Mindset
8 min read
Published June 20, 2026
What is vibe coding (and what it is not)?
A practical definition of vibe coding, with anti-patterns to avoid when shipping with AI.
The short version
Vibe coding is building software by describing outcomes, constraints, and quality bars — then reviewing AI output like a tech lead until something real ships.
It is not typing less and hoping. It is directing more and reviewing harder.
What vibe coding is
- Think — Who is this for? What does done look like?
- Prompt — Role, context, constraints, output format
- Review — Diff, tests, security, UX
- Ship — Deploy, measure, iterate
What vibe coding is not
- Copy-paste without reading — If you cannot explain the diff, do not merge it.
- Tool hopping every hour — Pick a stack, learn its review ergonomics, ship.
- Skipping tests because AI wrote it — Generated code fails in production too.
- Traditional bootcamp syntax drills — You learn patterns through shipped artifacts, not flashcards.
A first-hour checklist
- Name the user and the one job your app does
- Write a prompt with constraints (stack, auth, styling tokens)
- Review output for security smells (secrets, open routes, raw SQL)
- Ship a visible artifact — even a static page counts
Where to go next
Start the First Vibe track if you want a guided loop from mindset to a shippable artifact. Browse Tools when you are ready to compare Cursor, Windsurf, and the rest of your stack.