Definition
Vibe coding, coined by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025, describes a way of building software where you state what you want in natural language, let a large model generate the code, and iterate through conversation without reading every line.
How it works
The developer describes the desired behavior, feeds errors and runtime results straight back to the model, and keeps iterating until it feels right — deliberately treating the code itself as a detail. It is fast to start with, but raises maintainability and security concerns.
Usage
Vibe coding fits personal tools, prototype validation and throwaway scripts where speed matters most; production code still calls for review and testing processes.
Related and confusable terms
AI-native is a different idea: vibe coding describes a way of working with AI while coding, while AI-native describes products or organizations designed around AI capabilities.