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If you're not already familiar with the term, vibe coding is a new way of coding that allows people to use AI to create software without needing to know how to program. In the best case it empowers people to be creative and build tools that help with work or play, as low- or no-code solutions have always done. In the worst case it gives the impression (or rather sets the expectation) that they can literally build anything, and that software developers are a thing of the past. As with most things in life the truth of the matter lies somewhere between these extremes.

Vibe coding can be a great way to learn programming (and just have fun). It could save you hours of research, though AI is notorious for confidently giving you the wrong answer.

In many ways vibe coding is a variation of a theme. For many years there have been services to help non-programmers create tools. Some of the more recent iterations are low- and no-code solutions using drag and drop and interactive prompts. An example of this is Zapier, which allows you to connect various services and platforms to create workflows, among other things. One way you could use it would be to create a workflow that syndicates a blog post to your social network accounts or emails subscribers. In these cases the technology, hosting platform, security, and protocols are abstracted away so users can focus on the what and not be concerned with the how.

Vibe coding differs in that it requires that you also have an understanding of the how. In the example of syndicating a blog post, you would need to have some understanding of how each connected service handles communication with third party services, how to configure access for each platform, how the app needs to be hosted, how to deploy the app, and how to ensure the app is secure. You also need to know how to set up, use, and maintain a development tool chain, though some services may generate/host projects or compile code for you.

AI is trained on code written by people in the past. The word "train" implies that it's learning how to code when in fact it's just indexing the data in a way that allows the AI to regurgitate answers derived from that information. As technology changes AI needs to ingest new code written by software developers in order to keep up.

So if your choice of using vibe coding is simply a way to learn programming (and just have fun) you should go for it!

Otherwise, below is a checklist of good reasons to use vibe coding to build something. Keep in mind that complexity and tolerance for adventure are always subjective.

1. You're tech savvy and interested in coding
2. Your timeline is long or there is no deadline
3. The app is reasonably simple, like a to do list or simple expense tracker, or is a prototype
4. The app does not need to be hosted in the cloud
5. You don't need to use complex third party service integrations
6. The app cannot be created using an existing software package, like Claris Filemaker, etc.
7. Security is not a concern
8. Reliability is not a concern
9. Scalability is not a concern
10. Localization is not a concern
11. Look and feel of the app is not a concern
12. Data backup, recovery, and code versioning are not concerns
13. Using the latest development patterns, languages, frameworks, and APIs is not necessary

If any of the previous points are an issue, here are some good reasons for using a low-/no-code hosted solution instead.

1. You're not very tech savvy and/or not very interested in coding
2. The app is no more than moderately complex, like a service to syndicate blog posts, or is a prototype; again, complexity can be subjective
3. The app can or needs to be hosted in the cloud
4. The app needs one or more third party service integrations
5. Feature alignment; the service offers exactly what you need
6. The look and feel of your app can be achieved with the hosted service
7. Pricing for the hosted service meets your budget
8. The hosted service provides disaster recovery options

This is merely scratching the surface. As a professional software developer I can tell you that the devil is in the details. One example is how important security is nowadays, and how challenging it can be to maintain a proper security posture even when you know how to code. Besides, with the right software development partner you'll end up with a better result, and stay within your timeline and budget.

A professional software development partner can handle all of the gaps and requirements you may have identified in the previous lists, including:

• Tight timeline
• High complexity
• Security concerns
• Reliability concerns
• Scalability concerns
• Deployment, hosting, and/or third party integrations
• Changes to support hosting or third party integration changes
• Technology options
• Product evolution and upgrades
• Strategies for disaster recovery and data backup
• Strategies for scaling the product
• App look and feel
• ...and so much more!

Want to know more?

There's usually more to the story so if you have questions or comments about this post let us know!

Do you need a new software development partner for an upcoming project? We would love to work with you! From websites and mobile apps to cloud services and custom software, we can help!