A comprehensive curriculum to help you master vibe coding with AI, from basics to advanced techniques.
Vibe coding, sometimes spelled vibecoding, is an AI-dependent computer programming practice where a programmer describes a problem in a few sentences as a prompt to a large language model tuned for coding. Software can be quickly created and debugged while ignoring the details of the generated code.
The term was introduced by Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI and former AI leader at Tesla, in February 2025. In his original post on X (formerly Twitter), Karpathy described vibe coding as "a new kind of coding where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists."
"It's not really coding - I just see things, say things, run things, and copy-paste things, and it mostly works."
— Andrej Karpathy
A key part of the definition of vibe coding is that the user accepts code without full understanding. AI researcher Simon Willison said: "If an LLM wrote every line of your code, but you've reviewed, tested, and understood it all, that's not vibe coding in my book—that's using an LLM as a typing assistant."
To understand the significance of vibe coding, it's helpful to look at how programming has evolved over time:
| Era | Approach | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s-1960s | Machine Code & Assembly | Direct hardware instructions, highly technical |
| 1970s-1980s | Procedural Programming | Higher-level languages, more readable code |
| 1990s-2000s | Object-Oriented Programming | Code organization, reusability, abstraction |
| 2010s | Low-Code/No-Code | Visual interfaces, pre-built components |
| 2020s | Vibe Coding | Natural language, AI-generated code |
Each evolution in programming has made software development more accessible to a wider audience. Vibe coding represents the latest step in this progression, potentially opening up software creation to anyone who can clearly articulate what they want to build.
Unlike traditional programming paradigms that require learning syntax and programming concepts, vibe coding focuses on the "what" rather than the "how" — describing the desired outcome and letting AI handle the implementation details.
Allows even amateur programmers to produce software without extensive training and skills which coding previously needed.
Development can happen much faster as users can describe features in natural language rather than implementing them line by line.
Particularly useful for quickly testing ideas and building prototypes without getting bogged down in implementation details.
People with domain expertise but limited coding skills can create software solutions for their specific problems.
Allows developers to focus more on what they want to achieve rather than how to implement it.
Makes software development accessible to a much wider audience, potentially leading to more diverse and innovative solutions.
Developers may use AI-generated code without fully comprehending its functionality, potentially leading to undetected bugs and errors.
When complex issues arise, lack of understanding becomes problematic. As developer Ben South noted, "Vibe coding is all fun and games until you have to vibe debug."
Code that isn't fully understood is difficult to maintain and evolve over time, especially in team environments.
Current AI models have limits on how much code they can process at once, creating an upper bound on project complexity.
AI models may generate references to nonexistent functions or libraries, requiring human intervention to fix.
Relying too heavily on vibe coding might prevent developers from developing deeper programming skills that could be valuable in the long run.
Learn how to install and set up Cursor AI, the powerful code editor that enables vibe coding.
Master the essential techniques for communicating with AI to generate code effectively.
This module will cover effective prompt writing, natural language programming principles, and common communication patterns for vibe coding.
Create a functional weather application step-by-step using vibe coding techniques.
This module will guide you through building a complete weather application using Cursor AI and vibe coding techniques.
Take your vibe coding skills to the next level with advanced techniques and approaches.
This module will cover advanced prompt engineering, handling complex projects, integrating multiple AI-generated components, and optimizing AI-generated code.
Explore real-world applications of vibe coding and future trends in AI-assisted development.
This module will cover case studies of successful vibe coding projects, industry applications, ethical considerations, and future trends in AI-assisted development.
Begin with Module 1 and work your way through the course at your own pace. Each module builds on the previous one, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of vibe coding.