A new programming paradigm: creating code through AI conversation
"I just see things, say things, run things, and copy-paste things, and it mostly works." — Andrej Karpathy (former Tesla AI Director, OpenAI Co-founder)
Vibe Coding is a new programming approach coined by Andrej Karpathy in 2025. Instead of writing code line by line, you describe what you want in natural language and let AI generate the code.
"Vibe" means feeling or atmosphere. Vibe coding literally means "coding by feel". You don't need to know exact syntax or algorithms — just tell the AI "make it feel like this" and it handles the rest.
| Traditional Coding | Vibe Coding | |
|---|---|---|
| Core Skill | Programming language syntax | Ability to clearly communicate intent |
| Workflow | Type code directly | Describe in natural language to AI |
| Debugging | Read error codes, fix manually | Pass error messages to AI |
| Learning Curve | Months to years | Hours to days |
| Output | Code fully understood by author | Working code with limited deep understanding |
| Target Audience | Professional developers | Anyone |
There are several vibe coding tools available. Here's what makes Claude Code special.
Claude Code doesn't just "suggest" code. It directly creates files, edits them, and runs commands.
Regular AI chat: "Write code like this" → Copy → Paste → Apply manually
Claude Code: "Build this feature" → Files auto-created → Tests run → Done
| Feature | Claude Code | Cursor | Windsurf | Bolt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct file editing | O | O | O | O |
| Terminal commands | O | Limited | Limited | X |
| Git automation | O | X | X | X |
| MCP extensions | O | Partial | X | X |
| Sub-agents | O | X | X | X |
| Hooks automation | O | X | X | X |
| 1M token context | O | X | X | X |
| IDE independent | O (Terminal) | X (VS Code) | X (Custom IDE) | X (Web) |
Claude Code is a terminal-based tool independent of any IDE. It works the same regardless of your editor or project type. And it can be infinitely extended with MCP, Hooks, and sub-agents.
Vibe coding follows these 5 iterative steps:
Define what you want to build. It doesn't need to be perfect.
Good: "I want to build a personal portfolio website.
Simple design showing 3 projects and an about section."
Bad: "Make something cool."
Document your project's rules and context in a CLAUDE.md file. This determines 80% of your vibe coding quality.
→ Details in CLAUDE.md Mastery
Give natural language instructions to Claude Code:
# Run Claude Code in terminal
claude
# Give instructions in natural language
> "Build a portfolio site with Next.js.
It should support dark mode, have 3 project cards and an about section."Check results and request modifications:
> "Add hover animations to the project cards"
> "Change the colors to warmer tones"
> "The layout breaks on mobile, please fix it"When ready, deploy:
> "Set up deployment to Vercel""It doesn't have to be perfect" is the essence of vibe coding. Don't aim for perfect code from the start. Make it work first, then improve incrementally. Iterations with AI cost almost nothing.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Claude Subscription | Pro ($20/mo), Max ($100/mo), or Team |
| Terminal | macOS Terminal, Windows WSL2, or VS Code integrated terminal |
| Node.js | 18.0+ (required for Claude Code installation) |
| Mindset | "I don't need to know code — I just need to clearly say what I want" |
Haven't installed Claude Code yet? → Intro & Setup Guide
Now that you understand vibe coding concepts: