What is vibe coding? A beginner’s guide to building apps without code
Vibe coding means building software by describing what you want to an AI and accepting the code it writes without reading it. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025, and Collins Dictionary made it its 2025 Word of the Year. App builders like Lovable, Bolt, Replit Agent, v0 and Google AI Studio’s Build mode let a non-coder ship a working prototype in an afternoon, but code nobody has read can hide security holes, so learn the basics before real users or money are involved.
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Where did the term "vibe coding" come from?
In February 2025, Andrej Karpathy, an OpenAI founding member and former head of AI at Tesla, posted on X about a new way of working he called vibe coding. He described a way of working where you "fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists".
He talked to the AI, clicked "Accept All" on every change without reading the diffs (the list of edits), and pasted error messages back in without comment. He called it fine for "throwaway weekend projects". The name stuck: Collins English Dictionary named vibe coding its Word of the Year for 2025.
Key ideaVibe coding is about the result you see, not the code you read.
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Is all coding with AI vibe coding?
No, and the difference matters. Programmer Simon Willison draws the line clearly: if an AI wrote every line, but you reviewed it, tested it and can explain how it works, "that’s not vibe coding, it’s software development".
Think of it as a dial. At one end, you never look at the code and judge only whether the app seems to work. At the other end, you use AI like a fast assistant and check everything. Both are useful; they fit different jobs.
- Vibe coding: a party invite page, a personal habit tracker, a demo for an idea.
- Careful AI-assisted coding: anything with logins, payments, personal data or paying customers.
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Which app builders can a non-coder use?
Several tools let you build a working web app from a chat box, with a live preview beside it. Each describes itself like this in its own docs (as of Nov 2026). Most offer some free use; check each site for current limits.
- Lovable: describe what you want and it "generates a working application" with editable code; you can sync the code to GitHub and publish to a live URL.
- Bolt (bolt.new): builds sites and apps from your description, with a Plan Mode to talk through the idea first, a built-in database and publishing to a live website.
- Replit Agent: sets up the project, writes and tests the code, saves checkpoints you can roll back to, then publishes the app.
- v0 (by Vercel): an AI agent for "real code and full-stack apps"; deploy in one click or open a pull request for review.
- Google AI Studio Build mode: "vibe code" web or Android apps that use Gemini, then deploy to Google Cloud Run; costs may apply for paid models and hosting.
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Your first vibe-coded project, step by step
Pick something tiny that only you will use, such as interview flashcards. Write a clear first prompt: who it is for, the three things it must do, and how it should look. Then change one thing at a time, so when something breaks you know what caused it.
- Describe the app in one paragraph
- Ask for a plan first
- Check the live preview
- Fix one thing per message
- Save a checkpoint
- Publish and share
A good first prompt Build a one-page web app for practising job interview questions. 1. Show one question at a time from a list of 20 common HR questions. 2. A "Show tips" button reveals 3 short tips for answering. 3. A "Next" button moves on; a counter shows "Question 4 of 20". Clean, mobile-friendly design, large text. No login, no database. - 5
What are the limits and risks?
When nobody reads the code, nobody checks it. Reported problems include: a scan of 1,645 apps made with Lovable found 170 where anyone could reach personal information; a CodeRabbit study (December 2025) found AI co-written code had about 2.74 times more security vulnerabilities than human-written code; and a Replit agent deleted a database despite instructions not to change anything. Willison’s summary: "Vibe coding your way to a production codebase is clearly risky."
Maintainability is the second limit. After many rounds of "fix this", the code can turn into a tangle that even the AI struggles to change.
- Never put passwords or API keys (secret access codes) in prompts or in the visible app.
- Do not collect personal or payment data in a vibe-coded app.
- Use checkpoints or GitHub sync so you can undo.
- Once real users, data or money are involved, learn the basics or ask a developer to review it.
Key ideaVibe code to explore and prototype. Read and test the code before anyone trusts it.
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How is this different from Claude Code, Cursor or Codex?
App builders host everything for you in the browser, which is easy but hides the code. Agentic coding tools like Claude Code, Cursor and OpenAI Codex work inside a real project folder: the AI plans, edits many files and runs commands, while you review each change, run tests and keep the code in version control (Git).
A common path is to start with an app builder to prove the idea, export the code to GitHub, then continue in an agentic coding tool where you can see and understand every change. The next lessons cover those tools.
Straight from the source
The original idea, then the same idea taken apart, then how you use it today.
- 1 · Understand
- He named a new way of working where you talk to the AI, accept every change and "forget that the code even exists", and said it suits throwaway weekend projects.
- 2 · Break it down
- You steer by describing and testing, not by reading code.
- Errors go straight back to the AI, often without comment.
- He framed it as fun and fast for small projects, not as how to build serious software.
- 3 · Use it
- Use vibe coding for quick experiments and personal tools, and switch to reviewing the code once something matters.
- 1 · Understand
- Vibe coding means building with an AI without reviewing its code. If you review, test and can explain the code, "that’s not vibe coding, it’s software development".
- 2 · Break it down
- The test is whether you understand and check the code, not who typed it.
- Vibe coding is great for learning and low-stakes projects.
- Taking unreviewed code to production is where the risk lies.
- 3 · Use it
- Before you share an app with others, ask yourself: could I explain how this part works? If not, review it or get help.
Words to know
- Vibe coding
- Building software by describing it to an AI and accepting its code without reading or reviewing it.
- App builder
- A browser tool, like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0 or AI Studio Build mode, that turns a chat description into a working app with a live preview.
- Diff
- The list of exact changes an AI (or a person) made to the code.
- Checkpoint
- A saved version of your project you can roll back to if a later change breaks something.
- Agentic coding
- Using an AI agent such as Claude Code or Cursor to plan, edit and test code in a real project while you review the changes.
Watch
Hand-picked from the people who explain this best. The video loads only when you press play.
The person who named vibe coding explains why "everyone is now a programmer". This starts at the vibe coding chapter (29:06); the full talk is about 40 minutes and worth it later.
Try it
Vibe code an interview flashcard app in 10 minutes
- 1Open Google AI Studio and choose Build, or create a free account on Lovable or Bolt.
- 2Paste the "good first prompt" from step 4 and send it.
- 3Click through the live preview. Write down one thing you want changed.
- 4Ask for that one change only, for example "make the tips appear in a light yellow box". Check the preview again.
- 5Open the code view and skim one file. You do not need to understand it; just notice how much code was written for you, and that nobody has reviewed it.
Check yourself
Pick an answer to see if you are right, and why.
Done? Keep going
Mark this lesson complete to keep your place. Progress is saved on this device, no login.
Questions people ask
What does vibe coding mean?
Building an app by describing it to an AI in plain language and accepting the code it writes without reading it. You judge the result by trying the app, not by checking the code. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025.
Can I vibe code with no programming experience?
Yes. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit Agent, v0 and Google AI Studio’s Build mode turn a chat description into a working app with a live preview. Keep projects small and personal until you learn enough to check the code.
Is vibe coding safe?
For throwaway prototypes, mostly yes. For apps with logins, personal data or payments, unreviewed AI code has caused real data leaks, so have the code reviewed and tested before real users rely on it.