Welcome to the Vibe Coding Core Concepts repository! This collection of resources is designed to help developers master the essential concepts needed to become proficient in Vibe Coding.
This repository contains core concepts of web development with a short description so that you can get a start to know the core concepts and become a good vibe coder. This resource is well suited for:
- Non-technical solopreneurs who want to build products with vibe coding
- Product managers who would like to become better in vibe coding in building functional prototypes before pushing it to their tech teams as feature requests
- Anyone who would like to build impactful web applications
The core concepts are tailored to web development initially, and by the passage of time, we can enhance it to mobile app development concepts and so on. Feel free to contribute with a PR.
This repository is part of the Vibe Coding 101 Course initiative by Aemal Sayer (aemalsayer.com). It serves as a comprehensive resource for learning the core concepts of Vibe Coding.
Vibe Coding is a revolutionary approach to software development introduced by computer scientist Andrej Karpathy in February 2025. It represents a paradigm shift in how we think about and create software:
- Natural Language First: Instead of writing code manually, developers describe their intentions in plain language
- AI-Powered Development: Large Language Models (LLMs) generate the corresponding code based on these descriptions
- Developer as Guide: The role shifts from manual coding to guiding, testing, and refining AI-generated code
- Accessibility: Makes software development more approachable for those without extensive programming backgrounds
Understanding how the internet works and its core components.
- How the internet works: Learn about the global network of interconnected computers and how data travels across it.
- DNS and domain management: Understand how domain names are translated to IP addresses and how to manage them.
- IP addresses and networking basics: Learn about IP addressing, subnets, and basic network communication.
- Web hosting and servers: Explore different types of web hosting and how servers deliver content to users.
The foundation of web communication and data transfer.
- HTTP request/response cycle: Understand how clients and servers communicate through HTTP messages.
- HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE): Learn the different ways to interact with web resources.
- Status codes and their meanings: Decode the numeric responses that indicate request success or failure.
- Headers and their importance: Discover how HTTP headers control caching, security, and content negotiation.
The gateway to the web and its rendering engines.
- Browser rendering engines: Learn how browsers interpret and display web content.
- Developer tools: Master the built-in tools for debugging and optimizing web pages.
- Cross-browser compatibility: Ensure your website works consistently across different browsers.
- Browser storage mechanisms: Understand how browsers store data locally (cookies, localStorage, etc.).
The building blocks of web content.
- HTML5 semantic elements: Use meaningful tags to structure your content effectively.
- Forms and input types: Create interactive forms with various input options.
- Accessibility basics: Make your content usable by everyone, including those with disabilities.
- Meta tags and SEO: Optimize your pages for search engines and social sharing.
Styling and layout of web content.
- Box model: Understand how elements are sized and spaced on the page.
- Flexbox and Grid: Create responsive layouts with modern CSS techniques.
- Responsive design: Make your website look great on all devices.
- CSS preprocessors: Use tools like SASS to write more maintainable styles.
The programming language of the web.
- Variables and data types: Store and manipulate different kinds of data.
- Functions and scope: Create reusable code blocks and understand variable visibility.
- DOM manipulation: Change webpage content dynamically.
- Event handling: Respond to user interactions like clicks and keypresses.
Advanced JavaScript features and patterns.
- ES6+ features: Use modern JavaScript syntax and capabilities.
- Async/await and Promises: Handle asynchronous operations elegantly.
- Modules and imports: Organize code into reusable modules.
- Arrow functions and destructuring: Write cleaner, more concise code.
Modern tools for building complex user interfaces.
- React/Vue/Angular basics: Understand popular frameworks for building web applications.
- Component architecture: Break down UIs into reusable components.
- State management: Handle application data and UI state effectively.
- Virtual DOM: Learn how frameworks optimize rendering performance.
Server-side programming and application logic.
- Server-side programming: Write code that runs on the server.
- API development: Create interfaces for client applications to interact with.
- Database integration: Connect your application to data storage systems.
- Authentication systems: Implement secure user login and authorization.
Storing and managing application data.
- SQL vs NoSQL: Choose the right database type for your needs.
- Database design: Create efficient and scalable database structures.
- Query optimization: Write fast and efficient database queries.
- ORMs and migrations: Use tools to manage database changes and interactions.
Designing and implementing web services.
- REST principles: Follow the architectural style for web services.
