Vibe Coding
What vibe coding is, when it's a legitimate tool, and when it's not appropriate for professional work at Aliz.
What Is Vibe Coding?
The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025. It describes a style of programming where you fully delegate to the AI: describe intent in natural language, accept the generated code without reading it closely, and iterate based on whether the result feels right rather than whether the code is correct.
This is the opposite end of the spectrum from AI-assisted development, where the developer drives every decision and reviews every output — see AI Coding Guidelines.
In practice, "vibe coding" describes a spectrum. Most developers land somewhere in between — fully reviewing some things, skimming others. The categories below are useful anchors, not strict rules.
Rapid Prototyping Tools
These tools are purpose-built for vibe coding — they generate full-stack apps from a text description, with no local setup required.
bolt.new
Full-stack in-browser environment powered by WebContainers. Generates and runs code immediately; you interact with a live app in the browser.
Good for: full-stack prototypes, quick demos, validating an idea in 10 minutes. bolt.new
v0.dev (Vercel)
Generates React UI components from text or image prompts. Outputs shadcn/ui + Tailwind code you can copy straight into a project.
Good for: scaffolding new UI components quickly; getting a polished starting point that you'll then refine. v0.dev
lovable.dev
Conversational app builder. Generates full React applications with Supabase integration; can iterate based on feedback in natural language.
Good for: client-facing demos, quick MVPs with real data persistence. lovable.dev
v0.dev is useful even on professional production projects — generate a shadcn/Tailwind component, copy it into your codebase, then refine it properly. That's not vibe coding; that's efficient scaffolding.
When Vibe Coding Is Appropriate
- Personal projects and side projects
- Throwaway prototypes and proofs of concept: validating an idea before committing engineering time
- Rapid UI mockups to show a concept to stakeholders
- Non-production scripts — data exploration, one-off migrations, local tooling
- Learning and experimentation — great for exploring an unfamiliar framework quickly
When It Is Not Appropriate
- Production code at Aliz
- Anything with security, compliance, PII, or payment flows
- Code you'll need to maintain, extend, or hand off to teammates
- Integration code that connects to client systems
Do not ship vibe-coded output to production without a thorough review that meets the same bar as normal code review. AI tools optimize for plausible-looking code, not correct, secure, or maintainable code.
Vibe Coding vs. AI-Assisted Development
| Dimension | Vibe Coding | AI-Assisted Development |
|---|---|---|
| Who drives | AI | Developer |
| Code review | Minimal or skipped | Required, always |
| Context quality | Low — describe from scratch | High — repo, types, instructions |
| Output quality | Plausible; details often wrong | Reviewable draft |
| Suitable for | Prototypes, personal projects | Production code |
| Accountability | Diffuse | Fully developer-owned |