Who Are Vibe Coders and Why Vibe Coding Is Becoming Mainstream
Learn what vibe coding is, who vibe coders are, how AI changed digital product development, and why one working portfolio project can be enough to get started.

In brief
- • A vibe coder builds digital products with AI and remains responsible for the final result.
- • Vibe coding makes it possible to build websites, applications, bots, and services faster.
- • The term became popular in 2025, although AI-assisted development had been evolving for years.
- • Yandex Practicum now offers a dedicated vibe coding course.
- • VibeMarket welcomes developers of any experience level when they have at least one working project.
Only a few years ago, building a website, application, or Telegram bot required solid programming knowledge, extensive documentation research, and a large amount of manual work.
Today, artificial intelligence can generate a significant part of the code.
A person describes the task in natural language, while AI suggests the project structure, creates files, writes functions, fixes errors, and helps prepare the product for launch.
This approach to software development is known as vibe coding.
People who build products in this way are often called vibe coders.
This article explains what vibe coding means, how it has evolved, what vibe coders can build, and why major education platforms now teach it as a separate practical skill.
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is a way of creating software through a conversation with artificial intelligence.
Instead of manually writing every line, a person describes the desired result:
what product should be created;
how it should look;
which functions should work;
what data should be stored;
which errors need to be fixed;
how the final result should be tested.
AI writes or modifies the code, while the person guides the process, reviews the result, and clarifies the requirements.
For example, someone might ask:
Create a responsive appointment booking website with a request form and an administration panel.
A modern AI tool can suggest the application structure, create the interface, add server logic, and prepare database integration.
The first generated version is rarely ready for real users.
The creator reviews it and continues the conversation:
Add form validation.
Fix the mobile layout.
Restrict access to the administration panel.
Store requests in a database.
Send a notification when a new booking is created.
This iterative conversation is the foundation of vibe coding.
Who is a vibe coder?
A vibe coder is a person who builds digital products with significant assistance from artificial intelligence.
Vibe coders may create:
websites;
online stores;
Telegram bots;
mobile applications;
user dashboards;
CRM systems;
booking services;
internal business tools;
automations;
small games;
browser extensions.
A vibe coder does not have to type every line manually.
Their main responsibility is to turn an idea into a working product.
This requires the ability to:
understand the task;
choose a suitable implementation;
explain the requirements to AI;
review the generated result;
fix errors;
test important scenarios;
launch the project;
remain responsible for its operation.
The number of lines written manually does not determine the quality of a specialist.
What matters is whether the product works and solves the user's problem.
How vibe coding evolved
Vibe coding did not appear overnight.
Early AI coding tools mainly completed individual lines and functions.
In 2021, GitHub introduced Copilot as an AI pair programmer. It suggested code directly inside the editor, while the developer still controlled the architecture, project structure, and testing.
Conversational AI later allowed developers to request complete components, discuss architecture, and receive help with errors.
The next step was the appearance of tools that could work across an entire project.
These systems can:
read multiple files;
locate related code;
modify application structure;
run terminal commands;
install dependencies;
inspect errors;
run tests.
As a result, people can guide much of the development process using ordinary language.
Where did the term come from?
The term vibe coding became widely known after a post by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025.
He described a development style in which a person delegates most code generation to a language model, requests changes in natural language, and sends error messages back to the AI until the application works.
The original description was partly humorous and focused on intuitive experimentation.
However, the term quickly expanded beyond small weekend projects.
Today, vibe coding may refer to both beginner experiments and serious development involving databases, authentication, integrations, testing, and deployment.
Why vibe coding became popular
The main reason is the lower barrier to entry.
Previously, several months of study could separate an idea from the first working version.
Today, a person may create a prototype within days or even hours.
Vibe coding is especially useful when someone needs to:
test an idea quickly;
build the first version of a product;
automate repetitive work;
launch a small internal service;
create a business landing page;
build an application for personal use;
prepare a demonstration for a client.
This does not mean that learning is no longer necessary.
Instead, people can learn development through their own projects and immediately see practical results.
What can a vibe coder build?
The possibilities depend on the person's experience and tools.
A beginner may create:
a personal website;
a service landing page;
a simple bot;
a task tracker;
a calculator;
a small catalogue;
a personal tracking application.
A more experienced vibe coder may develop:
a marketplace;
a CRM system;
a booking platform;
a mobile application;
a subscription service;
an analytics dashboard;
an application with authentication;
a payment integration;
a complex business automation.
Larger projects require a stronger understanding of data storage, account security, databases, backups, and deployment.
AI speeds up development, but it does not remove responsibility.
What should a good vibe coder know?
Requesting a website from AI once is not enough.
A good vibe coder must be able to finish the product.
Important skills include:
Understanding the user's task.
