From Vibecoded Prototype to Production: A Shipping Checklist

You've done the exciting part — you described your idea, the AI generated the code, and you have a working prototype. But there's a gap between "it works on my machine" and "it's ready for users."

This checklist bridges that gap.

Phase 1: Code Review

Before anything else, review what the AI wrote. Use our Vibe Checker for automated scanning, but also check manually:

Security

• [ ] Input validation — Every form field and API endpoint validates input
• [ ] SQL injection — If using a database, all queries use parameterized statements
• [ ] XSS protection — User-generated content is escaped before rendering
• [ ] Authentication — Protected routes actually check auth status
• [ ] Environment variables — No API keys, passwords, or secrets in the code
• [ ] HTTPS — All external requests use HTTPS
• [ ] CORS — API endpoints have appropriate CORS headers

Performance

• [ ] Images optimized — Use WebP/AVIF, lazy loading, and proper sizing
• [ ] Bundle size — No unnecessary dependencies imported
• [ ] Database queries — No N+1 queries, proper indexing
• [ ] Caching — Static assets have cache headers
• [ ] Loading states — Users see feedback during async operations

Code Quality

• [ ] No dead code — Remove commented-out blocks and unused imports
• [ ] Consistent naming — Variables and functions follow a single convention
• [ ] Error handling — Every async operation has a catch block
• [ ] TypeScript — No any types unless absolutely necessary

Phase 2: Testing

AI-generated code often works for the happy path but breaks on edge cases.

Manual Testing Checklist

1. Empty states — What happens when there's no data?
2. Long content — Paste a 10,000-character string in every text field
3. Rapid clicks — Double-click every button and submit every form twice
4. Back button — Navigate through the app using browser back/forward
5. Mobile — Test on a real phone, not just browser dev tools
6. Slow network — Use Chrome DevTools to throttle to 3G
7. Different browsers — At minimum: Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Automated Tests (If You Have Them)

Even a few basic tests are better than none:

Write 5 basic tests for this app:
1. The home page renders without crashing
2. The API returns a 200 status for valid requests
3. The API returns a 400 status for invalid requests
4. Form validation rejects empty required fields
5. Navigation between pages works correctly

Ask the AI to write these tests — it's one of the things AI does best.

Phase 3: Accessibility

Accessibility isn't optional. At minimum:

• [ ] Alt text — Every meaningful image has descriptive alt text
• [ ] Keyboard navigation — Tab through the entire app without a mouse
• [ ] Color contrast — Text meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large)
• [ ] Focus indicators — Interactive elements show visible focus rings
• [ ] Screen reader — Test with VoiceOver (Mac) or NVDA (Windows)
• [ ] Form labels — Every input has an associated label element

Phase 4: SEO & Metadata

If people need to find your app through search:

• [ ] Title tags — Every page has a unique, descriptive title
• [ ] Meta descriptions — 150-160 characters describing each page
• [ ] Open Graph — Social sharing images and descriptions
• [ ] Sitemap — Generated and submitted to Google Search Console
• [ ] robots.txt — Allowing search engine crawling
• [ ] Semantic HTML — Using proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3)

Phase 5: Deployment

Choose a Platform

For most vibecoded projects, these work great:

| Platform | Best For | Free Tier | |----------|----------|-----------| | Vercel | Next.js, React apps | Yes | | Netlify | Static sites, JAMstack | Yes | | Railway | Full-stack with database | Limited | | Fly.io | Docker containers, global | Limited | | Cloudflare Pages | Static sites, Workers | Yes |

Deployment Checklist

• [ ] Environment variables — Set in the platform's dashboard, not in code
• [ ] Domain — Custom domain configured with SSL
• [ ] Error monitoring — Set up Sentry or similar to catch production errors
• [ ] Analytics — Know how many people use your app
• [ ] Backup — Database backups configured (if applicable)
• [ ] CI/CD — Automatic deploys on git push

Phase 6: Launch

The Minimum Viable Launch

You don't need a Product Hunt launch or a press release. Start small:

1. Share with 5 people — Friends, colleagues, or online communities
2. Collect feedback — What's confusing? What's missing? What breaks?
3. Fix the top 3 issues — Don't try to address everything at once
4. Share more widely — Post on Twitter, Reddit, Hacker News, or relevant communities

Post-Launch Monitoring

For the first week after launch:

• Check error monitoring daily
• Watch analytics for unusual patterns
• Respond to user feedback quickly
• Keep a list of improvements for v2

The 80/20 Rule

You don't need to check every box on every list. Focus on what matters most for your specific project:

• Public-facing app? Security and accessibility are non-negotiable
• Internal tool? Focus on functionality and error handling
• Portfolio project? Code quality and performance matter most
• MVP testing an idea? Ship fast, fix later (but still check security basics)

The goal isn't perfection — it's shipping something real that works and doesn't break or leak data. Vibecoding gets you to a prototype fast. This checklist gets you from prototype to production.

Ready to check your code? Our Vibe Checker scans for the most common issues in vibecoded projects.