Vibe Coding Best Practices

1Use AI Code Editors, Not App Builders

Avoid app builders like Bolt or Loveable. Instead, use professional AI code editors like Cursor or Windsurf.

Why: App builders create messy, hard-to-maintain code with limited customization. AI code editors give you full control while providing intelligent assistance.

2Give Your AI Editor Rules to Follow

Create a project-level rules file — AGENTS.md or .cursorrules — that states your tech stack, coding conventions, and explicit "do not do this" limits, before you start prompting.

Why: Without a rules file, the agent guesses your conventions from context and drifts more with every prompt. A short rules file (stack, folder structure, patterns to avoid) keeps output consistent across an entire session instead of re-explaining yourself every few messages. Indie Kit ships these rules pre-written for Claude Code, Cursor, and similar tools.

3Start with a Great Starter Kit

Begin with a comprehensive starter kit that includes authentication, database setup, and essential features already configured.

Why: Starting from scratch wastes time on boilerplate code. A quality starter kit like Indie Kit provides a solid foundation with best practices built-in.

Look for starter kits with authentication, database integration, payment processing, and deployment configurations ready to go.

4Use Next.js for Better Security

Choose Next.js over plain React.js for your applications.

Why: Next.js is more popular, has better security features, built-in SEO optimization, and provides server-side rendering capabilities that plain React lacks.

5Use Server-Side Rendering for Data

Fetch data on the server side instead of directly from the client side (like directly from Supabase).

Why: While client-side fetching can save costs, improper RLS (Row Level Security) configuration can create vulnerabilities. Many "vibe coded" apps have this security flaw.

6Don't Use Supabase Directly - Use an ORM

Instead of using Supabase directly, use an ORM like Drizzle ORM or Prisma.

Why: ORMs provide type safety, better query building, migrations management, and reduce the risk of SQL injection attacks.

7Talk to the Community

If you don't know what you're doing, engage with the developer community and seek guidance.

Why: The community can help you avoid common mistakes and provide valuable insights from experienced developers.

8Iterate in Small Parts

Build and deploy small features incrementally instead of building the entire system at once.

Why: Building everything at once leads to security issues and bugs that you won't even know exist. Small iterations allow for better testing, feedback, and continuous improvement.

Go deeper: fixing and migrating vibe-coded apps

Already building in Lovable or Bolt.dev and running into one of the problems above? These cover the specific failure modes in more depth.