Key takeaways
- Vibe coding is building software mainly by describing what you want to an AI and iterating on results, often without reading every line.
- Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025.
- App builders such as Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit suit prototypes; Claude Code, Cursor and GitHub Copilot suit real codebases.
- Use it for prototypes, hackathons and personal tools; for production, review code, add tests and understand what was written.
- Vibe coding alone will not get you a job; shipping projects you can explain will.
Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want to an AI tool in plain language, running what it produces, and steering by results rather than writing or reading every line yourself. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025, and it spread quickly with app builders and coding agents. It is a fast way to prototype and a risky way to ship. This page covers its origin, the main apps and platforms, how to do it with Claude and GitHub Copilot, Power Apps, when to use it, whether it helps you get a job, and its future.
What is vibe coding in AI?
Vibe coding is a style of AI-assisted programming where you describe the app or feature you want, let an AI generate the code, test it by using it, and keep asking for changes until it works, focusing on the result rather than the code itself.
Also asked as: how to vibe coding with claude · how to vibe coding github
It differs from traditional AI-assisted coding, where a developer reads and owns every line the assistant suggests. In vibe coding the human acts more like a product owner: "add a login page", "make the button blue", "fix this error". It lowers the barrier to building, letting non-programmers create working tools. The trade-off is hidden problems: security holes, duplicated logic, fragile code and dependencies nobody understands, which surface later.
When was vibe coding coined?
Andrej Karpathy, an AI researcher who co-founded OpenAI and led AI at Tesla, coined "vibe coding" in a post in February 2025, describing coding where you "give in to the vibes" and let the AI handle the code.
The term caught on quickly because it named something many people were already doing with tools such as Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT and app builders. Within months, it was used in product marketing, job posts and debates about software quality. It describes a practice made possible by much stronger coding models and agentic tools in 2024 and 2025, which could write and fix whole features rather than single lines.
What are vibe coding apps?
Vibe coding apps let you build software from natural language. Browser-based app builders such as Lovable, Bolt, v0 by Vercel and Replit generate and host full apps from prompts; coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot's agent mode and Codex work inside real codebases.
The two groups suit different people. App builders give the fastest path from idea to a running web app with hosting included, ideal for non-developers and prototypes. Coding agents work with your own repository, tools and tests, ideal for developers who want speed with control. Many builders start a prototype in an app builder, export the code, and continue in a coding agent when the project becomes serious.
Which vibe coding platform is best?
For non-developers building a web app prototype, Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit are the easiest. For developers working on real projects, Claude Code, Cursor and GitHub Copilot's agent mode give more control and better results on existing codebases.
How to choose:
- Speed to a hosted demo: an app builder.
- Your own stack and repository: a coding agent.
- Team on GitHub with enterprise controls: GitHub Copilot.
- Long, multi-file changes: Claude Code or Cursor's agent.
- Free start: free tiers of several tools, which change often.
Try two on the same small project, such as a hackathon registration app, and compare how much you had to fix.
How do I vibe code with Claude?
Use Claude Code in your terminal or IDE for real projects, or artifacts on claude.ai for quick prototypes. Describe the feature, let Claude build it, run it, and ask for fixes with exact error messages.
A workflow with Claude Code:
- Start a project folder with Git, and add a
CLAUDE.mddescribing the stack and rules. - Ask for a plan first: "Plan a Next.js app for hackathon registrations with a form and admin list."
- Build feature by feature, running the app after each step.
- Ask for tests alongside features.
- Commit after every working step so you can roll back.
- Ask Claude to review the code for security issues before sharing.
Keep API keys in .env files and never paste secrets into prompts.
How do I vibe code with GitHub?
Use GitHub Copilot's agent mode in VS Code to build features from natural language, and the Copilot coding agent on GitHub to hand off issues and review the pull requests it opens. GitHub then gives you version history, reviews and continuous integration.
Steps:
- Create a repository and open it in VS Code with Copilot.
- Add
.github/copilot-instructions.mdwith your stack and conventions. - In agent mode, describe a feature and review each change before accepting.
- Set up GitHub Actions to run tests on every push.
- For small tasks, write an issue with clear acceptance criteria and assign it to Copilot.
Version control is what makes vibe coding safe: every change is reviewable and reversible.
What is vibe coding in Power Apps?
In Power Apps, Microsoft's low-code platform, vibe coding refers to building business apps by describing them in natural language with Copilot, which generates the app's screens, data tables and logic for you to refine.
You describe something like "an app for tracking lab equipment loans with a form, a list and an approval step", and Copilot proposes the data structure and screens, which you then adjust conversationally or in the editor. Because it runs on the Power Platform, the result inherits Microsoft 365 sign-in, Dataverse data storage and admin governance, which suits organisations. Microsoft's natural-language app-building features have been changing quickly, so check current Power Apps documentation for what is available.
When should I use vibe coding?
Use vibe coding for prototypes, hackathon builds, internal tools, personal scripts and exploring ideas, where speed matters more than long-term maintainability. Avoid pure vibe coding for production systems that handle money, personal data or security-sensitive operations.
Also asked as: when to use vibe coding
Signs it fits: a short-lived project, a demo, a tool only you use, or a first version to test with users. Signs it does not: payments, authentication, health or legal data, or code that a team must maintain for years. For those, use AI as a pair programmer instead: generate code, but read it, test it and understand it. Security basics, such as input validation and access control, are where vibe-coded apps fail most often.
Can vibe coding get you a job?
Not on its own. Employers hire people who can build reliable software and explain how it works. Vibe coding can help you ship more projects faster, which helps, but only if you understand and can defend what you built.
How to make it count: use AI tools to build real projects, then study the code, refactor it, add tests and write a README explaining design decisions. In interviews, you will be asked why you chose an approach, how you handled errors and what you would change. Hackathon judges ask the same, and I have seen teams lose points for polished demos they could not explain. Skill with AI coding tools is now expected; understanding is what sets you apart.
Why is vibe coding the future?
Because building software through natural language makes creation accessible to far more people and makes developers much faster. The future is likely a mix: vibe coding for exploration and simple apps, and engineering discipline for systems people depend on.
Also asked as: why vibe coding is the future
As models improve, more of the code will be written by AI, and the human role shifts to defining requirements, designing systems, reviewing changes, testing and taking responsibility for quality and security. That favours people who combine product sense with engineering judgement. Students should learn to use AI coding tools fluently while building strong fundamentals, because when the vibes fail, someone has to debug the system.
Sources
GenAI engineer and AI product builder with 2+ years shipping production-grade AI systems: RAG pipelines, fine-tuned LLMs, hybrid retrieval and multi-modal apps across vision, speech and OCR, architected end to end from ingestion to deployment. Leads engineering for SCULT INDIA's 14-member team, founded the 500+ member TechVerse Enclave community and has mentored 200+ students. Three hackathon first prizes: Changethon 2025 (IIT Roorkee), Product Genesis at Vividhotsava 2025 (CSJMU) and BYTEBATTLE (MeetKats).
Open to GenAI roles, hackathon judging, mentorship sessions and guest talks at colleges. For campus sessions the inviting institution covers the visit end to end: travel (a First AC train ticket for journeys up to five hours, a flight for anything longer), accommodation, meals, and pickup and drop; the honorarium and workshop fees are negotiable on WhatsApp or on the call, and requests are welcome from institutions that can cover the visit this way. Email pranjulrathour41@gmail.com.
