Bubble Best Practices – Internal Development Guide

This guide outlines the most effective practices for building secure, scalable, and maintainable applications in Bubble. It is designed to ensure consistency across projects and help new team members ramp up quickly.

1. Element Naming and Organization

Use naming conventions for all elements:
Prefix element names based on their type for easier identification:
- GP_ for Groups (e.g., GP_UserCard)
- RG_ for Repeating Groups (e.g., RG_ProductList)
- IN_ for Icons (e.g., IN_Delete)
- BTN_ for Buttons (e.g., BTN_Delete)
- FG_ for Floating Groups (e.g., FG_ProductsFilter)
- RE_ for Reusable Elements (e.g., RE_ProductList)
Always rename duplicated elements:
When copying/pasting elements, rename them immediately to maintain clarity and prevent confusion during maintenance.
Use modular design:
Create reusable elements and workflows to reduce redundancy.
Leverage Option Sets for static values to keep the database optimized.
Regular cleanup:
Periodically remove unused elements, workflows, and data fields. Use Bubble’s issue checker and performance tools to assist in this process.
Always create and organize your workflow folders
In this new version of Bubble, it is strictly necessary to create folders for your workflows. This ensures clarity and prevents confusion during maintenance.
Always change the ID Attributes when cloning a page
Not changing the ID attributes of components can cause bugs in plugins and anything that uses the ID Attribute as a parameter, so remember to always update it after cloning pages.

More about element naming and organization in this article: Bubble conventions

2. Data Structure and App Performance

Normalize your data structure:
Avoid data duplication. Create well-defined data types with only the fields required for your app’s functionality.
Optimize searches:
Use constraints in “Do a search for” queries to narrow down results. Avoid unfiltered searches.
Use custom states instead of database writes:
This reduces unnecessary workflows and improves responsiveness.
Split complex workflows:
Break down large workflows into smaller, manageable steps to improve maintainability and debugging.
Use IDs instead of full objects when passing data between pages:
This reduces data load and speeds up page loads.

3. Security and Privacy

Never expose sensitive information on the front-end:
API keys, secrets, and authentication credentials must always be handled server-side (Backend Workflows or API Connector with private keys). Avoid exposing such data in workflows or plugins accessible to the client.
Set up proper Privacy Rules for all data types:
- Restrict access by default. Only allow what is explicitly necessary.
- Apply conditions based on roles, ownership, or other logic.
- Regularly test rules using test accounts with different permissions.
Use field-level access controls where necessary:
For example, users should never be able to see another user's payment information or private data.
Minimize use of “Ignore privacy rules”:
Only use this when absolutely necessary, and always understand the implications.
Encrypt and minimize sensitive data collection:
Collect only essential personal information and use encryption where available.
Follow data protection regulations:
Stay compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable regulations. Ensure that users can request data deletion or export.
Communicate privacy clearly:
Provide clear terms of service and privacy policies that explain how user data is handled.

4. Authentication and User Management

Start with login and signup workflows:
These are essential for testing and should be implemented early.
Implement robust security policies:
Strong passwords, email verification, and optional 2FA are recommended.
Role-based access control:
Design workflows and UI conditions to show/hide elements based on user roles or account status.
Access logging:
If applicable, log user access to sensitive data to support auditing and breach tracking.

5. UI, UX, and Responsiveness

Use the Responsive Editor efficiently:
Ensure that pages display correctly on all screen sizes. Test frequently on various devices.
Utilize conditional formatting:
Display visual cues or alter interface elements based on user actions or data states to improve usability.
Use dynamic data wherever possible:
Populate text, images, and elements using dynamic sources to simplify updates and improve maintainability.

6. Version Control and Backups

Save versions with clear naming:
Include purpose and context in version notes (e.g., v2.3 - performance tweaks on Product List).
Create manual backups before major changes:
Relying solely on automatic backups is not sufficient.
Keep development and production environments separate:
Test all updates in the development version before deploying to production.

7. Testing, Feedback, and Scalability

Conduct regular user testing:
Use multiple test accounts to simulate different user roles and permissions.
Implement feedback loops:
Use logs and monitoring tools to capture unexpected behaviors and performance issues.
Plan for scalability from the beginning:
- Use backend workflows to handle tasks that don’t require immediate user feedback.
- Avoid running heavy operations directly on page load.

8. Documentation and Collaboration

Comment on complex logic and workflows:
Use Bubble's built-in comment fields to explain why a workflow or condition exists.
Maintain internal documentation for custom integrations or advanced logic:
This can be stored in Notion, Google Docs, or your team’s documentation platform.