What is Vibe Coding?

In early 2025, Andrej Karpathy, one of the co-founders of OpenAI, coined the term “Vibe Coding.” It means you don’t need to understand code; instead, you describe what you want in natural language, and AI writes the code for you. You see the results, tell the AI what needs adjusting, and the cycle continues until you achieve your desired outcome.

This process resembles “conducting” rather than “programming.”

You don’t need to learn Python syntax, object-oriented programming, or algorithms. What you need to learn is how to articulate your ideas clearly. This barrier is significantly lower than learning traditional programming.

Moreover, AI has become quite proficient at code generation. Common functionalities like forms, lists, database operations, and API calls can be generated by AI with good quality. You only need to specify your requirements.

Choosing the Right Tool

Select a tool based on your situation; don’t jump into the most complex one right away.

If you have no coding experience and want quick results:

• Bolt.new has the lowest barrier to entry. You input a sentence, and it generates a complete web application, including deployment, in under five minutes. It’s truly a zero-code start.
• v0.dev is produced by Vercel and specializes in generating front-end interfaces. You describe the page you want, and it provides runnable React code, making it ideal for creating interface prototypes.

If you have some basics and want to create something more complex:

• Cursor is currently the most popular AI programming editor based on VSCode. If you’re already familiar with the interface, AI is deeply integrated, offering features like tab completion, dialogue, and agent mode in one package. Most developers use this.
• Claude Code is a command-line tool from Anthropic, suitable for backend logic and complex projects, recently adding Auto Mode, which can run tasks almost entirely automatically.

Start with Bolt.new if you have no background to avoid pitfalls.

Your First Project: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s create a to-do list web page from scratch using Cursor.

Step 1: Install Cursor

Go to cursor.com to download it; it’s available for both Windows and Mac. After installation, log in with your Google account or email.

Step 2: Create a New Project Folder

Open Cursor, click File → Open Folder, and create or select an empty folder, for example, named my-todo-app.

Step 3: Invoke the Agent Dialogue Box

Use the shortcut Cmd + I for Mac or Ctrl + I for Windows. In the input box, write your request:

“Help me create a to-do list web page. Features: add tasks, check off completed tasks, delete tasks. Style: white background, card design, clean and modern.”

Step 4: Wait for Generation

Cursor will automatically create HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files and explain the purpose of each file. This usually takes about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 5: Preview and Adjust

Find index.html, right-click to open it in a browser, and you can see your page. If something looks off, go back to Cursor and say:

“Change the background to light gray / add strikethrough text for completed tasks / change button color to blue.”

Cursor modifies the code, and you refresh the page to see the effects, repeating this process as needed.

How to Clearly Articulate Your Needs

This is the core skill in Vibe Coding. The quality of AI output depends 70% on how accurately you describe your needs.

Be Specific, Not Vague

• Poor: “Create a nice interface”
• Good: “White background, fixed navigation bar on the left, main area displaying content in cards, search box at the top, buttons in dark blue.”

State Results, Not Processes

You don’t need to say, “Use React’s useState hook to manage state.” Just say, “This number can increase or decrease when clicked.” AI will decide the best technology to achieve this.

Use References

“Like the card list in Notion” is ten times clearer than “a nice list.” Mention products you’ve seen or used as references for faster AI understanding.

Make One Change at a Time

Avoid sending ten requests at once; results can be chaotic. Tackle one change at a time for more stable outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can AI-generated code be used in production projects?

Simple personal projects can definitely use it. For commercial projects, it’s advisable for someone with a background to check for security and performance, as AI-generated code may not always consider all details.

What if there are issues with the page?

Describe the problems on the page to AI, and if there are browser errors, copy those as well. AI can usually fix it without needing you to understand the error.

What if the dialogue gets too long and AI starts to ‘forget’?

Start a new dialogue, briefly restate the core requirements and current status, then continue.

Can I create a complete e-commerce website?

It’s not suitable as a first project. Start with small, clear functionalities. An e-commerce site can be broken down into: first create a product listing page, then a shopping cart, and finally payment, progressing step by step.

Conclusion

Vibe Coding is not about avoiding learning code forever. As you use it, you will naturally begin to understand code structure, allowing you to make more precise requests and create more complex projects. It serves as an entry point, not an endpoint.

You can start tonight: think of a small tool you genuinely want, open Cursor or Bolt.new, and tell it what you want in natural language. Programmers three years ago didn’t have this advantage; you do now.