Quickstart Guide

THE VIBE CODE HERO'S QUICKSTART

From Zero to Deployed App in 10 Steps - Keep This On Your Desk for Small Projects

For details, reference Vibe Code Hero: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI

No coding experience required
Deploy to production
AI-powered development
1

SET UP YOUR AI PARTNER

Create a new Project in Claude named "[YourApp] Development"

🤖 Initial Setup
You are helping me build [app description]. I'm a beginner.

Stack suggestion: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Prisma, Neon PostgreSQL, Tailwind, Vercel.

Always work step-by-step. Help me plan this app. Ask questions.
2

PLAN YOUR APP

Answer these questions (one sentence each):

  • What problem does it solve? → _______________
  • Who needs this? → _______________
  • Core feature (just ONE): → _______________
  • Success = when: → _______________
🤖 Validate Your Idea
Is my app idea realistic? Simplify it to an MVP I can build. Ask questions.
3

GET YOUR STACK

zsh
npx create-next-app@latest my-app --typescript --tailwind --app
cd my-app
npm install @clerk/nextjs @prisma/client prisma
npm install -D @types/node

Create accounts (all have free tiers):

  • GitHub.com→ Code storage, sandboxed coding in Codespaces
  • Vercel.com→ Hosting, Domain registration, etc
  • Neon.com→ Database (can be set up in Vercel)
  • Clerk.com→ Authentication
4

SET UP DATABASE

zsh
npx prisma init

Edit prisma/schema.prisma:

prisma
model User {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
  posts     Post[]
}

model Post {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  title     String
  content   String
  authorId  String
  author    User     @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}
🤖 Schema Generation
Create a Prisma schema for [my app idea]. Ask questions.
5

BUILD YOUR FIRST PAGE

typescript
// app/page.tsx
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <main className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center p-24">
      <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold">My App</h1>
      <p>Solving [problem] for [users]</p>
      <button className="bg-blue-500 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded">
        Get Started
      </button>
    </main>
  )
}

📝 Test it:

npm run dev → Open http://localhost:3000

You have a thing. If there are errors, ask the LLM to walk you through troubleshooting.

6

ADD YOUR CORE FEATURE

🤖 Core Feature
Create a simple [core feature] with:
1. A form to input data
2. An API route to save it
3. A page to display results
Use my Prisma schema. Keep it minimal.

The Pattern:

User Action (form) → API Route → Database → Display Result

7

DEPLOY TO PREVIEW

zsh
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create my-app --public --source=. --push
  1. 1. Go to vercel.com
  2. 2. Import your GitHub repo
  3. 3. Add environment variables (DATABASE_URL, etc.)
  4. 4. Deploy!

Your app is now live at: https://my-app.vercel.app

8

TEST EVERYTHING

The Quick Test Checklist:

  • Works on mobile?
  • Buttons work?
  • Forms reject bad data?
  • Slow internet handled?
  • Error messages friendly?
🤖 Generate Tests
Generate test cases for my [feature]. Include edge cases. Ask questions.
9

ADD POLISH

Quick Wins:

typescript
// Loading state
const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false)
{loading ? "Saving..." : "Save"}

// Error handling
try {
  // your code
} catch (error) {
  toast.error("Something went wrong")
}

// Empty state
{data.length === 0 && <p>No items yet. Create your first!</p>}
🤖 Polish Request
Add loading states, error handling, and empty states to my code as appropriate. Ask questions.
10

LAUNCH!

Pre-Launch:

  • • Test core feature one more time
  • • Ensure rollback ready
  • • Write 3 FAQ answers

Launch:

  1. 1. Merge to main → Auto-deploys
  2. 2. Monitor for 1 hour
  3. 3. Share with 3 friends
  4. 4. Celebrate! 🎉

Post-Launch:

Get feedback → Fix bugs → Add features → Repeat

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Site Down?

→ Vercel Dashboard → Deployments → Promote Previous

Too Expensive?

→ Check for infinite loops, optimize images, add caching

Can't Debug?

Paste this to your LLM:

Error: [full error message]
Code: [file directory/file.ext flagged/error at error.error]
What changed: [recent changes]
"Help me troubleshoot. Ask questions. Ask for reference files."

💡 THE GOLDEN RULES

  1. 1.Ugly but working > Asymptotically Perfecter
  2. 2.Version 1 = Core feature only (resist feature creep!)
  3. 3.Test on preview, never on production
  4. 4.Commit working code as checkpoints (git is your friend)
  5. 5.When stuck over 30 min → Ask your LLM partner

📚 QUICK REFERENCE

Tech Stack Decoder:

  • Next.js = Your app framework (handles everything)
  • Prisma = Talks to database (no SQL needed)
  • PostgreSQL = Your database (via Neon)
  • Vercel = Hosting (automatic from GitHub)
  • TypeScript = JavaScript with safety rails

Cost Limits (Free Tiers):

  • Vercel: 100GB bandwidth (~10k visitors)
  • Neon: 0.5GB storage (~1M records)
  • Clerk: 5,000 active users
  • Resend: 100 emails/day

The 80% Rule:

When any service hits 80% of free tier → Time to optimize or upgrade

🤖 YOUR DAILY LLM PROMPTS

Morning Start:

🤖 Daily Standup
I'm working on [feature]. Here's my current code: [paste code or file tree txt]. 
What should I build first today? Ask for reference files.

When Stuck:

🤖 Debug Help
This isn't working: [problem]. I tried: [attempts]. 
Help me troubleshoot. Ask questions. Ask for reference files.

Before Bed:

🤖 Code Review
Review this code for security issues and bugs: [paste code if simple]. 
Ask for other reference files. Create a summary prompt for me to start seamlessly in a new chat tomorrow.
🚀

Welcome to the Vibe Code Heroes Club!

Remember: You don't need to become an expert in everything. Backhoe operators didn't need to be expert shovelers to learn. You just need to ship something and evolve. Every expert was once a beginner who didn't quit.

You're not learning to code. You're learning to BUILD.

Print this. Pin it up. Ship your app. ✨