What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is a way of building software by describing what you want in plain language and letting AI write the code. You try the result, say what to change, and repeat until it works. AI researcher Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025.
Updated November 2026.
How vibe coding works
- 1
Describe your idea
Write what you want in everyday words, for example: a booking site for a yoga studio with online payments.
- 2
AI writes the code
The AI plans the pages, writes the code and sets up what the app needs, such as a database or user sign-in.
- 3
Try it and ask for changes
Use the live preview, point out what to change, and the AI updates the code. Most of the work happens in this loop.
- 4
Publish it
When it works the way you want, put it online and share the link.
Vibe coding vs traditional coding
| Vibe coding | Traditional coding | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes the code | AI, following your instructions | You or a developer |
| Skills you need | Describing clearly and testing the result | Programming languages and tools |
| Time to a first version | Minutes to hours | Days to weeks |
| Control over details | Through conversation, or by editing the code | Full control, line by line |
| Best for | Prototypes, websites, internal tools and small apps | Large or highly specialized systems |
What you can build with vibe coding
Websites and landing pages
Company sites, portfolios, blogs and product launch pages.
Web apps with sign-in and data
Booking systems, member areas and tools that save each user's data.
Mobile apps
Simple phone apps built from the same kind of conversation.
Online stores and paid products
Sell products or subscriptions with Stripe payments.
Internal tools and dashboards
Admin panels, trackers and reports for a team.
Limits to keep in mind
- Test what the AI built. Try every important flow yourself before real users rely on it.
- Take security seriously. Keep secret keys out of the code and check who can read and change each piece of data.
- Very large or unusual systems still benefit from an experienced developer reviewing the code.
How Lumi makes vibe coding work
Everything in one place
Database, user sign-in, file storage, backend functions and publishing are built in, so you do not need to connect separate services.
Designs that do not look like a template
Lumi checks its designs against common AI clichés, such as a centered hero over three cards, purple-blue gradients, cards inside cards and gray text on colored backgrounds.
Real code you can open
Everything Lumi builds is real code. Open it in the workspace at any time and edit it directly when you want more control.
The right model for each step
Smart routing picks a suitable model from Claude, GPT and Gemini for each request and reuses model cache to save Chat credits. See the models Lumi uses
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code to vibe code?
No. You describe what you want and check the result. Knowing some basics helps on bigger projects, but you do not need it to start.
Can I try vibe coding for free?
Yes. Lumi has a free plan with monthly Chat credits, and you can publish your site to a free lumi.ing subdomain. See the pricing page for current limits.
Who coined the term vibe coding?
Andrej Karpathy, an AI researcher and a founding member of OpenAI, described vibe coding in a post in February 2025.
How is vibe coding different from no-code tools?
No-code tools let you drag and drop blocks inside a fixed set of features. Vibe coding produces real code, so you are not limited to the blocks a tool offers, and you can keep changing that code later.
Is vibe-coded software safe to launch?
It can be, if you test it like any other software. Check sign-in, payments and data permissions before launch, and keep secret keys in a secure place instead of in the code. On Lumi, keys go into project secrets, and you set data permissions for each collection.
Start vibe coding with Lumi