How to build a user referral system in Bubble

A simple and valid referral system in Bubble works like this: every user gets a unique referral code, you store who referred whom when a new user signs up through that code, and then you trigger rewards using backend workflows. The whole system is just a combination of: a field on the User, a URL parameter, and a backend workflow that credits the referrer.

Create the data fields

Add two fields to the User data type:

• referral\_code (text)
• referred\_by (User)

When a user signs up, generate their referral\_code using a backend workflow so it’s always unique.

Generate the referral code

Create a backend workflow “generate-referral-code” that runs on user sign‑up:

• Make changes to User = Current User
• Set referral\_code = Calculate random string (length ~8)

// This runs after signup and assigns a unique code
referral_code = calculate random string  

Share referral links

A referral link is simply your signup page with a URL parameter:

• example.com/signup?ref=Current User's referral\_code

Users can share that link anywhere.

Detect the referral on signup

On your signup page:

• Add a page load workflow
• If Get data from page URL: ref is not empty, store it in a custom state (easiest) or a temporary field in the database if needed

Attach the referral to the new user

After creating the account:

• Search for User where referral\_code = Get data from page URL: ref
• If found, set New User's referred\_by = that User
• Trigger a backend workflow to award the referrer

// After account creation
New User.referred_by = Search for Users:first item  

(Optional) Give rewards

Create a backend workflow “award-referrer” that:

• Takes parameter: referrer (User)
• Makes changes to referrer (ex: add credits, mark referral as completed, etc.)

This keeps rewards secure since they run server-side.