Right now your app probably forgets everything the moment you close it. Form submissions disappear. User preferences reset. Content you entered vanishes. That is because your prototype does not have a database.
This session teaches you how to add data persistence to your project. You will learn how to prompt the AI to set up a database, connect it to your app, and build the basic operations: create, read, update, and delete. By the end, your app will remember things.
What You Will Learn
• What a database is and why you need one. No jargon. Just a clear explanation of where data lives and how your app talks to it.
• Choosing a database. The beginner-friendly options and which one fits your project. We will cover Supabase, Firebase, and simple file-based storage.
• Connecting your app to a database. How to prompt the AI to set up the connection and get data flowing.
• CRUD operations. Create, Read, Update, Delete. The four things every app needs to do with data. You will build all four.
• Structuring your data. How to think about what data you need to store and how to organize it so things do not get messy as your app grows.
What You Will Walk Away With
• A working database connected to your project.
• At least one feature that saves and retrieves data (a form that stores submissions, a list that persists, user preferences that stick).
• The confidence to add data storage to any future feature.
Prerequisites
This session assumes you have some experience building with AI coding tools. You will get the most out of it if:
• You have a working project with a user interface.
• Your project has at least one feature where data persistence would be useful (forms, lists, content, user input).
What to Bring
• A laptop with a browser (all tools we use are web-based)
• A project you are working on or want to start
• Your project, ideally in Cursor with version control set up
Part of the From Prototype to Product Series
This is Session 1 of 10 in the Vibe Coding: From Prototype to Product workshop series. Each session stands alone, but the full series is designed as a progression from first build to finished product.
Full series ticket holders get access to all 10 sessions, weekly lab sessions for live troubleshooting, recordings of every session, and Founder Guide community access. Full series: $480 (10 sessions for the price of 8). Visit the series page for details.
Already have a series ticket? Enter your promo code at checkout to register for free.
About the Facilitator
Todd Bashor is the founder of Founder Guide and has 25 years of experience building and scaling software products at ServiceNow, FICO, and Intuit. He co-founded NewRocket in 2017 and led it through hypergrowth to acquisition in 2022. He now works with early-stage founders on product validation, traction, and go-to-market strategy.
Todd has been coding with AI for over two years and has mentored multiple non-technical founders through building their first MVPs with vibe coding tools.
