Seed Data
Pre-populated test records inserted into a database during development to simulate real-world usage.
Seed data is fake but realistic data you insert into your database during development. Instead of manually creating users, courses, and orders through the UI every time you reset your database, a seed script populates everything in seconds.
A good seed script is idempotent (safe to run multiple times), creates realistic data (not just "test1," "test2"), and covers edge cases (empty states, maximum values, special characters). Tools like Faker.js generate realistic names, emails, and dates. Seed scripts typically run via a CLI command like "npx tsx seed.ts."
For vibe coders, seed data makes development faster and testing more reliable. AI can generate seed scripts from your database schema, including realistic content for every table. Having good seed data also makes it easier to demo your product and catch UI bugs that only appear with real-looking content.