DEV Community

Manu Kumar Pal
Manu Kumar Pal

Posted on

🔥 10 Prompt Engineering Hacks Every Developer Should Know

Hey community! 👋

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are game-changers—but only if you know how to ask the right questions. The quality of your prompt determines the quality of your output.

✅ 1. Set the Role

Tell the AI who it should be.

Example:
"Act as a senior React developer and explain how to optimize components for performance."

✅ 2. Give Clear Context

Context = Better answers.

Example:
"I’m building a Node.js API using Express. Explain how to implement JWT authentication with an example."

✅ 3. Be Specific

Avoid vague prompts.

❌ Bad: “Explain Docker.”
✅ Good: “Explain Docker in 3 simple points for beginners with an example use case.”

✅ 4. Use Step-by-Step Instructions

Break large tasks into smaller steps.

Example:
"First explain what Redis is, then show a Node.js caching example, and finally list 3 best practices."

✅ 5. Add Constraints

Limit output for clarity.

Example:
"Summarize in 100 words using bullet points."

✅ 6. Provide Examples

Show what you want.

Example:
"Write a function like this one, but optimized for large arrays."

✅ 7. Ask for Multiple Options

Get alternatives in one go.

Example:
"Give me 3 different ways to handle state in React with pros and cons."

✅ 8. Refine with Iteration

Don’t settle for the first answer—improve it.

"Rewrite the response in a friendly tone and add real-world examples."

✅ 9. Chain Prompts for Complex Tasks

Break content into multiple steps.

Example:
1️⃣ Generate an outline for a blog on Git commands.
2️⃣ Write a detailed section for point #1 with code snippets.

✅ 10. Test and Save Your Best Prompts

Create a personal prompt library for reuse.

🔥 Wrap-Up:

Great prompts = Smarter AI responses.

✔ Define role
✔ Give context
✔ Add constraints
✔ Iterate & improve

💬 What’s your go-to prompt hack? Share it below! 👇

Top comments (5)

Collapse
 
alifar profile image
Ali Farhat

Perfect basics for every prompt!

Collapse
 
naresh_82de734ade4c1c66d9 profile image
NARESH

This is a fantastic and useful list of hacks! I'm planning to use a few blogs as a personal learning exercise to practice giving constructive feedback on clarity and how ideas are organised. I'll be back to share some thoughts. Thanks for the great content!

Collapse
 
manukumar07 profile image
Manu Kumar Pal

I’m pleased to know you found it helpful!

Collapse
 
chariotclaims profile image
Chariot Claims

good work

Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments.