10 ChatGPT Prompt Templates for Better Code
Stop getting incomplete code snippets from ChatGPT. These 10 prompt templates will help you get production-ready code, thorough debugging, and useful refactoring suggestions.
Using ChatGPT for coding is a double-edged sword. While it can accelerate your development speed, it often produces code that is outdated, insecure, or missing critical edge cases. The difference between a “hallucinated” snippet and production-ready code often comes down to the quality of your prompt.
To get the most out of AI as a developer, you need to move beyond simple “write a function” requests. You must provide structure, define constraints, and force the model to think through the logic before it starts writing.
Here are 10 highly effective prompt templates for common development tasks.
1. Feature Implementation Template
This template ensures that the AI understands the full context of the feature, including the tech stack and specific requirements.
Prompt: “Act as a senior [language] developer. Implement a feature that [description]. Use [framework/library]. The solution should be modular, follow [style guide, e.g., SOLID] principles, and include inline comments explaining the logic. Handle potential errors like [specific edge cases].”
Why it works: By defining the persona and the architectural principles, you prevent the AI from taking “shortcuts” that result in messy, non-scalable code.
2. Deep Debugging Template
Instead of just pasting an error, this template forces the AI to analyze the cause and the solution systematically.
Prompt: “I am encountering an error in my [language] application. The error message is: [error message]. Here is the relevant code: [code snippet]. Analyze the root cause of this error, explain why it is happening, and provide a corrected version of the code. Also, suggest how to prevent this issue in the future.”
Why it works: It uses the “explain then solve” approach, which significantly increases the accuracy of the debugging process.
3. Code Review and Optimization Template
Use this to get an objective second opinion on your code’s quality and performance.
Prompt: “Review the following [language] code for performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, and readability. Suggest three specific optimizations to improve [metric, e.g., execution speed/memory usage]. Code: [code snippet]”
Why it works: It gives the AI a specific goal (3 optimizations), which prevents it from giving vague or generic feedback.
4. Refactoring for Readability Template
When you have working but “ugly” code, this template helps clean it up without changing the functionality.
Prompt: “Refactor the following [language] code to improve readability and maintainability. Apply [specific pattern, e.g., the Strategy Pattern] if appropriate. Ensure that the logic remains identical to the original. Provide a summary of the changes you made.”
Why it works: It emphasizes “identical logic,” which is a critical constraint during refactoring to avoid introducing new bugs.
5. Automated Test Generation Template
Writing tests is often the most tedious part of development. This template automates the boilerplate.
Prompt: “Write a suite of unit tests for the following [language] function using [testing framework, e.g., Jest/Pytest]. Include tests for the happy path, edge cases like null or empty inputs, and error handling. Mock any external dependencies like [API/Database].”
Why it works: It explicitly mentions mocks and edge cases, which are the parts AI most often forgets in a simple prompt.
6. API Design and Documentation Template
If you are building a new service, use this to scaffold the interface.
Prompt: “Design a RESTful API for [service description]. Provide the endpoint definitions, request/response bodies in JSON format, and the appropriate HTTP status codes for success and failure. Follow OpenAPI 3.0 standards.”
Why it works: It enforces industry standards (RESTful, OpenAPI), ensuring your API is intuitive and professional.
7. Explaining Complex Code Template
When jumping into a legacy codebase, use this to get up to speed quickly.
Prompt: “Act as a technical lead. Explain what the following [language] code does in plain English. Break it down section by section. Highlight any potential side effects or external dependencies that a new developer should be aware of. Code: [code snippet]”
Why it works: It identifies “side effects,” which are often the most dangerous parts of unfamiliar code.
8. Writing Technical Documentation Template
Turn your code into a README or documentation block instantly.
Prompt: “Generate a README.md file for the following [language] project. Include sections for ‘Installation’, ‘Usage Examples’, ‘API Reference’, and ‘Contributing’. Use clear, professional language and proper Markdown formatting.”
Why it works: It specifies the sections required, ensuring the documentation is comprehensive enough for other developers to use.
9. Performance Optimization Template
When your code is slow, this template helps find the “hot paths.”
Prompt: “The following [language] function is running slowly in production. Analyze the time and space complexity (Big O notation). Identify the most expensive operations and provide an optimized version of the code that reduces the complexity.”
Why it works: Forcing the AI to calculate Big O notation makes it more likely to find true algorithmic improvements rather than just syntax tweaks.
10. Security Review Template
A quick check for common vulnerabilities before you commit your code.
Prompt: “Analyze the following [language] code for security risks, specifically looking for [vulnerability type, e.g., SQL injection, XSS, insecure data storage]. If a risk is found, explain the vulnerability and provide a secure version of the code.”
Why it works: By narrowing the focus to specific vulnerability types, the AI becomes much more effective at spotting subtle security flaws.
Getting Better Code, Faster
While these templates are a great starting point, the most annoying part is manually copying them and filling in the placeholders every time you have a new task.
PromptForge automates this process by providing a dedicated Code category. Instead of managing a list of text files with templates, you can use our interface to select the task (e.g., “Refactor”, “Write Tests”, “Debug”) and your specific tech stack. The tool then generates a highly optimized, structured prompt that incorporates the latest best practices for that specific language and framework.
By using a structured approach to your AI interactions, you can stop treating ChatGPT as a magic box and start using it as a reliable, high-speed coding assistant.
Ready to upgrade your development workflow? Start generating professional code prompts at https://app.prompt4orge.xyz/generate. Better prompts mean better code, fewer bugs, and more time for actual engineering.