Vibe coding
Building software by describing it to an AI and accepting the code it writes.
Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want to an AI model and letting it write the code, often without reading that code closely. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in a post on 2 February 2025, and Collins Dictionary named it its Word of the Year for 2025.
Tools such as Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit, Cursor and Claude Code make it possible to get a working prototype in hours. The gap comes later: a prototype that works on the happy path often lacks secure authentication, a sound database, tests and a repeatable deploy.
Key characteristics
- Describe the result in plain language and let AI write the code.
- Coined by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025.
- Very fast for prototypes and internal tools.
- Needs review before real users: security, data, tests and deploys.
Example
A founder describes a booking app to an AI builder and has a clickable version by the evening. Before launch, an engineer adds proper auth, locks down the database and writes tests.
Frequently asked questions
Is vibe coding safe for production?
Not on its own. It is excellent for prototypes, but before real users arrive the code needs secure authentication, database rules, tests and monitoring reviewed by someone who can read it.
Who coined the term vibe coding?
Andrej Karpathy, in a post on 2 February 2025. Collins Dictionary made it its Word of the Year for 2025.