How to Use Cursor for Full-Stack Development (Complete Guide 2026)

Cursor is a VS Code fork rebuilt around AI assistance. For full-stack developers juggling frontend, backend, and database code, Cursor’s multi-file awareness is a significant advantage over traditional AI coding extensions.

This guide covers practical Cursor workflows for full-stack development — from project setup to deployment.

Step 1: Install and Configure Cursor

1. Download Cursor from cursor.com
2. Import your VS Code settings: Cursor offers a one-click migration that brings your extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings
3. Sign up for a plan: Free (limited), Pro ($20/month), or Business ($40/user/month)
4. Configure your AI model preference in Settings > Models (Claude, GPT-4, etc.)

Essential Settings for Full-Stack Work

• Codebase indexing: Enable in Settings > Features. This indexes your entire project for better context
• Tab completion: Set to “Always” for inline suggestions
• Chat model: Select the model that works best for your stack (Claude Sonnet for speed, Claude Opus for complex reasoning)

Step 2: Project Scaffolding with Composer

Composer (Cmd+I / Ctrl+I) is Cursor’s multi-file AI assistant. Start a new full-stack project by describing what you need:

“Create a full-stack todo app with: React frontend with TypeScript, Express backend with REST API, PostgreSQL database with Prisma ORM, JWT authentication, and basic CRUD operations. Set up the project structure with separate client and server directories.”

Composer generates files across your project: package.json files, directory structure, boilerplate code, configuration files, and basic implementations. Review each file before accepting.

Step 3: Frontend Development

Component Generation

Use inline chat (Cmd+K / Ctrl+K) to generate React components:

• Type a comment describing the component, then trigger Cursor
• Example: // Responsive navigation bar with logo, menu items, and mobile hamburger toggle
• Cursor generates the component with proper TypeScript types, hooks, and styling

State Management

Describe your state requirements and Cursor generates the appropriate pattern:

“Create a Zustand store for user authentication state with login, logout, and token refresh actions. Include type definitions.”

API Integration

Cursor excels at generating API client code when it can see your backend routes:

“Generate API hooks using React Query for all endpoints in @server/routes/api.ts. Include error handling and loading states.”

The @ syntax references specific files, giving Cursor context about your actual API structure.

Step 4: Backend Development

Route Generation

With Cursor’s awareness of your database schema, it generates routes that match your data model:

“Create Express routes for CRUD operations on the User model defined in @prisma/schema.prisma. Include input validation with Zod and proper error responses.”

Middleware

“Write authentication middleware that verifies JWT tokens, attaches the user to the request object, and handles expired tokens with proper error responses.”

Database Queries

Cursor generates Prisma queries, raw SQL, or ORM calls based on your schema:

“Write a Prisma query to get all users who signed up in the last 30 days, ordered by creation date, with their related posts and comments. Include pagination.”

Step 5: Multi-File Refactoring

This is where Cursor truly differentiates from Copilot. When you need to refactor code that spans multiple files:

1. Open Composer (Cmd+I)
2. Describe the refactoring: “Rename the UserService class to AuthenticationService across the entire project. Update all imports, test files, and references.”
3. Cursor generates a unified diff showing changes across all affected files
4. Review the diff and accept or modify individual changes

Other common multi-file operations:

• Moving a shared utility function and updating all imports
• Converting a REST API to GraphQL across routes, controllers, and client
• Adding TypeScript types to an existing JavaScript project
• Extracting shared code into a common package in a monorepo

Step 6: Debugging

Cursor’s debugging workflow:

1. Highlight the problematic code or paste the error message
2. Use Cmd+K and describe the issue: “This endpoint returns 500 when creating a user with an existing email. The error is [paste error]. The relevant files are @server/routes/users.ts and @server/services/userService.ts”
3. Cursor analyzes both files together and identifies the issue
4. Accept the fix or iterate on the suggestion

Step 7: Testing

Generate comprehensive tests with Composer:

“Write integration tests for the auth routes in @server/routes/auth.ts using Jest and Supertest. Cover: successful registration, duplicate email, invalid input, successful login, wrong password, and token refresh. Use a test database.”

Cursor generates test files that reference your actual route implementations, making the tests relevant and accurate.

Cursor vs. Alternatives for Full-Stack Development

• Cursor vs. Copilot: Cursor wins on multi-file operations and refactoring. Copilot wins on inline suggestion speed. See detailed comparison
• Cursor vs. Windsurf: Cursor has better multi-file context. Windsurf has better privacy. See comparison
• Cursor vs. Claude Code: Cursor is better for interactive editing. Claude Code is better for autonomous, terminal-based workflows. See best AI for coding

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cursor worth $20/month for full-stack development?

For full-stack developers working on multi-file projects, Cursor’s productivity gains easily justify $20/month. The Composer feature alone saves hours on scaffolding and refactoring tasks.

Can I use my VS Code extensions in Cursor?

Yes. Cursor supports most VS Code extensions. The migration tool imports your extensions automatically. Some extensions with VS Code-specific APIs may have compatibility issues.

Does Cursor work with all programming languages?

Cursor works with any language VS Code supports. AI suggestion quality varies by language — JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and Go have the strongest support. Less common languages work but with reduced accuracy.

How does Cursor handle large codebases?

Cursor’s codebase indexing handles projects with thousands of files. The indexing runs in the background and provides the AI with context about your entire project structure, making suggestions more accurate as your project grows.