How would you protect your idea while you are looking for a developer to make it a reality?
In other words. You have a great idea for a project, you are sure that it could do amazing but you lack the skills as a programmer. A key element of making this a reality is finding the right developer to code it. This puts you at a crossroads, you could share details with a developer that could say he/she is not interested, and steal your idea all together. But, if you don't share information. How would they know if they are interested. What is the right approach?
I would vaguely explaining about it to developers at first. Then having them signing a NDA can be a good way to make sure they don't (or at least legally can't) talk about it with others. Having a written contract with them about protecting the idea and not building it themselves or sharing it can go a long way as long as your developer is in the same law jurisdiction as you. Patenting your idea if its possible can help too.
If your idea is in early days and you are still in the research process, there are a few ways to share it with potential developers without exposing yourself to too much risk.
Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) - a legal document that both parties sign to acknowledge that the project discussed is not to be shared with anyone outside the project without permission.
Use comparable examples - when describing an idea to a programmer or engineer, explain it with something comparable.
Break it up - Discuss only parts of the idea with certain people. Don't expose your secret weapon. For example, discuss the technical parts, but don't tell how you are planning to monetize it.
There is no real, bulletproof way to stop someone from stealing your idea. Instead of focusing on protecting it, you should focus on executing it.