Vibe Coding Tutorial

Vibe Coding is a brand-new software development approach.

Vibe Coding no longer writes code from scratch; instead, you describe requirements in natural language and let AI generate, modify, debug, and refactor code for you.

Vibe Coding is notabout being able to develop without knowing programmingbut rather upgradingwriting codetodesign + direction + verification。

In the future, the core competitiveness of developers will increasingly shift from coding ability to problem decomposition, system design, and AI collaboration skills.


Vibe Coding Role Division

In Vibe Coding mode, the developer's role undergoes a fundamental transformation:

The developer is responsible forAI is responsible for
Proposing product requirements Writing business code
Finalizing technical solutions Iteratively modifying code
Accepting verification results Consulting technical documentation
Controlling the overall direction of the project Automatically generating test cases
Assessing problem severity Analyzing errors and providing solutions

Typical Workflow

Idea Describe requirements AI generates code Run and verify Iterate until complete Typical Vibe Coding Workflow

Traditional Development vs Vibe Coding

Traditional DevelopmentVibe Coding
Think of features → Check docs → Write code → DebugThink of features → Tell AI → Keep adjusting → Done

Common Tools

Tool Name Tool Type Core Features and Suitable Scenarios
Miaoda No-code / Natural language Generate apps directly by entering text, pure verbal generation, suitable for quick start and experiencing Vibe Coding
MoneyCode AI executes coding tasks online Online application: directly enter text, create tasks on the platform, let AI code, and use terminal, file management, and preview in the cloud development environment
Cursor AI-native editor Multi-file fully automatic optimization, currently the first choice for Vibe Coding with the most mature ecosystem
Trae AI-native editor Produced by ByteDance, AI editor
Qoder AI-native editor AI programming tool IDE produced by Alibaba
Claude Code Terminal command line CLI interaction, extremely strong logical reasoning, a geek's powerful tool for cross-file refactoring
Windsurf AI-native editor Powerful Agent proxy, proactively perceives context and self-repairs
Continue Open-source IDE plugin Extremely high degree of freedom, supports local private large models, first choice for open-source alternative
Copilot Classic IDE plugin Intelligent code completion (Tab key), suitable for semi-automatic code fine-tuning
ChatGPT General-purpose conversational AI Suitable for early-stage architecture brainstorming, logic design, and single-segment code debugging
Codex AI Agent launched by OpenAI Can autonomously understand, write, debug, and review code, and handle multiple development tasks in parallel.
OpenCode Terminal command line Focuses on open-source transparency and community co-building, suitable for customized exploration

Who Should Read This

  • Programming beginners: people who want to enter the development field, quickly create projects, and lower the learning barrier.

  • Benefits: See results faster and improve learning feedback speed.

  • Independent developers: Side projects, SaaS products, automation tools, AI product validation.

  • Frontend and backend engineers: daily development, code refactoring, test generation, documentation generation.

  • Product managers / operations: prototype validation, automation scripts, internal tool development.

Note: Do not skip learning foundational knowledge. Vibe Coding is an accelerator, not a substitute.


What Basic Skills Are Required

Many people mistakenly think Vibe Coding means you don't need to know programming, but that is not the case.

It is recommended to have at least the following basic skills:

Basic Skills

  • Ability to read code:At least be able to understandif、for、function、class、APIthese basic concepts.

    The goal is to be able to tell if AI is hallucinating—this is the safety baseline.

  • Ability to run projects:Understand the complete process from installation, startup, error handling, fixing, to deployment.

    Master at least one tech stack among Node.js, Python, and Git.

  • Ability to search for problems: know how to read error messages, check documentation, and verify solutions.

    This is the basic ability to solve problems independently.

Other Skills

1. Product decomposition capability

Be able to break large requirements into small tasks instead of throwing vague, massive requirements to AI.

Wrong wayCorrect way
Help me build TaobaoLogin → Product list → Shopping cart → Payment (break down one by one)

2. Prompt capability

Be able to write clear requirement descriptions, including goals, constraints, inputs, outputs, and acceptance criteria.

用 Vue3 开发
使用 Tailwind CSS
移动端优先
不要第三方组件库

3. Systems thinking

Understand the relationships among frontend, backend, database, and deployment.

Otherwise, it is easy to generate systems that cannot be deployed—they look like they run, but crash when launched.


Characteristics of Vibe Coding

Understanding the core characteristics of Vibe Coding helps you better leverage its strengths and avoid its weaknesses.

High Speed

A prototype that used to take a day can now be done in maybe 30 minutes.

The core of efficiency improvement lies in offloading repetitive coding work to AI.

Conversation-Driven

It is not the traditional code-writing mode, but a collaborative mode of continuous communication and iteration.

Strong Iteration

The typical process is: generate → run → error → fix → optimize, repeating in a cycle.

Each iteration gets closer to the goal, rather than achieving it in one step.

High Ceiling, Low Floor

Experts can multiply efficiency by 5, while newcomers may create a lot of technical debt.

The key is whether you have the ability to judge the quality of AI output.

More Like a Director Than a Programmer

Traditional development is like filming a movie yourself; Vibe Coding is like directing a team to film a movie.

Your core ability shifts from "writing code" to "making decisions."


Recommended Learning Path

A step-by-step learning route from zero foundation to proficient AI development.

Step 1: Learn the Basics

It is recommended to first master HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Git.

Step 2: Start AI Development

Choose any tool to get started: Cursor, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex.

Goal: complete small projects like a Todo App, blog, and admin dashboard.

Step 3: Learn Engineering Skills

Continue learning engineering skills such as API, database, deployment, and testing.

This is the key step from "it runs" to "it goes live."

Step 4: Enter Agent Development

Learn advanced concepts such as Skills, Workflow, Agent, and RAG.

This is the advanced stage of Vibe Coding—letting AI not just write code, but autonomously complete tasks.

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