The development AI stack
AI pair programming workflow. Full-stack development with real-time suggestions. Build faster, refactor smarter, ship sooner. Pro settings for maximum productivity.
Back to verticalsRecommended stack
6 tools · IDE + pair programming + prototyping
Cursor
IDE with built-in AI, code generation
GitHub Copilot
Real-time code completion, suggestions
Windsurf
AI code editor, multi-file editing
v0 by Vercel
React components from prompts
Replit
Full-stack development, prototyping
TabNine
Smart code completion, patterns
Why these tools?
Cursor is the IDE for 2026 — AI is built into code editing, not as an afterthought. Use it as your main editor and it pays for itself in tokens saved.
GitHub Copilot handles routine completions. Cursor handles complex tasks. Running both prevents token waste on small suggestions you could get faster from Copilot.
Windsurf excels at multi-file changes and refactoring. When you need to update 5 files at once, Windsurf does it in one prompt, avoiding context thrashing.
v0 is for React developers specifically. Convert Figma designs or text descriptions to working components instantly. Eliminates hours of boilerplate.
Replit is your 2-hour prototype tool. Full-stack setup (DB, backend, frontend) in minutes. Test ideas before building in your main codebase.
TabNine is a lightweight always-on autocomplete. Run it alongside Copilot — it catches patterns without using API tokens.
Getting started
Setup time: 2 hours · Impact: Save 20+ hours/week
Set up Cursor with your project (1 hour)
Install Cursor. Point it to your repo. Configure .cursor rules file with your coding standards, architecture patterns, and tech stack preferences. Cursor uses this to stay consistent with your project.
Configure GitHub Copilot for your IDE (20 min)
Install Copilot in VS Code or Cursor. Set inline suggestions to ON. Configure keyboard shortcut for multi-line completions. Test on a known file to verify token usage.
Create a v0 component library (45 min)
Build 3-5 common components in v0 (button, card, form, modal, navigation). Export as reusable components. Reference these when building new features.
Set up Replit for quick prototyping (30 min)
Create a blank full-stack template in Replit. Use it for testing ideas, spike solutions, or learning new libraries before integrating into main codebase.
Common use cases
Real workflows · Real productivity gains
Feature implementation (4 hours → 45 min)
Describe feature in Cursor with context. It generates the full stack: API endpoint, database migration, frontend component. Review and merge. v0 handles any React component design.
Bug fixing with full-file context
Paste entire error stack and relevant code into Cursor. It understands the full context and fixes not just the symptom, but related issues in the same file.
Refactoring 10+ files at once
Windsurf handles multi-file changes like renaming a function across your codebase, updating imports, and fixing all references. Cursor would need multiple prompts.
Test coverage generation
Cursor reads your source code and auto-generates unit tests. Review assertions, add edge cases. Your test file goes from 0% to 80% coverage in 10 minutes.
2-hour full-stack MVP
Use Replit with AI to prototype a complete CRUD app (database, API, UI). Deploy instantly. Test your business logic before investing days building properly.
Design system implementation
Export your design tokens to v0 rules. Build each component once in v0. Generate all variants automatically. Ship design system 10x faster.
Build faster with AI pair programming
Each tool in this stack has detailed pro guides with IDE configurations, token optimization, and advanced coding techniques.