Vibe Coding (Intuitive Programming)

Overview

Vibe Coding (intuitive programming, feeling programming) is a programming method that relies on intuition, experience and immediate feedback. Developers do not strictly follow specifications or plans, but write and adjust code based on "feel".

Core Concept: Follow your intuition, iterate quickly, and change as you go.

Core concepts

1. What is Vibe Coding

Vibe Coding Features:

No clear plan: No detailed design documents are written
Quick iteration: write code → adjust → adjust again
Rely on intuition: judge the quality of the code based on "feeling"
Instant Feedback: Modify while running
AI Assisted: Use AI to quickly explore ideas

2. Vibe Coding vs Traditional Programming

Dimension	Traditional programming	Vibe Coding
Planning	Detailed design	Improvisation
Documentation	Write documentation first	Code is documentation
Process	Requirements → Design → Coding	Ideas → Code → Adjustment
Test	Write tests first	Make up tests later
Flexibility	Structured	Highly flexible

Vibe Coding style

1. Exploratory programming

Idea: "I want to make a simple to-do list app"
    ↓
Rapid prototyping: using AI to generate basic code
    ↓
Run the test: see how it works
    ↓
Intuitive adjustment: "This color doesn't look good, change it."
    ↓
Added function: "Add a classification function"
    ↓
Continue to adjust: "The layout is a bit messy, let's restructure it"

2. Conversational programming

Developer: "Make me a login page"
AI: [generate code]
Developer: "The color is too dark"
AI: [Adjust Color]
Developer: "Add a forgotten password link"
AI: [Added functionality]
Developer: "This location is wrong"
AI: [Adjust layout]
...

3. Trial-and-error programming

Attempt 1: [Option A] → No, too complicated
Attempt 2: [Option B] → Still wrong
Attempt 3: [Option C] → It feels right!
Improvement: [Proposal C improvement] → Complete

Vibe Coding scene

Suitable for the scene

Scene	Reason
Prototype Development	Quickly validate ideas
Creative Projects	Requires flexibility to explore
Learn new technologies	Learn by doing
Personal Project	No teamwork required
Hackathon	Time is limited, hurry up

Not suitable for the scene

Scene	Reason
Large Team Projects	Lack of specifications leads to chaos
Safety Critical Systems	Requires strict verification
Long-Term Maintenance Project	Technical Debt Accumulation
Complex business system	Detailed design required

Vibe Coding + AI

1. AI as an "intuition amplifier"

Developer’s intuition → Rapid AI implementation → Instant feedback → Strengthened intuition
     ↑                                          ↓
     └────────────────────────────────────────┘
Continuous iteration loop

2. Tool support

Tools	Vibe Coding Support
Cursor	Quick generation, instant modification
Claude Code	Conversational Development
Cline	Rapid iteration within VS Code
Replit	Run instantly in the browser

3. Typical workflow

# 1. Just ask AI to do whatever comes to mind
claude-code "Create a React to-do component"

# 2. Watch the effect and make adjustments intuitively.
claude-code "Change the button to rounded corners and add a shadow"

# 3. Continue to add features
claude-code "Add a delete button, use red"

# 4. Find the problem
claude-code "No response after deletion, please check"

# 5. Refactoring and adjustment
claude-code "The code is a bit messy, please tidy it up"

Vibe Coding Tips

1. Rapid Prototyping

Step 1: Implement core functions in 5 minutes
Step 2: Run and see the effect
Step 3: Adjust intuitively
Step 4: Continue to add
Step 5: Refactor at any time

2. Minimum Viable Product

Don't think it's complete from the beginning
Make the simplest version first
Then gradually improve

3. Trust your intuition

"This color feels wrong" → Change
"The logic feels a bit complicated" → Simplify
"I feel like this can be optimized" → Optimize

4. Embrace imperfection

Vibe Coding accepts:
- The code may not be elegant enough
- The structure may not be perfect
- Testing may not be complete
But the point is: make something usable quickly

Vibe Coding vs Spec-Driven Development

Comparison table

Dimension	Vibe Coding	Spec-Driven Development
Planning	Casual	Strict
Documentation	Code is documentation	Detailed specifications
Flexibility	Very High	Moderate
Maintainability	Low	High
Teamwork	Difficult	Easy
Learning Curve	Low	High
AI Engagement	High	High
Applicable size	Small	Large

When to use

Scenario	Recommendation
Creative Verification	Vibe Coding
Hackathon	Vibe Coding
Personal Project	Vibe Coding
Team Project	Spec-Driven
Enterprise Level System	Spec-Driven
Long-Term Product	Spec-Driven

Best Practices for Vibe Coding

1. Keep the code clean

Even with Vibe Coding, you still need to:

- Regular refactoring
- Remove useless code
- Keep naming consistent
- Add necessary comments

2. Use Git branches

main (stable version)
  ↑
feature/experiment (feel free to try)
  ↓
The experiment was successful → merged into main
The experiment failed → delete directly

3. Set time limit

- No more than 2 hours per session
- Avoid getting stuck in endless adjustments
-Regular review and organization

4. Record important decisions

Even if you don’t write detailed documentation, you should still record:
- Why choose this option
- Pitfalls encountered and solutions
- Directions for improvement next time

Risks of Vibe Coding

1. Technical Debt

Rapid Prototyping → Technical Debt Accumulation
    ↓
If you don’t repay your debt on time
    ↓
Project becomes difficult to maintain

2. Lack of traceability

"Why do you write it like this?"
"I don't know, it felt right at the time."

3. Difficulty in teamwork

"What does this code mean?"
"I don't understand either. He wrote it based on his feelings."

4. Difficult to reproduce

"How is this function implemented?"
"I forgot, I just wrote it casually"

Mixed strategy

Vibe + Spec

The best way is to combine the two:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Vibe + Spec Mixed Strategy │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│Exploration Phase (Vibe) │
│ ├── Rapid Prototyping │
│ ├── Test ideas │
│ └── Find the direction │
│         ↓                                              │
│ Stable Phase (Spec) │
│ ├── Writing specifications │
│ ├── Refactor the code │
│ └── Add test │
│         ↓                                              │
│Iteration loop │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Practical suggestions

Personal project: Multi-purpose Vibe Coding
Team project: Spec for the core and Vibe for the edge
Urgent needs: Vibe first, then Spec specification
Innovation and exploration: Vibe takes the lead, Spec follows up

Reference resources

Spaghetti Code - Anti-pattern
Technical Debt - technical debt
Prototype - prototype development

tool

Cursor - AI IDE
Claude Code - AI CLI
Replit - Online IDE

Document updated: December 2025

Overview​

Core concepts​

1. What is Vibe Coding​

2. Vibe Coding vs Traditional Programming​

Vibe Coding style​

1. Exploratory programming​

2. Conversational programming​

3. Trial-and-error programming​

Vibe Coding scene​

Suitable for the scene​

Not suitable for the scene​

Vibe Coding + AI​

1. AI as an "intuition amplifier"​

2. Tool support​

3. Typical workflow​

Vibe Coding Tips​

1. Rapid Prototyping​

2. Minimum Viable Product​

3. Trust your intuition​

4. Embrace imperfection​

Vibe Coding vs Spec-Driven Development​

Comparison table​

When to use​

Best Practices for Vibe Coding​

1. Keep the code clean​

2. Use Git branches​

3. Set time limit​

4. Record important decisions​

Risks of Vibe Coding​

1. Technical Debt​

2. Lack of traceability​

3. Difficulty in teamwork​

4. Difficult to reproduce​

Mixed strategy​

Vibe + Spec​

Practical suggestions​

Reference resources​

Related concepts​

tool​