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Azri Ismail
Azri Ismail

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Building a Modern Blog with Claude Code: From Concept to Deployment

#nextjs #supabase #vibecoding #webdev

As a Senior Software Engineer, I'm always exploring new tools and workflows that can accelerate development without compromising quality. Recently, I decided to build a personal blog application and chose to collaborate with Claude Code - Anthropic's AI assistant designed
specifically for software development. The results exceeded my expectations.

The Vision

I wanted to create a modern, full-featured blog application with:

  • Next.js 15 with the new App Router
  • Supabase for PostgreSQL database and real-time features
  • WorkOS for enterprise-grade authentication
  • TypeScript for type safety
  • Tailwind CSS for responsive design
  • Markdown support for content creation

Why Claude Code?

Claude Code isn't just another AI chatbot - it's specifically designed for software development with access to tools that can read files, execute code, manage dependencies, and even commit changes. What attracted me was its ability to:

  1. Understand entire project contexts by reading multiple files
  2. Execute commands and see real results
  3. Make systematic changes across multiple files
  4. Handle complex multi-step tasks autonomously
  5. Debug issues by examining logs and error messages

The Development Process

Planning and Architecture

Claude Code helped me break down the project into manageable tasks:

  • Database schema design
  • Authentication flow architecture
  • API route structure
  • Component hierarchy
  • State management strategy

Instead of spending hours planning, we had a comprehensive roadmap in minutes.

Database Design

One of the most impressive aspects was how Claude Code designed a complete database schema with:

  -- Users table with role-based access
  CREATE TABLE users (
    id UUID DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4() PRIMARY KEY,
    email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    name TEXT,
    avatar_url TEXT,
    role TEXT DEFAULT 'reader' CHECK (role IN ('admin', 'author', 'reader')),
    workos_user_id TEXT UNIQUE,
    created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
  );

  -- Posts table with full blog functionality
  CREATE TABLE posts (
    id UUID DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4() PRIMARY KEY,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    slug TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    excerpt TEXT,
    published BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
    author_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    tags TEXT[],
    featured_image TEXT,
    reading_time INTEGER,
    created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
  );
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It even included Row Level Security (RLS) policies, indexes for performance, and automatic triggers for updated_at timestamps.

Authentication Integration

Integrating WorkOS authentication was complex, but Claude Code handled:

  • Setting up WorkOS client configuration
  • Creating authentication API routes (/api/auth/login, /api/auth/callback, /api/auth/logout)
  • Managing session cookies securely
  • Implementing role-based access control
  • Debugging authentication flow issues

When we encountered RLS policy violations, Claude Code quickly identified the issue and switched to using the Supabase service role for user creation while maintaining security.

Full-Stack Implementation

The AI assistant created:

Backend APIs:

  • RESTful endpoints for posts (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  • User management and authentication
  • Pagination and filtering logic

Frontend Components:

  • Responsive header with user authentication
  • Post cards with author information
  • Pagination component
  • User profile dropdown
  • Admin dashboard for content creation

TypeScript Integration:

  • Complete type definitions for database schemas
  • Strongly-typed API responses
  • Type-safe component props

Real-Time Problem Solving

The most impressive aspect was Claude Code's ability to debug issues in real-time:

Issue: Environment Variables

When the build failed due to placeholder environment variables, Claude Code immediately identified the problem and provided both temporary fixes for development and guidance for production setup.

Issue: RLS Policy Violations

When user creation failed due to Row Level Security policies, Claude Code:

  1. Diagnosed the exact error
  2. Explained why it was happening
  3. Provided multiple solution approaches
  4. Implemented the fix using the service role
  5. Updated the policies to work with external authentication

Issue: WorkOS API Integration

When authentication callbacks failed due to incorrect API usage, Claude Code quickly found the correct method signatures and updated the implementation.

Performance and Quality

The resulting application is production-ready with:

  • Fast build times (successful TypeScript compilation)
  • Clean code architecture following Next.js 15 best practices
  • Responsive design that works on all devices
  • SEO optimization with proper meta tags and structured URLs
  • Security best practices with httpOnly cookies and CSRF protection

Development Speed

What would typically take me several days of research, setup, and implementation was completed in a few hours:

  • Initial setup: 30 minutes
  • Database schema: 20 minutes
  • Authentication flow: 45 minutes
  • UI components: 1 hour
  • API endpoints: 30 minutes
  • Debugging and fixes: 30 minutes

Total: ~3.5 hours for a full-stack application

Key Takeaways

What Worked Well

  1. Systematic approach: Claude Code broke complex tasks into manageable steps
  2. Context awareness: It understood the entire project structure and made consistent changes
  3. Best practices: The generated code followed modern development standards
  4. Problem-solving: Real-time debugging and solution implementation
  5. Documentation: Automatic generation of setup instructions and code comments

Considerations

  1. AI Guidance vs. Learning: While incredibly efficient, ensure you understand the generated code
  2. Customization: The AI provides solid foundations that you can customize further
  3. Verification: Always review and test AI-generated code thoroughly
  4. Architecture Decisions: AI excels at implementation but human oversight is valuable for high-level decisions

The Future of AI-Assisted Development

This experience convinced me that AI-assisted development isn't about replacing developers - it's about augmenting our capabilities. Claude Code handled the repetitive, boilerplate work while I focused on:

  • Architecture decisions
  • Business logic requirements
  • User experience considerations
  • Code review and validation

Conclusion

Building this blog with Claude Code was a glimpse into the future of software development. The combination of human creativity and AI efficiency resulted in a high-quality application developed in record time.

The blog you're reading right now was built using this exact process, and the irony isn't lost on me that I'm using an AI-assisted blog to write about AI-assisted development!

For developers curious about AI-assisted development, I highly recommend trying Claude Code for your next project. Just remember: the AI is a powerful tool, but the developer's judgment, creativity, and understanding remain irreplaceable.

Next Steps

In future posts, I'll dive deeper into specific aspects of this development process, including:

  • Advanced Supabase patterns and RLS policies
  • WorkOS authentication best practices
  • Next.js 15 App Router optimization techniques
  • TypeScript patterns for full-stack applications

Stay tuned, and feel free to reach out if you have questions about AI-assisted development!

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