50 ChatGPT Prompts for Developers (Copy-Paste Ready)

These aren't generic "explain X" prompts. These are battle-tested, production-grade prompts that replace hours of manual work. Copy, paste, fill in your details, and go.

Code Review (5 Prompts)

1. Comprehensive Code Review

Act as a senior code reviewer. Review this [language] code for bugs, security issues, performance problems, and readability. For each issue, give severity (Critical/Warning/Suggestion), the line reference, what's wrong, and the fix with code.

[paste code]

2. Security-Focused Review

Perform a security audit on this code. Check for SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, auth flaws, sensitive data exposure, and hardcoded secrets. For each finding: severity, exploit scenario, and fix.

[paste code]

3. Performance Review

Analyze this code for performance bottlenecks. Identify N+1 queries, memory leaks, unnecessary re-renders, and algorithmic inefficiencies. Provide Big-O analysis and optimized alternatives.

[paste code]

Debugging (5 Prompts)

4. Error Diagnosis

I'm getting this error:
[paste error]

Code:
[paste code]

What I've tried: [list]
Environment: [OS, versions]

Explain the root cause, provide the exact fix, and explain how to prevent this.

5. Stack Trace Analysis

Analyze this stack trace and explain:
1. The exact error
2. Which line caused it
3. The likely root cause
4. The fix

[paste stack trace]

Testing (5 Prompts)

6. Comprehensive Test Generation

Write tests for this function: [paste code]

Include: happy path, edge cases (empty, null, max values), error cases, boundary conditions. Use [framework]. Follow AAA pattern.

7. Integration Test

Write integration tests for this API endpoint:
[paste endpoint code]

Test: successful requests, validation errors, auth failures, rate limiting, and database interactions.

Architecture & Design (5 Prompts)

8. System Design

Design a system for [describe]. Include: high-level architecture diagram, database schema, API endpoints, scaling strategy, and key tradeoffs. Use Mermaid diagrams.

9. Database Schema

Design a normalized database schema for [app]. Provide: CREATE TABLE statements, indexes, foreign keys, ER diagram in Mermaid, and example queries.

10. API Design

Design a RESTful API for [feature]. For each endpoint: method, URL, request/response TypeScript types, error responses, rate limits, and auth requirements.

That's 10 of 50. The full collection includes refactoring, documentation, DevOps, frontend, and advanced prompts.

Quick Tips for Better Prompts

1. Set the role: "Act as a senior [X] with 10 years experience"

2. Be specific about format: "Respond in bullet points" beats "explain this"

3. Include constraints: Language, framework, style guide, performance requirements

4. Show examples: Give 2-3 examples of what you want

5. Iterate: "Make it more concise" / "Add error handling" / "Now add tests"

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