Dividing large work into smaller stages.
Reviewing important changes.
Protecting secret information.
Testing major user scenarios.
Preserving working project versions.
Fixing problems after launch.
Communicating limitations honestly.
Transferring source code and access.
Taking responsibility for the final result.
AI may generate a function, but a person decides whether that function should be used in a real product.
A professional cannot respond to a failure by saying:
AI wrote it, so I do not know why it does not work.
The specialist must investigate the problem, provide more context, correct the solution, and verify the result.
Risks of vibe coding
Vibe coding enables fast development, but speed can create problems.
AI may:
invent a function that does not exist;
use an outdated library;
remove working logic;
create insecure data storage;
miss an important validation;
add unnecessary dependencies;
fix one error while creating another.
Generated changes should not be accepted without review.
Research into vibe coding practices highlights recurring problems involving reliability, debugging, code review, and trust in AI output. Human judgement remains essential.
The requirements for a small personal project are different from those for a financial service or a system containing personal data.
Why Yandex teaches vibe coding
Vibe coding has moved beyond experiments and social media discussions.
Yandex Practicum now offers a dedicated vibe coding course.
The official programme describes progression from simple chatbots to more complex digital products, professional environment setup, and project deployment.
The course is also listed in the official Yandex Practicum catalogue as a separate two-month programme.
This shows that a major education platform now treats vibe coding as a practical product development skill rather than a temporary online trend.
Can someone become a vibe coder without a degree?
A technical degree is not required to create a first project.
A person can begin with a problem that matters to them:
build a website for a local business;
create a personal finance application;
automate request processing;
make a Telegram bot;
develop a small service for a hobby.
The first project does not need to be complex.
It should:
launch correctly;
perform its main function;
be understandable to users;
preserve data reliably;
look complete;
be suitable for demonstration.
This project becomes the first item in a portfolio.
Why one project matters
Clients usually want to see real results.
A certificate shows that someone completed a course.
A working project shows that they were able to:
understand an idea;
complete development;
solve problems;
launch a product;
prepare it for users.
Even one strong project can be enough to begin.
The creator should be able to explain:
why the product was built;
what problem it solves;
which functions were implemented;
which difficulties appeared;
how the project was deployed;
what the creator can maintain.
A project that someone is genuinely proud of often says more than a long list of technologies.
How VibeMarket supports vibe coders
VibeMarket is focused on fast digital product development with artificial intelligence.
The platform welcomes:
beginner vibe coders;
self-taught developers;
traditional programmers using AI;
creators of their own applications;
automation specialists;
people who have turned an idea into a working product.
VibeMarket does not require a freelancer to type every line manually.
Using ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot, and other AI tools is a normal part of modern development.
What matters is that the freelancer:
understands the task;
evaluates their abilities honestly;
shows real projects;
reviews their work;
meets the deadline;
takes responsibility for the result.
To get started, a person only needs at least one working project that can be added to a portfolio.
It may be a website, bot, application, game, automation, or personal service.
The project does not need thousands of users or significant revenue.
It should demonstrate that the creator can turn an idea into a working result.
How clients can choose a vibe coder
Clients should ask to see real projects.
Useful questions include:
what problem does the product solve;
is it currently working;
what part was completed by the specialist;
who configured the server;
how is data stored;
is the source code available;
how were the main functions tested;
can the freelancer support the product after launch.
A long list of technologies does not always prove practical ability.
A specialist who actively uses AI may still be able to launch products, fix errors, and deliver client work reliably.
A small paid task can be used to test communication, speed, and quality.
The future of vibe coding
Vibe coding will continue to develop alongside AI tools.
Models will become better at understanding large projects, identifying related files, testing changes, and fixing errors.
Digital product development will become more accessible to people without traditional programming education.
Human judgement will remain important.
The most valuable skills will include:
understanding the task;
selecting the right solution;
reviewing quality;
taking responsibility;
communicating with clients;
finishing and launching the product.
In the future, the term vibe coder may no longer sound unusual.
AI use may become a standard part of software development, just like Git, frameworks, and cloud services.
Conclusion
Vibe coding is a way of creating software through a conversation with artificial intelligence.
A vibe coder defines the task, guides the AI, reviews the result, and remains responsible for the finished product.
The approach has evolved from individual code suggestions to complete websites, applications, bots, and commercial services.
The dedicated Yandex Practicum course shows that vibe coding is becoming a practical skill that can be taught systematically.
VibeMarket supports fast AI-assisted development and welcomes specialists with different levels of experience.
Years of professional experience are not required to begin.
One working project that can be shown in a portfolio and that the creator is genuinely proud of may be enough.
The important question is not how many lines were typed manually.
The important question is whether the person can turn an idea into a working product and take responsibility for the result.