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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.