What is Vibe Coding? How AI is Changing the Way We Build App

theroyalnamdeo

Saturday, 2025-10-11

Vibe coding is an emergent AI-driven programming paradigm where developers describe software requirements in natural language, and a large language model (LLM) generates the required code. The term was popularized in February 2025 by Andrej Karpathy, who described it as “there’s a new kind of coding I call ‘vibe coding’ … forget that the code even exists.”

Unlike traditional AI-assisted coding (where you still review and edit generated snippets), vibe coding encourages minimal human review: you run, test, and prompt iteratively until the software works as intended.

How Vibe Coding Works

Prompt your intention
You begin by describing the app, feature, or behavior in plain English (or your preferred language).
AI generates code
The LLM (or an “agent”) writes an entire function, module, or even multiple components.
Run & test
You execute the result. If something fails or needs tweaking, you prompt again to refine.
Iterate in a loop
Rather than writing underlying architecture yourself, you lean on the AI to evolve and improve the code through conversational iterations.

Because the process is conversational and experimental, many practitioners compare it to “vibing” or feeling your way through code.

Advantages & Use Cases

Accessibility — Non-developers and domain experts can build simple tools or prototypes without knowing syntax.
Speed & prototyping — You can spin up concepts faster than manual development.
Focus on logic, not syntax — You direct the intent; AI handles boilerplate and repetitive code.
Experimentation & exploration — Great for side projects, hacks, or “what if” ideas.

Many have used vibe coding to build real, production apps. In one workshop, five live apps were built “without a developer,” though a significant portion of time was used in QA and testing.

Challenges, Risks & Criticism

Code quality & security
AI-generated code might include vulnerabilities, flawed logic, or non-optimal structure.
Maintainability & understanding
If you didn’t write or fully understand the code, debugging or future changes become harder.
Overconfidence & “black box” syndrome
Blindly trusting AI can lead to hidden bugs; human oversight remains essential.
Enterprise readiness
For large, mission-critical systems, conventional development still provides stronger guarantees in architecture, security, testing, and reliability.
Investment in cleanup
Some software engineers now specialize in cleaning up messy vibe-coded projects.

Tools & Platforms for Vibe Coding

Here are some tools or platforms that support or align with vibe coding:

Replit Agent — Enables conversational development workflows.
Cursor / Windsurf — Popular among early adopters.
Lovable — A vibe coding startup gaining strong traction and usage.
CodeVibe — Enables building apps through WhatsApp using AI.

For a curated list of top tools, check this resource: The 8 Best Vibe Coding Tools in 2025.

Best Practices & Tips