool. AI Studio is a full development environment — right in your browser.

The Answer

Google AI Studio

A full vibe coding platform. Prompt-to-app with deployment, APIs, and server-side power — all free to start.

Canvas is where you sketch. AI Studio is where you build.

Full-stack runtime (Node.js)
Secrets management for API keys
npm package ecosystem
One-click Cloud Run deployment
Annotation Mode visual editing
GitHub export & ZIP download
Compare

Canvas vs AI Studio

Same AI engine. Different capabilities.

Feature
Canvas
AI Studio
Prompt-to-app
Yes
Yes
Live preview
Yes
Yes
Server-side code
No
Node.js
npm packages
No
Yes
API key secrets
No
Secure storage
External APIs
No
Yes
Deploy to web
No
Cloud Run
Multi-file projects
No
Yes
Visual editing
No
Annotations
GitHub export
No
Yes
Features

What Makes AI Studio Different

The features that unlock real applications for your classroom.

Build Mode
  • Full-stack runtime with server-side Node.js
  • npm packages for any functionality
  • Secrets management for API keys
  • Powered by Gemini 3 Pro Preview
Edit Visually
  • Annotation Mode: point-and-click editing
  • AI Chips: drag-and-drop feature blocks
  • App Gallery with remixable templates
  • 'I'm Feeling Lucky' instant app generation
Ship It
  • One-click deploy to Google Cloud Run
  • GitHub export for version control
  • ZIP download for offline use
  • Share live URLs with your school

The biggest leap: AI Studio is like having a full development studio in your browser. Multi-file projects, a real backend, deployment, and APIs — all from a prompt.

Build

What Limitation Have You Hit?

What's a feature you were limited by in Canvas or single-file HTML that you wish you had?

Great choice. Scroll down to continue.

Looking Ahead

Ready to Level Up Your Builds?

Canvas got you started. AI Studio takes you further.

Canvas is still great for quick prototypes

For single-file HTML tools, proof-of-concepts, and quick demos, Gemini Canvas remains an excellent choice. Think of it as your sketchpad.

AI Studio is for when you need more

When your project needs a backend, APIs, deployment, or multi-file structure — AI Studio is where you go. Same prompting skills, bigger canvas.

Your prompting skills transfer directly

Everything you learned about describing what you want, iterating on output, and testing your creations applies in AI Studio. The skills compound.

Start the AI Studio Workshop