What is Vibe Coding? Building Software Without Writing Code

Where the Term Came From

In February 2025, Andrej Karpathy — co-founder of OpenAI and former Tesla AI Director — tweeted about a new way he was building software. He described sitting back, describing what he wanted, and letting AI write all the code. He called it “vibe coding.”

The term stuck because it captured something real: for the first time, non-programmers could build functional software by just describing it.

How Vibe Coding Works

The process is straightforward:

1. You describe what you want — “Build me a personal expense tracker with categories, charts, and a monthly budget”
2. AI generates the code — The tool writes HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, or whatever’s needed
3. You test it — Open the result in a browser or run the app
4. You iterate — “Change the colour scheme to dark mode” or “Add a CSV export button”
5. Repeat — Each conversation builds on the last until the app does what you need

No syntax memorisation. No Stack Overflow. No debugging semicolons at 2am.

The Tools

Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic’s terminal-based AI agent. You navigate to a project folder, type what you want, and it reads your entire codebase, plans changes, and writes code across multiple files. Best for serious projects where you want full control.

Cursor

An AI-powered code editor built on VS Code. You describe what you want in the “Composer” panel and Cursor generates code across your project. Great for iterative development where you want to see the code as it’s written. See our Claude Code vs Cursor comparison for a deeper breakdown.

Replit Agent

A browser-based tool that builds entire web apps from a prompt. You describe your app, Replit Agent creates it, and you can deploy it immediately. Lowest barrier to entry — no installation required.

v0 by Vercel

Specialises in UI components. Describe a component (“a pricing table with three tiers, the middle one highlighted”) and v0 generates production-ready React code with Tailwind CSS.

What You Can Build

Vibe coding works best for:

• Personal tools — expense trackers, habit trackers, dashboards
• Websites — portfolios, blogs, landing pages (this entire site was built with AI in one day)
• Browser extensions — simple utilities and productivity tools
• Internal business tools — forms, calculators, data processors
• Prototypes — MVP versions of app ideas
• Games — simple browser games (try our challenges for examples)

What Vibe Coding Can’t Do (Yet)

Be honest about the limitations:

• Complex backend systems — databases, authentication, real-time features need more oversight
• Performance-critical code — games, video processing, ML training
• Security-sensitive applications — payment processing, medical data, authentication flows
• Large-scale architecture — systems with many interconnected services
• Maintenance at scale — code you don’t understand is code you can’t debug

The Code Literacy Advantage

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: vibe coding works better when you understand the basics.

You don’t need to write code. But knowing what HTML, CSS, and JavaScript do — knowing the difference between frontend and backend — knowing what a database is — that knowledge makes you dramatically better at directing the AI.

It’s the difference between:

• “Make it look better” (vague, AI guesses)
• “Increase the padding to 24px, change the font to Inter, and make the cards stack on mobile” (specific, AI nails it)

We wrote a whole guide on this: Understanding Code Without Becoming a Coder.

Is It Legitimate?

Yes. Software built through vibe coding runs. Users can interact with it. It solves real problems. The code isn’t always beautiful, but it works — and for many use cases, working is what matters.

The debate isn’t whether vibe coding is “real programming.” The debate is whether the output is reliable, maintainable, and secure enough for your specific use case. For a personal tool? Absolutely. For a banking app? Not without experienced developers reviewing every line.

Getting Started

1. Try a challenge first — our AI challenges let you build working apps from single prompts with zero setup
2. Build code literacy — read Understanding Code Without Becoming a Coder
3. Pick a tool — start with Claude Code for serious projects or Replit Agent for quick experiments
4. Build something real — pick a personal tool you actually want and build it
5. Learn from the code — ask the AI to explain what it generated. Each project teaches you more.

Related Articles

• How to Use Claude Code — The most powerful vibe coding tool, explained step by step
• Understanding Code Without Becoming a Coder — Build the code literacy that makes vibe coding work better
• How I Built This Entire Website with AI — A real-world case study of vibe coding at scale
• Build a Tic-Tac-Toe Game — Try vibe coding right now with a simple challenge