Beginner guides.
No background assumed. What a database, a domain or an environment variable actually is, and how to get an app you built with AI online and keep it there.
276 posts · page 3 of 12
Flask vs Django vs FastAPI: Which Python Web Framework?
Three popular Python web frameworks with different philosophies. Django is batteries-included, Flask is minimal, FastAPI is built for typed, async APIs. What each gives you, the same endpoint in all three, and how to pick for your project.
Fine-Tuning vs RAG: How to Teach an AI About Your Data
You want an AI model to know about your products, documents or customers. RAG looks things up and adds them to the prompt; fine-tuning retrains the model. What each actually does, what each is good at, costs and pitfalls, and why most apps should start with neither.
"TypeError: Failed to Fetch": What It Means and How to Fix It
"Failed to fetch" means the browser couldn't complete a request at all — no response reached your code. The usual causes are CORS, a wrong URL, mixed content, the server being down, or an ad blocker. How to tell which in under a minute.
Why Is My Environment Variable Undefined? (Vite, Next.js, Node)
Your .env file has the value but the code sees undefined. The reasons are almost always the same: the wrong prefix (VITE_, NEXT_PUBLIC_), the wrong file name or folder, not restarting the dev server, build-time vs runtime, or the variable never being set in production.
ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5432: Why Your App Can't Reach the Database
"connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5432" means nothing was listening where your app tried to connect. The causes: database not running, wrong host inside Docker, wrong port, listening on the wrong address, or a firewall. How to find which, plus the related timeout and authentication errors.
How to Deploy a Node.js App to a VPS, Step by Step
From an empty Ubuntu server to your Node.js app running on your own domain with HTTPS: create a user, install Node, clone and build, keep it running with PM2 or systemd, put Caddy or Nginx in front, and set up redeploys.
Cursor Rules Explained: .cursor/rules, AGENTS.md, and CLAUDE.md
Rules files tell an AI coding tool how your project works so you don't repeat yourself every chat. How Cursor's project rules work, the rule types, what to put in them, how they compare with AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md, and how to share one set of rules across tools.
Flexbox vs Grid: Which CSS Layout Should You Use?
Flexbox lays things out in one direction — a row or a column. Grid lays things out in two — rows and columns at once. When to use each, the handful of properties that do most of the work, and the Tailwind classes you'll see in AI-generated code.
Do You Need a Cookie Banner? A Plain-English Guide for Small Apps
Cookie banners are required when you set non-essential cookies or trackers for EU and UK visitors — not for every cookie. What counts as essential, when you need consent, what a compliant banner must do, and how to avoid needing one at all.
Cloudflare Proxied vs DNS Only: The Orange Cloud Explained
In Cloudflare's DNS settings, the orange cloud sends traffic through Cloudflare and the grey cloud doesn't. What changes with each, which records must be grey, the SSL modes that avoid redirect loops, and how proxying interacts with your host's automatic SSL.
Claude Opus vs Sonnet vs Haiku: Which Model Should You Use?
Anthropic's Claude models come in tiers — Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, plus Fable at the top. What each is good at, what they cost on the API, and a simple rule for choosing for coding, chat and features inside your own app.
Claude Code vs Gemini CLI: Which Terminal Coding Agent Should You Use?
Claude Code and Google's Gemini CLI are both AI coding agents that live in your terminal. How they compare on models, cost, free tiers, extensibility, safety controls and day-to-day workflow — and how to pick.
Claude Code Usage Limits Explained: What "Limit Reached" Means and What to Do
Hit "usage limit reached" in Claude Code? How the five-hour session window and weekly limits work on Pro and Max, how to check what you've used with /usage, and practical ways to make your allowance last.
Claude Code Not Working? Fixes for the Most Common Problems
"command not found: claude", login loops, API errors, rate limits, slow or stuck sessions, permission prompts that never stop, and Claude ignoring your instructions. A troubleshooting guide for the problems people hit most, starting with claude doctor.
How to Give Claude Code Images and Screenshots
Claude Code can read screenshots, mockups and error images. How to paste or drag an image into the terminal, reference an image file by path, the Ctrl+V vs Cmd+V gotcha on Mac, and the prompts that get the best results from visual input.
Claude Code on Windows: Native or WSL?
Claude Code runs natively on Windows and inside WSL. How to install each, why Git for Windows matters for the native version, when WSL is the better choice, the file-path and performance gotchas, and how to use it with VS Code on Windows.
Claude Code Keyboard Shortcuts: The Ones Worth Memorising
The Claude Code shortcuts that save the most time: Shift+Tab for modes, Esc to interrupt, Esc Esc to rewind, ! for shell commands, @ for files, multi-line input, pasting images, and how to customise keybindings. A cheat sheet for day one.
Claude Code for Non-Developers: A Gentle Start
You don't need to be a programmer to get real work out of Claude Code. What it can do for founders, designers, marketers and analysts, the minimum terminal you need, safe habits, good first tasks, and when to ask a developer for help.
Claude API Pricing Explained: What Your AI Feature Will Actually Cost
How Claude API billing works: per-token input and output prices for each model, prompt caching, the 50% Batch discount, and worked examples for a chatbot and a summariser — so you can estimate your bill before you ship.
.com vs .io vs .ai vs .app: How to Choose a Domain Extension
The ending of your domain affects trust, price and renewal cost more than SEO. What .com, .io, .ai, .app, .dev and country codes signal, which ones force HTTPS, why renewal prices matter more than first-year prices, and a quick way to decide.
"Cannot Find Module" and "Module Not Found": How to Fix Them
Node's "Error: Cannot find module" and bundlers' "Module not found: Can't resolve" mean an import points at something that isn't there. The five causes — not installed, wrong path, wrong case, missing build, wrong working directory — and how to fix each.
How to Build a Landing Page That Gets Sign-Ups
A landing page has one job: get the visitor to take one action. The sections that work, how to write a headline that says what the product does, where to put the sign-up form, what to measure, and the technical basics that stop it looking broken when shared.
The Best AI Coding Tools in 2026, by What You're Trying to Do
Terminal agents, AI editors, IDE assistants and app builders — the AI coding landscape sorted by job rather than hype. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit: who each is for, and how to choose without trying them all.
Bash Scripting for Beginners: Automate the Commands You Keep Typing
A bash script is a text file of terminal commands you can run in one go. How to write and run your first script, variables, arguments, if-statements and loops, the safety line every script should start with, and a real deploy script you can adapt.