Principled AI Coding Background

Principled AI Coding

Master the principles of AI Coding. Build foundational skills to stay relevant and excel with the AI coding tools of today and tomorrow.

Course Author

Official AI CODING COURSE by @IndyDevDan

Software engineering has changed.

It's time to change with it.

Let's start by saying the obvious thing...

AI Coding is the largest productivity multiplier for engineers to ever exist.

If you don't see this, you're not paying attention. If you disagree, feel free to close this tab and keep coding line-by-line. Good luck. You'll need it.

I'm not here to convince you that AI and Generative AI have reshaped software engineering. I'm here to offer you principles—not just tools—that give you an asymmetric advantage on your time in the Generative AI Age.

This course is about Principled AI Coding.

Not another app, not another tool, not another model. Instead, we focus on foundational principles and techniques that separate you from engineers bouncing from app to app, model to model, wasting time and achieving little.

This course fast-tracks your transition into the future of software development—where winners are those who can clearly communicate the right CONTEXT, select the right MODEL, and design the right PROMPT. This lets your AI Coding Assistant handle the heavy lifting, so you can ship more in less time.

AI Coding flips the game: we’re no longer fixated on how. Now it’s about defining what we want, composing the BIG THREE and letting our AI handle the rest. The best engineers in the Generative AI Age will ask: "How do I efficiently communicate this work to my AI Coding Assistant?"

In this course, we'll answer that question—together—and generate entire functions, files, and features in minutes not hours. That’s the power of principled AI coding.

Do not miss this.

What will you learn?

IndyDevDan

In Principled AI Coding, my aim is to give you the principles, techniques and mental models to maximize the volume of work you can hand off to your AI Coding Assistant.

By focusing on the fundamentals of AI Coding, you'll build productive habits into your next generation developer workflows so you can ship more, solve complex problems in less time, and focus on what truly matters: Building valuable products.

A Clear, Proven Mental Model

Master the "big three": Context, Prompt, and Model to form a foundational mental model for AI Coding. Set yourself up for today's AI Coding Assistant and tomorrow's.

When to Prompt Low vs High-Level

Learn WHEN and HOW to write concise, laser-focused low-level prompts for existing, production codebases with well-defined structure. Learn WHEN to write quick, lazy, 'fix this bug' high-level prompts.

Craft perfect AI Coding Prompts

Discover the art of using the right keywords and phrases that instantly communicate complex requirements to your AI Coding assistant.

Avoid Common Mistakes

Learn to dodge pitfalls that waste time and slow your progress. Skip overloaded contexts, misguided prompt strategies, and cheap model pitfalls. With these insights, you’ll stay swift, accurate, and confident in your AI coding journey.

Spec Prompts & Workflows

Elevate your coding game with massive spec prompts and AI powered workflows that turn feature requirements into fully generated code, all with a single prompt.

Agentic AI Coding

Peer into the future of AI coding. Go beyond one-off requests—build integrated loops where your code is created, tested, improved, and finalized automatically.

AI Coding: The New Standard

Writing code the 'old way', line-by-line coding isn’t just slow—it’s the fastest way to fall behind and deprecate your engineering career. By 2025, the engineers who still cling to the old ways will fall behind, while those who embrace AI coding now will ship more, land the best projects and stay employable. Instead of wrestling with tedious details, define what you need and let AI handle the rest.

AI Coding is a multiplier

Principles NOT tools

Success in the Generative AI age requires more than knowing how to pick up the latest tool—it demands understanding the core principles that underpin every AI coding assistant. These timeless concepts give you the stamina to thrive amid constant change, ensuring you can adapt to new models, new tools, and new complexities without losing focus.

Principles for GenAI Age

Master the BIG THREE

Effective AI coding rests on three core pillars: Context, Prompt, and Model. Understanding how these elements work together transforms guesswork into precision. Mastering their synergy equips you to build a stable, scalable AI coding workflow—one that evolves seamlessly as technology advances.

AI Coding Tools

What's in the course?

The course is divided into 8 lessons, each focusing on a different aspect of AI coding. You can complete this course at your own pace. Every lesson includes a foundational principle to guide your learning.

The course is structured across three difficulty levels - Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced - ensuring valuable insights for engineers a every stage of their AI coding journey.

Whether you're just starting out or already using AI coding tools professionally, you'll find principles and practical techniques to elevate your AI coding skills.

01

Hello AI Coding World: Install, Configure, Prompt

Beginner

Get started with the fundamentals of AI coding setup and basic prompting.

Hello AI Coding World: Install, Configure, Prompt

02

Multi-File Editing: STOP coding, START prompting

Beginner

Learn how to handle complex multi-file changes through effective prompting.

Multi-File Editing: STOP coding, START prompting

03

Know your IDKs: Crafting the PERFECT Prompt

Beginner

Master the art of writing precise and effective prompts for coding tasks.

Know your IDKs: Crafting the PERFECT Prompt

04

How to Suck at AI Coding: Common Pitfalls and Practical Solutions

Intermediate

Learn from common mistakes and discover proven solutions to AI Coding challenges.

How to Suck at AI Coding: Common Pitfalls and Practical Solutions

05

Spec based AI Coding with Reasoning Models

Intermediate

Transform specifications into working code using advanced AI reasoning.

