Windsurf - Introduction

Overview

Estimated time: 30–40 minutes

Windsurf is Codeium's AI-powered development environment that combines intelligent code assistance with advanced project management features. It provides seamless AI integration while maintaining the flexibility of a traditional code editor.

Learning Objectives

• Install and configure Windsurf with AI features
• Use intelligent code completion and AI chat
• Master project management and workflow integration
• Apply productivity features for efficient development

Prerequisites

• AI Agents - Introduction
• Experience with code editors (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.)
• Basic understanding of software development workflows

What is Windsurf?

Windsurf is an AI-first code editor built by Codeium that integrates advanced AI assistance with powerful project management capabilities. It offers intelligent code completion, contextual AI chat, and workflow automation features.

Installation & Setup

Download and Install

# Download from windsurf.codeium.com
# Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux

# macOS
curl -L https://windsurf.codeium.com/download/mac -o windsurf.dmg
open windsurf.dmg

# Windows - Download installer from website
# Linux AppImage
curl -L https://windsurf.codeium.com/download/linux -o windsurf.AppImage
chmod +x windsurf.AppImage

Initial Configuration

1. Account Setup
   - Create Codeium account (free tier available)
   - Professional plans for advanced features
   - Enterprise options for team management

2. AI Configuration
   - Enable AI autocomplete
   - Configure chat preferences
   - Set context window size
   - Choose suggestion frequency

3. Editor Preferences
   - Import settings from VS Code/other editors
   - Configure themes and layouts
   - Set up keybindings
   - Install extensions

AI-Powered Code Completion

Intelligent Autocomplete

# Windsurf provides context-aware suggestions
def calculate_user_analytics(user_data):
    # AI suggests based on function name and context
    analytics = {
        'total_sessions': len(user_data.get('sessions', [])),
        'avg_session_duration': sum(s['duration'] for s in user_data.get('sessions', [])) / len(user_data.get('sessions', [1])),
        'last_login': user_data.get('last_login'),
        'activity_score': calculate_activity_score(user_data)
    }
    
    # AI continues with relevant logic
    if analytics['total_sessions'] > 10:
        analytics['user_tier'] = 'active'
    elif analytics['total_sessions'] > 5:
        analytics['user_tier'] = 'regular'
    else:
        analytics['user_tier'] = 'new'
    
    return analytics

Multi-Language Support

// JavaScript/TypeScript - React component
interface UserProps {
  user: User;
  onUpdate: (user: User) => void;
}

const UserProfile: React.FC = ({ user, onUpdate }) => {
  // AI suggests appropriate hooks and handlers
  const [isEditing, setIsEditing] = useState(false);
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState(user);
  
  const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    try {
      await updateUser(formData);
      onUpdate(formData);
      setIsEditing(false);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Failed to update user:', error);
    }
  };
  
  // AI generates appropriate JSX structure
  return (
    

      {isEditing ? (
         setIsEditing(false)}
        />
      ) : (
         setIsEditing(true)}
        />
      )}
    
  );
};

AI Chat Integration

Conversational Coding

User: "How can I optimize this database query for better performance?"

Windsurf AI: "Looking at your query, I can suggest several optimizations:

1. **Add Index**: The WHERE clause on 'created_at' would benefit from an index:
   CREATE INDEX idx_orders_created_at ON orders(created_at);

2. **Query Optimization**: Instead of SELECT *, specify only needed columns:
   SELECT id, user_id, total, status FROM orders 
   WHERE created_at >= '2024-01-01';

3. **Pagination**: For large result sets, add LIMIT and OFFSET:
   SELECT id, user_id, total, status FROM orders 
   WHERE created_at >= '2024-01-01'
   ORDER BY created_at DESC 
   LIMIT 50 OFFSET 0;

Would you like me to implement these changes in your code?"

Project-Aware Assistance

User: "Add error handling to the payment processing function"

Windsurf AI: "I'll add comprehensive error handling to your payment processing. 
Based on your project structure, I see you're using Stripe and have a 
custom error handling system. Here's the enhanced function:

```python
async def process_payment(payment_data: PaymentRequest) -> PaymentResult:
    try:
        # Validate payment data
        if not payment_data.amount or payment_data.amount <= 0:
            raise PaymentValidationError("Invalid payment amount")
        
        # Create Stripe payment intent
        intent = await stripe.PaymentIntent.create(
            amount=int(payment_data.amount * 100),  # Convert to cents
            currency=payment_data.currency,
            payment_method=payment_data.payment_method_id,
            confirm=True,
            return_url=payment_data.return_url
        )
        
        # Log successful payment
        logger.info(f"Payment processed successfully: {intent.id}")
        
        return PaymentResult(
            success=True,
            payment_id=intent.id,
            status=intent.status
        )
        
    except stripe.error.CardError as e:
        # Card was declined
        logger.warning(f"Card declined: {e.user_message}")
        return PaymentResult(
            success=False,
            error_code="card_declined",
            error_message=e.user_message
        )
    
    except stripe.error.RateLimitError as e:
        # Rate limit exceeded
        logger.error(f"Stripe rate limit exceeded: {e}")
        return PaymentResult(
            success=False,
            error_code="rate_limit",
            error_message="Too many requests. Please try again later."
        )
    
    except Exception as e:
        # Unexpected error
        logger.error(f"Unexpected payment error: {e}")
        return PaymentResult(
            success=False,
            error_code="unknown_error",
            error_message="An unexpected error occurred"
        )
```

I've also updated your PaymentResult model to include error handling fields."

