{"id":6755,"date":"2026-03-31T17:40:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkone.fr\/2026\/03\/31\/vibe-coding-the-complete-guide-to-understanding-everything\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T17:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:41:16","slug":"vibe-coding-the-complete-guide-to-understanding-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arkone.fr\/en\/2026\/03\/31\/vibe-coding-the-complete-guide-to-understanding-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"Vibe coding: the complete guide to understanding everything"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vibe coding<\/strong> is undoubtedly the most significant tech term of recent years<\/strong> . Chosen as the word of the year 2025 by the Collins dictionary<\/a> , it refers to a new way of creating<\/strong> software: instead of writing code<\/strong> line by line, you describe what you want in natural language<\/strong> and artificial intelligence takes care of the rest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By 2026, thousands of people will be using vibe coding<\/strong> to build SaaS applications and tools, sometimes in just a few hours. But have you ever tried scaling an AI-generated application<\/strong> ? Beyond the initial magic<\/strong> , project leaders quickly hit a wall: invisible technical debt<\/strong> , security vulnerabilities<\/strong> , and the inability to scale.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

In this comprehensive guide<\/strong> , we explain everything: what vibe coding is<\/strong> , how it works<\/strong> , the tools used<\/strong> , and above all, at what precise moment<\/strong> it becomes urgent to hand over to real developers<\/strong> for the rest of your project.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

1.<\/span> Definition: What is vibe coding?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Vibe coding<\/strong> is a software development approach that uses artificial intelligence to generate code from natural language descriptions.<\/p>\n

The fundamental principle<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vibe coding<\/strong> is based on a simple idea: focusing on the \"what\"<\/strong> rather than the \"how\"<\/strong> . You describe the desired result, and the AI \u200b\u200btakes care of the technical implementation. This is a complete reversal of how software has been developed for years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"A<\/span><\/div>\n\n

2. The history of vibe coding: from Karpathy to today<\/strong><\/h2>\n

February 2025: the founding tweet<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The term \"vibe coding\"<\/strong> was coined by Andrej Karpathy<\/strong> , co-founder of OpenAI<\/strong> and former head of AI at Tesla<\/strong> , in a tweet that went viral in February 2025<\/strong> :<\/p>\n

\"There's a new kind of coding I call 'vibe coding', where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.\"<\/p>\n

To translate<\/strong> the general idea into French, it goes something like this: \"There is a new way of programming that I call 'vibe coding', where you let yourself be completely guided by intuition, where you embrace exponential progress, and where you even forget the existence of code itself.\"<\/p>\n

Karpathy<\/strong> described his own experience: he used AI tools to build personal projects<\/strong> by \" accepting everything<\/strong> \" that the AI \u200b\u200bproposed, without really reading the code<\/strong> . If it worked, that was enough. <\/p>\n

2025: The explosion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The concept struck a chord. In just a few months<\/strong> :<\/p>\n

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  • Thousands of non-developers<\/strong> have started creating applications with tools like Bolt, Lovable, and Replit.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • The term<\/strong> has been adopted<\/strong> by the entire industry<\/strong> : Google, IBM, and Cloudflare use it in their official communications.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Collins Dictionary<\/strong> has named it word of the year 2025<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Startups<\/strong> have been launched with products entirely<\/strong> \" vibe-coded<\/strong> \".<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    2026: Maturity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    In early 2026<\/strong> , Karpathy<\/strong> himself further developed the concept<\/strong> . He now distinguishes between<\/strong> two levels<\/strong> : Vibe coding<\/strong> and agentic engineering<\/strong> . Agentic engineering<\/strong> represents the mature version of vibe coding<\/strong> : the developer no longer codes line by line, but acts as an architect<\/strong> who guides autonomous AI agents. They break down problems, define constraints, and validate the results. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    \"Andrej<\/span><\/div>\n\n

    3. How does it work in practice?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The typical vibe coding workflow<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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    • Describe<\/strong> : You describe your project in natural language. For example: \"I want a landing page with a contact form and a modern dark design.\" <\/li>\n
    • Generate<\/strong> : The AI \u200b\u200bgenerates the complete code, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, backend, and database.<\/li>\n
    • Test<\/strong> : You test the result live thanks to an instant preview in your browser.<\/li>\n
    • Iterate<\/strong> : You describe the desired changes. For example: \"Change the button color to purple and add a scrolling animation.\" <\/li>\n
    • Deploy<\/strong> : You publish everything in one click and get an online URL, ready to be shared.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What AI can do today<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      By 2026, vibe coding tools will be able to generate:<\/p>\n

