Vibe Coding is a revolutionary programming paradigm introduced in 2025 by Andrej Karpathy (former Tesla AI director). At its core, it leverages AI—particularly large language models (LLMs)—to assist with coding. Instead of writing every line of code, developers simply describe the desired functionality in natural language, and AI generates ready-to-run code.
This approach is rapidly gaining traction and is hailed as a game-changer, enabling even non-programmers to "code by vibe."
This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on using AI to go from idea to deployment, covering requirement description, code generation, and sharing. Even if you're a beginner, you'll experience the magic of Vibe Coding firsthand.
AI-Powered Code Generation Tools
Today, various AI tools can assist with code generation, each with unique strengths and ideal use cases:
Claude (Anthropic) – Currently the best model for AI coding tasks.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) – Excels in reasoning and multimodal capabilities, with top-tier image recognition and understanding.
Cursor – The most popular IDE for vibe coding, offering deep code comprehension.
Windsurf – A fast-growing alternative that indexes your entire codebase for smarter AI assistance.
autonomously generates full-stack web applications
Lovable – Builds entire frontends in a single prompt, including databases and authentication—perfect for rapid prototyping.
Source: AI-Powered Code Generation Tools
Developing a To-Do List Web App from Scratch
Step 1: Requirement Analysis
First, we outline the core functionality in natural language:
The page should have a text input field and an "Add" button to let users enter and add tasks.
When a task is added, it should appear as a list item on the page.
Each task should have a "Delete" button to remove it from the list.
Step 2: Creating an AI Prompt
We can convert the above requirements into a clear AI prompt. For example, using Claude, we could ask:
Please generate an HTML, CSS, and JavaScript-based to-do list web app. The page should include a text input field and an 'Add' button. When a user enters a task and clicks 'Add,' the task should be displayed as a list item below. Each task should have a 'Delete' button to remove it from the list. Provide a complete HTML file with all necessary code.
Tip: This prompt clearly specifies the tech stack (HTML/CSS/JS), the required UI elements, and their behaviors. A well-structured prompt like this helps AI generate accurate, functional code in one go.
Step 3: AI-Generated Code
Once Claude receives this request, it generates a corresponding code solution based on its training data.
Source: AI-Generated Code Demo
Step 4: Debugging & Refinements
Testing the Initial Version
We ran a few tests to check if the core functionality works as expected:
Entered "Buy milk", clicked Add → The to-do list displayed "Buy milk" with a Delete button.
Entered "Write code", clicked Add → A second item, "Write code", appeared in the list.
Refreshed the page → Previously added tasks were still there.
Clicked the Delete button next to "Buy milk" → The item was successfully removed.
Source: To-Do List Testing Demo
Since everything functioned correctly, we decided to enhance the UI. To improve the aesthetics, we asked Claude to apply a frosted glass (blurred) effect to the to-do list.
Source: Enhanced UI Demo
Source: Final To-Do List App
This example demonstrates a full Vibe Coding process:
Start with an idea → Write a clear AI prompt → Get the initial code from AI → Test and identify issues → Request improvements → Receive optimized code
Throughout this process, we barely wrote any business logic ourselves. Instead, we acted more like a product manager and tester, letting AI handle the coding. This is the true power of Vibe Coding —shifting the focus from writing code to shaping ideas and refining requirements.
App Deployment & Sharing
After development and testing, we need to deploy the app online for easy access. Deployment means publishing the code to a server, assigning a URL, and making it accessible to browsers worldwide.
Deployment Solutions for Developers (Vercel, Netlify, etc.)
If you have a developer background, platforms like Vercel or Netlify are great choices. They offer free tiers for hosting static websites and frontend apps, with highly automated deployment processes.
You can push your code to a Git repository (like GitHub), then create a project on Vercel/Netlify, import your GitHub repository, and choose the project. These platforms automatically detect the project type and build it (no build needed for simple HTML/CSS/JS files). Once deployed, they provide a default URL like your-project.vercel.app or something.netlify.app for access.
Deployment Solutions for Non-Developers (YouWare, etc.)
If you're unfamiliar with Git, the command line, or GitHub, don't worry—there are simpler tools for deploying AI-generated code. YouWare allows you to publish web apps without writing any configuration. Here's how it works:
Visit YouWare's website, and simply paste your code or upload your files. For example, drag and drop the completed todo-list-app.html file into the upload area.
YouWare hosts your app on its server and generates a link in seconds.
You can share this link with others, and anyone who clicks on it can access your deployed web app.
Source: YouWare Deployment Demo
YouWare is designed for users who have generated code with AI but don't know traditional deployment processes. It simplifies domain and server setup, providing a one-stop solution for personal projects, learning, and sharing.
Conclusion
In summary, Vibe Coding and AI-driven programming show immense potential. Developing skills in this area now will give you a head start in the tech world. Mastering collaborative coding with AI means learning how to effectively communicate with AI, guiding it to generate high-quality code, and quickly adapting to new technologies with AI's help. Staying curious and committed to continuous learning will help you stand out in the new era of human-AI co-created software.
Beginner's Guide to Vibe Coding: From Idea to Deploy
