Vibe coded vs production-ready: the checklist

Most vibe coded apps are not broken. They are just unfinished for production.

The app works in preview, the UI looks good, and the core path is there. But preview success and production readiness are different things. This checklist helps you close that gap.

Quick comparison

| Area | Vibe coded app | Production-ready app | |---|---|---| | Runtime context | Lives in memory or chat history | Written in PROD.md and versioned | | Secrets | Mixed handling, easy to leak | Stored securely, names tracked in repo | | Deploy confidence | "Push and hope" | Guardrails plus rollback plan | | Incident response | Ad hoc | Clear playbooks and ownership | | Change safety | Unknown impact | Risk preview before rollout |

The production-ready checklist

Use this as a pass/fail list before sending meaningful traffic.

1. Production context is written down Add PROD.md with domain, provider/region, scaling intent, and secret names.
2. Secrets are off the code path Remove secret values from code and .env files in git history. Rotate keys if needed.
3. Core flows are monitored Track at least login, checkout/payment, and one primary value flow.
4. Recovery actions are pre-decided Document how to revert, restore environment values, and reconnect external keys.
5. Changes have a safety check Review likely impact before deploy and keep rollback-ready guidance.
6. One owner checks health daily Small daily checks beat large incident cleanups.

How to use this in practice

Do not try to perfect everything in one day. Pick the first three items, complete them this week, and then work down the list.

The goal is not heavy process. The goal is fewer risky decisions when something breaks.

If you want a guided way to run this checklist, get started free.