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Vibe Coding Fundamentals In 33 minutes

BY a4gqz
July 31, 2025•
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Vibe Coding Fundamentals – Key Points

Objective

This document summarizes the key concepts, frameworks, principles, and tips for "vibe coding" as presented in the provided content. It is structured as a study guide/class note for learners new to the concept.

Table of Contents

  1. Definition of Vibe Coding
  2. Principles and Fundamentals
  3. Practical Application Examples
  4. Mindsets, Additional Frameworks, and Tips
  5. Advanced Practices
  6. Learning & Further Resources

Definition of Vibe Coding

  • Origin: Coined by Andrej Karpathy (OpenAI founding member) on Feb 3rd, 2025.
  • Description: Coding by "giving into the vibes" — specifying what you want to build to an advanced AI (LLM), which then generates the code. The coder acts as a project director or architect using natural language instructions, sometimes even through voice.
  • Fundamental Shift: Moves focus from writing code line-by-line to describing requirements clearly and managing AI output.

Principles and Fundamentals

Five Fundamental Skills

As described in the Vibe Coding 101 course by Replit:

  1. Thinking
  2. Frameworks
  3. Checkpoints
  4. Debugging
  5. Context

Levels of Thinking (for Requirements & Communication with AI)

  1. Logical Thinking: What is the thing you want to build? (Define the problem/application)
  2. Analytical Thinking: What is its main objective? What skills are needed?
  3. Computational Thinking: How is the logic broken down? What are the key features or architectures?
  4. Procedural Thinking: How do you make it the best it can be? (strategies, optimizations, user experience)

Key advice: Use these levels to clarify your requirements before prompting the AI.

Using PRDs (Product Requirements Documents)

  • Purpose: To structure your instructions and clarify requirements.
  • Sections:
    • Project Overview (logical)
    • Skills and Tech Stack (analytical)
    • Key Features & Milestones (computational)
    • Detailed requirements, customization, user cases (procedural)
  • Tip: You can use the AI itself to help you draft or refine a PRD.

Frameworks

  • Understand existing solutions: Suggest frameworks/packages relevant to your project (e.g., React for frontend, TailwindCSS for styling, 3.js for animation).
  • If unsure: Ask the AI to recommend frameworks for a specific task.
  • Minimum knowledge: Understand the general architecture (frontend/backend), common frameworks and how components interact.

Checkpoints and Version Control

  • Importance: Prevent data/code loss, support iteration and debugging.

  • Tools:

    • Built-in controls (like Replit's)
    • Best Practice: Use Git/GitHub for most projects.

  • Git Crash Course:

    1. git init – Initialize repo
    2. git add . – Stage all changes
    3. git commit -m "message" – Save changes with a comment
    4. git log – View history
    5. git reset – Rollback
    6. git remote add origin <repo-url> – Link to GitHub
    7. git branch -m main – Set main branch
    8. git push -u origin main – Push to GitHub

  • Tip: Exact commands aren't mandatory if your AI editor understands plain language prompts about version control.

Debugging

  • Expect errors: Building with AI is iterative.
  • Process:
    • Identify and isolate the error (copy full error messages and context).
    • Let AI attempt the fix based on your feedback.
    • Provide more specifics if needed.
  • Human input is valuable: Understanding file structure and error context lets you guide AI more effectively.

Providing Context

  • More context/detail leads to better AI results.
  • Types of context:
    • Detailed initial PRD/prompt
    • Mockups or visual examples
    • Example data or previous output/errors
    • Target audience, environment, preferences, constraints

Mnemonic for Principles

The Friendly Cat Dances Constantly — Thinking, Frameworks, Checkpoints, Debugging, Context

Practical Application Examples

Using Replit

  • Very beginner-friendly cloud tool for vibe coding apps.
  • Example: Building an interactive app (SEO meta tag visualizer).
    • Draft PRD with AI
    • Use the PRD as an input prompt in Replit
    • Let Replit build and deploy app
    • Use built-in version control
    • Leverage "Assistant" for code/file explanations

Using Windsurf/Cursor

  • More advanced, local development, greater flexibility, and scalability.
  • More powerful but with a higher learning curve (environment setup, deployment, debugging, etc.).
  • Steps:
    • Use the same PRD/prompt
    • Accept or review environment and file changes
    • Use AI for version control tasks, as in Replit

Key Idea: The skills and workflow are similar across tools, just the level of complexity and control varies.

Mindsets, Additional Frameworks, and Tips

  • MVP First: Always start with the Minimal Viable Product. Only add features after base functionality works.
  • Two Modes Framework (from Vibe Coding 101):
    1. Implementing New Features: Provide maximum context, documentation, incremental changes, checkpoints.
    2. Debugging Errors: Understand project structure, isolate problems, give AI as much context as possible (screenshots, errors, affected files).

Advanced Practices

  • Writing Rules/Documentation for the AI Agent (system prompt style):
    • Limit code changes per iteration
    • Rate limit API endpoints
    • Enable CAPTCHA on login/sign-up pages
    • Set security best practices (don't expose API keys, etc.)
    • Reference style guides, refactoring practices, etc., as needed
  • Security: Learn and apply standard security best practices (see rule files online).

Learning & Further Resources

  • Vibe Coding 101 (Replit Course): Covers fundamentals and examples.
  • Brilliant.org: Platform for learning STEM skills, including programming and AI, through interactive lessons.
  • Community Q&A/Assessments: Regular assessment questions to check understanding (see original content for examples).

Conclusion

Vibe coding fundamentally changes how applications are brought to life, shifting much of the work to clearly defining requirements, context, and structure, while leveraging AI for technical implementation and iteration. A methodical approach to describing, debugging, and versioning—plus a willingness to learn core concepts—ensures the best outcomes.

Further Action

  • Practice writing PRDs for your ideas.
  • Experiment with both cloud and local AI coding platforms.
  • Integrate version control in all projects.
  • Collaborate with AI, but understand the structure, context, and requirements you communicate.
  • Constantly iterate and learn!

Happy Vibe Coding!

    Vibe Coding Fundamentals In 33 minutes