5 Vibe Coding Prompts to Build Your First App
What is Vibe Coding?
Vibe Coding is a framework for using Large Language Models (LLMs) like Claude or ChatGPT to build software. Instead of giving the AI vague instructions, you provide a clear, structured "vibe" that guides it to produce the exact code you need.
Here are five prompts to get you started on your first project.
1. The "Setup the Project" Prompt
"Act as an expert full-stack developer. I want to build a new web application using Next.js and Tailwind CSS. Initialize a new Next.js project for me using TypeScript. Configure Tailwind CSS and set up a basic project structure with components, lib, and app directories. Provide me with the exact terminal commands to run."
Why it works: It establishes the AI's persona, specifies the tech stack, and asks for concrete, actionable output (terminal commands).
2. The "Create a Component" Prompt
"Create a responsive navigation bar component for my Next.js app using Tailwind CSS. It should have a logo on the left and links for 'Home', 'About', and 'Pricing' on the right. On mobile, the links should collapse into a hamburger menu. Provide the complete code for the Navbar.tsx component."
Why it works: It clearly defines the component's function, appearance, and responsive behavior, and specifies the exact file name and technology.
3. The "Build the Backend Logic" Prompt
"I need a Next.js API route to handle a user sign-up. It should accept a POST request with an email and password. Hash the password using bcrypt and then save the new user to a Supabase database. Return a success message if the user is created, or an error if the email already exists. Provide the full code for app/api/signup/route.ts."
Why it works: It specifies the route, HTTP method, expected payload, backend logic (hashing, database interaction), and error handling.
4. The "Design the Database Schema" Prompt
"Design a PostgreSQL schema for a simple project management tool. I need three tables: users, projects, and tasks. A user can have multiple projects, and a project can have multiple tasks. Each task must be assigned to a user and a project. Provide the SQL CREATE TABLE statements for this schema."
Why it works: It clearly defines the entities, their relationships (one-to-many, many-to-one), and the required output format (SQL statements).
5. The "Refactor and Improve" Prompt
"Here is a piece of my code from [filename]: [paste your code here]. Please act as a senior developer and refactor this code for better readability, performance, and adherence to best practices. Explain the key changes you made and why."
Why it works: It provides context (the existing code), defines the goal (refactoring), and asks for an explanation, which helps you learn from the AI's improvements.
Start with these prompts, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you can bring your SaaS idea to life.