#009: Vibe Coding 101
A beginner-friendly guide to building apps with plain English, fast prototypes, and AI-powered flow.
There’s a quiet revolution happening in how we build software. You won’t hear typing frenzies or see walls of syntax. Instead, you’ll hear a question:
"Can you build me a tool that ranks leads from a Google Sheet?"
No code editor. No terminal. Just a prompt in plain English, and a working prototype delivered within minutes. That’s the power of vibe coding.
In this new way of building, we don’t obsess over syntax or frameworks upfront. We describe what we want, test what’s been built, and iterate — all through a conversation with an AI assistant. You’re still the builder, but the tools now respond to your intent, not just your typing.
So, what exactly is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is when you build software by “vibing” with AI tools, like Replit , Lovable, or Bolt. You’re not starting with code. You’re starting with vibes — goals, problems, use cases.
Think of it as pair programming, but with an AI that never gets tired, types faster than you, and can understand your natural language instructions.
Here’s a real-world example:
Let’s say you’re a startup founder, marketer, or product manager. You’ve got an idea for a simple tool — maybe a pricing comparison widget or a newsletter signup tracker.
With vibe coding, you can:
Open a Replit or Lovable window.
Say: “Build me a web app that compares product pricing across three sites and shows the cheapest option.”
Watch as the AI generates HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in seconds.
Test it. Ask it to fix bugs. Make tweaks by saying things like:
“Add dark mode.”
“Make it mobile responsive.”
“Use Tailwind instead of custom CSS.”
You stay in flow. You stay focused on solving the problem, not battling syntax errors.
Who is this for?
Non-developers who have ideas but can’t code (yet).
Developers who want to go from concept to prototype faster.
Product managers who need to test ideas quickly before engaging full dev cycles.
Anyone building in public or participating in hackathons.
What are people building with vibe coding?
Budgeting tools
Loan calculators
Lead scoring apps
Portfolio websites
Data dashboards
Chrome extensions
Internal bots and scripts
You name it. If you can explain it, you can probably build a version of it.
The catch? You still need taste.
Even with AI doing the heavy lifting, your judgment is key:
Is the user flow clear?
Are the visuals polished?
Is the logic correct and secure?
Does this solve a problem?
Vibe coding doesn’t remove you from the process. It elevates you to a higher level of thinking.
What’s next?
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing short tutorials, project walkthroughs, and examples of vibe-coded apps — especially useful ones for African startups, creators, and product folks.
Sources and inspiration
DeepLearning.AI’s free micro-course in partnership with Replit
Additional inspiration from: