What is Vibe Coding?

Vibe Coding – when the code comes in a flow

Late at night, the screen flickers in the dark, the keys click to the beat of the music, and relaxed lo-fi plays in the background. The code comes about seemingly effortlessly, line by line, without much thought – driven more by intuition than by planning. In such moments, the focus is not on technical perfection, but on creative flow, the feeling of being in harmony with the code.

In the developer community, this state is often referred to as vibe coding – a colloquial term in software development that describes a certain flow state when programming. [1] It is less about structured methodology and more about the experience and sensation of coding itself.

Between intuition and productivity

Vibe Coding operates in the area of tension between free, intuitive work and the requirement to write functioning, maintainable code. Instead of structured planning, the focus here is on creativity, spontaneity and a feeling for the ‘right’ next step. This way of working can be particularly inspiring in the early project phases or help to overcome blockages.

However, vibe coding is not necessarily productive in the traditional sense. Without clear objectives or a methodical approach, there is a risk of getting bogged down, developing inefficient solutions or creating code that is difficult to understand. What seems coherent at the moment of coding can prove to be difficult to maintain or not scalable in retrospect.

The strength of vibe coding lies more in the creative process than in the sustainable result – and this is precisely where its ambivalence between intuition and productivity becomes apparent.

Opportunities and challenges of vibe coding

Vibe coding opens up spaces for creative problem-solving, experimental thinking and the expression of individual programming styles. This intuitive approach can be particularly helpful in informal projects, in the early stages of prototyping or when exploring new technologies, as it allows ideas to be quickly expressed without the pressure of having to deliver ‘clean’ or optimised code immediately. It can also strengthen the emotional connection to the work, which in turn can boost motivation and engagement.

At the same time, vibe coding also presents clear challenges. Without structure and objectives, there is a risk of technical debt, inconsistent code bases and a lack of documentation. In a team context, collaboration can be impeded if decisions are made purely on the spur of the moment and the code is difficult for others to understand. There is also a danger that short-term ‘feel-good’ coding is prioritised over long-term software quality.

The following overview summarises the key opportunities and risks in the form of do’s and don’ts.

Do’s:

• Use intuition as a creative resource
• Use it in a targeted way in the early project phases
• Use the flow state to release blockages
• Refactor and document results later
• Consciously separate vibe coding from methodical work

Don’ts:

• Confuse working in a flow state with haphazard work
• Use it without reflection in productive systems
• Replace missing structure with ‘feeling’
• Leave spontaneous code untouched permanently
• Justify everything under ‘vibe’

So the trick is to strike the right balance: vibe coding can be a valuable part of the development process – provided it is used with reflection and complemented by structured phases.

Vibe Coding with AI

Vibe Code or Coding is increasingly being discussed in the context of AI-based software development – especially in the context of Large Language Models (LLMs). According to this, it is a form of prompt-based programming in which developers formulate their requirements in natural language – in written or spoken words – and LLMs generate code from them.

A popular example of this development comes from former Tesla AI chief Andrej Karpathy, who described Vibe Coding as a programming style in which ‘you just roughly sketch the idea and let the model do the rest’. [2] However, what at first glance sounds efficient and creative raises a number of critical questions in practice:

• When code is generated by AI, it is often unclear whether developers really understand the code that is generated – which is problematic, for example, in applications that are critical to security or business.
• LLMs generate functional code, but often without regard for architecture, reusability or maintainability. The code can be difficult to understand and inconsistent.
• Those who rely too heavily on generative code risk losing their own programming expertise and becoming one-sidedly dependent on AI tools.
• The origin of AI-generated code is often non-transparent – including potential licence violations or security vulnerabilities.

Vibe coding with AI is therefore not a panacea. It offers potential for increasing efficiency, but can also lead to a disconnect between code and developer. Responsible use requires technical understanding, critical reflection and clear quality standards – in other words, much more than a ‘good feeling’.

Notes:

[1] The term vibe refers to the character, feeling or mood of a place, situation or person.
[2] Andrej Karpathy: There’s a new kind of coding

Here is an interesting discussion on YouTube: Is vibe coding the future of software development or just a fun way to experiment?

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