Spec based AI Coding with Reasoning Models

06

Aider Has a Secret

Advanced

Discover Aider's secret and unlock parabolic AI Coding efficiency.

Aider Has a Secret

07

Let the code write itself

Advanced

Master autonomous code generation and advanced AI Coding workflows.

Let the code write itself

08

Principled AI Coding

Advanced

Complete your experience with hands on Principled AI Coding.

Principled AI Coding

Kind Words from Engineers

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Nathan Streger

Software Engineer

★★★★★

"Incredible course content. I'd been anxiously waiting for it for a couple months after he mentioned it on a YouTube video, and it was well worth it. The course goes so far beyond anything I have seen from anyone else."

"This is probably the most immediately beneficial and impactful course I have ever taken, and he's a wonderful teacher. Thank you so much for betting big on this stuff and sharing your knowledge and tricks. I'm tuned in for more."

Favorite Lessons:

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spec-based-ai-coding

know-your-idks

let-the-code-write-itself

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Eric Hsiao

Founding Engineer

★★★★★

"With the evolution of generative AI, I realized that I had to integrate the tools/technology into my workflow otherwise I’d become outdated in the next few years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Dan and knew he was a phenomenal engineer to start—practical, creative, & grounded in strong principles and great engineering instincts. When I heard about him launching this course, I immediately signed up to up my game."

"This course delivers on all its promises without the unnecessary hype or fluff around generative AI. The concrete examples show step by step how you can implement the principles and how it can make you 3-5x faster in bringing your product vision to life."

"I’ve immediately started applying the learnings and it’s the first time in my career that I’ve seen a dramatic step change in productivity. This is where software engineering is heading and this course will give you that force multiplier and performance boost to stay ahead of the curve."

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Jamin Kim

Sr. Software Engineer

★★★★★

"All of the video was very high quality and the last video was a banger. A lot of instructors miss repeating the things that they have taught. It was a bit pricey for a non-US person, and I was hesitant when I first started, but overall it was very worth it. It's really hard to cover beginner and senior engineer material together, but these 8 videos did it. I'm very impressed! "

"Also the video is well organized and concise. People should first buy this course instead of buying a $199 SaaS template—this is 100X more worth it, especially if you are going to be an AI dev for the next few years."

Favorite Lessons:

principled-ai-coding

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Luis Alarcón de la Lastra

Founder • Principal Engineer

★★★★★

"As Founder and principal AI engineer of my AI company, I’ve been reviewing our AI coding workflow over Christmas to get it set for 2025. This course is pure gold. The investment is nothing compared to the tremendous value you get out of it. You can clearly see the passion and how it's propelled Dan to produce this amazing work. Thank you."

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Samuel Andrade

Software Engineer • Doctor

★★★★★

"I started coding around five months ago, using Cursor as my AI coding tool. As a Brazilian, a doctor, and an anesthesiologist by training, coding was a completely new field for me. Despite this, I've managed to achieve some impressive results, including creating a SaaS using Cursor."

"About a month ago, I discovered @IndyDevDan's channel, and I was immediately struck by his ability to teach complex concepts with such clarity. When the PAIC course launched, I didn't hesitate to purchase it. Now, having completed the fourth lesson, I can confidently say it's one of the best investments I've ever made."

"While the course focuses on AIDER—an approach that initially presented a bit of a challenge for me due to my limited experience coding without AI—it quickly became clear that this course is all about principles. The insights and understanding I've gained are unparalleled, reshaping my perspective on how to use AI tools effectively in coding."

"To anyone on the fence about whether this course is worth it: don't think twice. The value you'll gain from it will exceed expectations. It's impossible to go through this course without significantly improving your ability to harness AI for optimizing your coding work."

"Finally, I want to express my deep gratitude to @IndyDevDan for the incredible dedication and quality he has put into this course. Your work is inspiring, and I hope you continue to be blessed in your endeavors!"

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Philippe Habra

Founder • AI Engineer

★★★★★

"I've taken over 40 certifications and courses, and this one had the most substantial impact on how I work. The tools, structure, and clarity of the course provide immense value—but only if you're willing to put in the work."

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Julian Kaiser

AI Engineer • Full Stack Developer

★★★★★

"This course is great! I did a lot of AI coding in cursor over the past year but the principles taught in this course will elevate the game for me. I really enjoyed the mix of hands-on projects and principles. Model, Prompt, Context - it will guide my thinking for whats to come. Thanks to @IndyDevDan for the great content and youtube channel."

Favorite Lessons:

know-your-idks

spec-based-ai-coding

principled-ai-coding

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Lutz Leonhardt

Software Engineer

★★★★★

"Best course out there for utilizing AI for professional Software Development! Love the great rhetoric and hands on application. A big plus for me was it is independent of an IDE as I am a JetBrains and Vim user! Really recommend this course"

Principled AI Coding Course

$299$249-$50

Limited time offer discount

Principle-based learning that endures as AI evolves

8 In-Depth Lessons - learn at your own pace

One-time payment, no subscriptions

(Bonus) Lifetime access

(Bonus) Lifetime updates

Hands-on learning with foundational AI coding tool AIDER

(Bonus) 50+ Bonus Assets, Links, Documentation, and Tips

(Bonus) Access to private AI Coding GitHub repositories

No questions asked refund before lesson four

Official AI Coding Course by @IndyDevDan

Frequently Asked Questions