Project Management Features

Intelligent Project Structure

Windsurf automatically understands:

Project Type: React + Node.js full-stack app
Architecture: 
├── frontend/ (React with TypeScript)
│   ├── src/components/
│   ├── src/pages/
│   ├── src/hooks/
│   └── src/utils/
├── backend/ (Express.js API)
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── middleware/
│   ├── models/
│   └── services/
├── shared/ (Type definitions)
└── database/ (Migrations and seeds)

AI Suggestions:
- Add error boundary components
- Implement API rate limiting
- Set up database connection pooling
- Add comprehensive logging
- Create Docker configuration

Git Integration

# Windsurf enhances Git workflows with AI
# Automatic commit message generation
git add .
# Windsurf suggests: "Add user authentication with JWT and password reset"

# Intelligent branch naming
# AI suggests based on current work:
# - feature/user-auth-jwt
# - bugfix/payment-validation
# - refactor/database-queries

# Smart merge conflict resolution
# AI analyzes conflicts and suggests resolutions
# Preserves both changes intelligently
# Maintains code consistency

Workflow Automation

# Auto-generated CI/CD pipeline
name: Full-Stack App CI/CD
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  frontend-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: cd frontend && npm ci
      - name: Run tests
        run: cd frontend && npm test
      - name: Build
        run: cd frontend && npm run build
  
  backend-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      postgres:
        image: postgres:14
        env:
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
        options: >-
          --health-cmd pg_isready
          --health-interval 10s
          --health-timeout 5s
          --health-retries 5
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: cd backend && npm ci
      - name: Run tests
        run: cd backend && npm test
        env:
          DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/test

Collaborative Development

Real-time Collaboration

Team Features:
✅ Live cursor tracking
✅ Simultaneous editing
✅ Conflict resolution
✅ Shared project settings
✅ Team chat integration
✅ Code review workflows

Sharing Options:
- Invite team members to projects
- Share specific files or folders
- Create temporary collaboration sessions
- Export projects for handoff
- Version control integration

Code Review Integration

AI-Enhanced Code Reviews:
- Automated code quality checks
- Security vulnerability detection
- Performance issue identification
- Style consistency validation
- Test coverage analysis
- Documentation completeness

Review Workflow:
1. AI pre-review identifies issues
2. Human reviewer focuses on logic and architecture
3. Automated suggestions for improvements
4. Integration with GitHub/GitLab PR process

Advanced AI Features

Code Refactoring

// Before: Legacy callback-based code
function fetchUserData(userId, callback) {
  db.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?', [userId], (err, result) => {
    if (err) {
      callback(err, null);
      return;
    }
    
    if (result.length === 0) {
      callback(new Error('User not found'), null);
      return;
    }
    
    callback(null, result[0]);
  });
}

// After: AI refactored to modern async/await
async function fetchUserData(userId: number): Promise {
  try {
    const result = await db.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?', [userId]);
    
    if (result.length === 0) {
      throw new UserNotFoundError(`User with ID ${userId} not found`);
    }
    
    return result[0] as User;
  } catch (error) {
    logger.error(`Failed to fetch user ${userId}:`, error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Test Generation

// AI generates comprehensive tests
describe('UserService', () => {
  let userService: UserService;
  let mockDb: jest.Mocked;

  beforeEach(() => {
    mockDb = createMockDatabase();
    userService = new UserService(mockDb);
  });

  describe('fetchUserData', () => {
    it('should return user data for valid ID', async () => {
      const mockUser = { id: 1, name: 'John Doe', email: '[email protected]' };
      mockDb.query.mockResolvedValue([mockUser]);

      const result = await userService.fetchUserData(1);

      expect(result).toEqual(mockUser);
      expect(mockDb.query).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
        'SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?',
        [1]
      );
    });

    it('should throw UserNotFoundError for non-existent user', async () => {
      mockDb.query.mockResolvedValue([]);

      await expect(userService.fetchUserData(999))
        .rejects
        .toThrow(UserNotFoundError);
    });

    it('should handle database errors gracefully', async () => {
      mockDb.query.mockRejectedValue(new Error('Database connection failed'));

      await expect(userService.fetchUserData(1))
        .rejects
        .toThrow('Database connection failed');
    });
  });
});

Keyboard Shortcuts & Productivity

Best Practices

Effective AI Utilization

Project Organization

Integration Examples

Full-Stack Development

Project: E-commerce Platform
AI Assistance:
- Generated React components for product catalog
- Created Express.js API endpoints with validation
- Implemented JWT authentication system
- Added payment processing with Stripe
- Created database migrations
- Generated comprehensive test suites
- Set up Docker containers
- Configured CI/CD pipeline

Development Time: Reduced from 2 weeks to 3 days
Code Quality: High test coverage, consistent patterns

Legacy Code Modernization

Challenge: Modernize jQuery-based application
AI Solutions:
- Analyzed existing codebase structure
- Planned migration strategy to React
- Generated component equivalents
- Maintained existing functionality
- Added TypeScript type definitions
- Created comprehensive test coverage
- Implemented modern build process

Migration Result: 80% automated conversion
Manual Work: Business logic review and optimization

Checks for Understanding

1. What makes Windsurf different from other AI-powered editors?
2. How does Windsurf's project intelligence help with development?
3. What are the key collaboration features in Windsurf?

Exercises

1. Install Windsurf and import an existing project to see AI project analysis
2. Use AI chat to refactor a complex function in your codebase
3. Set up a collaborative session with a team member
4. Generate tests for an existing module using AI assistance