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      • Complete user interfaces<\/strong> (React, Next.js, HTML\/CSS)<\/li>\n
      • APIs<\/strong> and backends<\/strong> (Node.js, Python, databases)<\/li>\n
      • Authentication systems<\/strong> (login, registration, OAuth)<\/li>\n
      • Third-party service integrations<\/strong> (Stripe, SendGrid, Supabase)<\/li>\n
      • Mobile applications<\/strong> (React Native, Flutter)<\/li>\n
      • Landing pages<\/strong> and showcase websites<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        <\/path><\/svg> What AI can't (do well)<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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        • A scalable architecture<\/strong> designed for thousands of users<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Robust security<\/strong> including encryption<\/strong> , granular permission<\/strong> management<\/strong> , and GDPR compliance<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Automated testing<\/strong> and continuous integration\/continuous delivery (CI\/CD) pipelines<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Precise optimization<\/strong> of performance<\/strong> at scale<\/li>\n
        • Maintenance<\/strong> and long-term<\/strong> technical developments<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          <\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

          4. The advantages of vibe coding<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          Unprecedented speed of development<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          This is the main advantage<\/strong> . What used to take weeks<\/strong> can now be done in a few hours<\/strong> . A functional MVP, including an interface, a database, and an authentication system, can be built over a weekend<\/strong> . <\/p>\n

          Reduced costs (at startup)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          It's no longer necessary to hire a full development team just to validate an idea. With a simple monthly subscription of a few dozen euros, an entrepreneur can create a working prototype<\/strong> and test their market<\/strong> immediately. <\/p>\n

          Accessible to non-developers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          This approach completely democratizes software creation. Designers, marketers, and project leaders can now transform their ideas into concrete products without needing to learn a single programming language. <\/p>\n

          ultra-fast iteration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          You test an idea<\/strong> , discard it if it doesn't work<\/strong> , and then test a new one<\/strong> in minutes<\/strong> instead of days. This speed of iteration becomes a major competitive advantage<\/strong> for young startups in their launch phase. <\/p>\n

          <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

          \"A<\/span><\/div>\n\n

          5. Limitations and risks to be aware of<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          Vibe coding<\/strong> is n't a magic bullet<\/strong> . Here are the real problems<\/strong> we see at Arkone when we take over<\/strong> projects that were originally \"vibe-coded\"<\/strong> : <\/p>\n

          Technical debt is accumulating silently<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          The AI-generated code works, but it's not always well-structured<\/strong> . The AI \u200b\u200bduplicates code<\/strong> , does n't follow good architectural practices<\/strong> , and doesn't consider<\/strong> maintainability<\/strong> . As a result, after a few weeks of iterations, the project becomes a tangled mess that's impossible to maintain.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

          Security breaches are frequent.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          According to several studies, LLMs introduce security vulnerabilities<\/strong> in approximately 45% of cases. SQL injections, XSS vulnerabilities, hard-coded API keys, lack of input validation\u2026 AI code is not audited by default<\/strong> . The concrete risks: <\/p>\n

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          • User data exposed<\/strong> (GDPR not respected)<\/li>\n
          • API keys<\/strong> and secrets visible<\/strong> in the source code<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • No encryption of sensitive data<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Unverified dependencies<\/strong> (supply chain risk)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            The \"wall\" of scaling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            A prototype that works for 10 users doesn't necessarily work for 10,000<\/strong> . AI doesn't consider: <\/p>\n

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            • Load balancing<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • Database query optimization<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • The caching<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • Automated testing<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • Supervision<\/strong> and monitoring<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              The paradox of understanding<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              The more you delegate to AI<\/strong> , the less you understand your own code<\/strong> . If a bug occurs in production at 3 a.m., you can't fix it if you don't understand how the code works. <\/p>\n

              No documentation, no tests<\/strong><\/h3>\n

              The coded Vibe code<\/strong> is rarely accompanied<\/strong> by:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Unit and integration<\/strong> testing<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • Technical documentation<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • CI\/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment) Pipeline<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • Environment management<\/strong> (dev, staging, production)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                <\/h2>\n

                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                \"Frustrated<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

                6. Vibe Coding vs. Professional Development<\/span><\/h2>\n

                Here is an honest comparison:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                <\/h2>\n

                <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n