- Endpoint design: Create intuitive and consistent API endpoints.
- API documentation: Write clear documentation for API consumers.
- Versioning strategies: Manage API changes without breaking existing clients.
A modern approach to API design.
- GraphQL basics: Understand the query language for APIs.
- Queries and mutations: Fetch and modify data efficiently.
- Schema design: Define your data structure and relationships.
- Apollo/Relay: Use popular GraphQL client libraries.
Securing access to your application.
- JWT tokens: Implement stateless authentication.
- OAuth flows: Enable third-party login and authorization.
- Session management: Handle user sessions securely.
- Role-based access: Control what users can do based on their roles.
Protecting your application from threats.
- HTTPS/SSL: Encrypt data in transit.
- XSS prevention: Stop cross-site scripting attacks.
- CSRF protection: Prevent cross-site request forgery.
- SQL injection prevention: Secure your database queries.
Ensuring code quality and reliability.
- Unit testing: Test individual components in isolation.
- Integration testing: Verify how components work together.
- E2E testing: Test the entire application flow.
- Test-driven development: Write tests before implementing features.
Managing code changes and collaboration.
- Git fundamentals: Master the basics of version control.
- Branching strategies: Organize code changes effectively.
- CI/CD pipelines: Automate testing and deployment.
- Code review practices: Ensure code quality through peer review.
Managing project dependencies.
- npm/yarn: Use package managers for JavaScript projects.
- Dependency management: Handle project dependencies effectively.
- Package publishing: Share your code with others.
- Version control: Manage package versions and updates.
Tools for optimizing and bundling code.
- Webpack: Bundle and optimize your assets.
- Babel: Transpile modern JavaScript for older browsers.
- Task runners: Automate development tasks.
- Module bundlers: Combine modules into browser-ready files.
Making your application fast and efficient.
- Code splitting: Load only the code needed for each page.
- Lazy loading: Load resources only when needed.
- Caching strategies: Store frequently used data for quick access.
- Performance metrics: Measure and improve application speed.
Web applications that feel like native apps.
- Service workers: Enable offline functionality and background tasks.
- Web manifests: Define app metadata and behavior.
- Offline capabilities: Make your app work without internet.
- Push notifications: Engage users with timely updates.
Making the web usable for everyone.
- WCAG guidelines: Follow accessibility standards.
- ARIA attributes: Enhance accessibility for screen readers.
- Screen readers: Ensure content is accessible to visually impaired users.
- Keyboard navigation: Support keyboard-only usage.
Handling application data and UI state.
- Redux/MobX: Use state management libraries.
- Context API: Share state across components.
- State persistence: Save and restore application state.
- State normalization: Organize state data efficiently.
Real-time communication in web applications.
- Real-time communication: Enable instant data updates.
- Socket.io: Use a popular WebSocket library.
- WebSocket protocol: Understand the underlying technology.
- Event handling: Manage real-time events effectively.
Building scalable, distributed applications.
- Service architecture: Design independent, focused services.
- API gateways: Manage service communication.
- Service discovery: Find and connect to services dynamically.
- Load balancing: Distribute traffic across services.
Packaging and deploying applications consistently.
- Docker basics: Create and manage containers.
- Container orchestration: Manage multiple containers.
- Kubernetes: Use a popular container orchestration platform.
- Docker Compose: Define and run multi-container applications.
Using cloud services for scalability and reliability.
- AWS/Azure/GCP basics: Understand major cloud platforms.
- Serverless architecture: Build applications without managing servers.
- Cloud functions: Run code in response to events.
- Cloud storage: Store and serve files in the cloud.
Combining development and operations practices.
- Infrastructure as Code: Manage infrastructure through code.
- Configuration management: Automate system configuration.
- Monitoring and logging: Track application health and performance.
- Deployment strategies: Release updates safely and efficiently.
Understanding user behavior and performance.
- Google Analytics: Track website usage and behavior.
- Event tracking: Monitor specific user actions.
- User behavior analysis: Understand how users interact with your site.
- A/B testing: Compare different versions of features.
Improving visibility in search results.
- On-page SEO: Optimize content for search engines.
- Technical SEO: Ensure search engines can crawl your site.
- Content strategy: Create valuable, searchable content.
- Link building: Improve site authority through backlinks.
Managing and delivering content efficiently.
- WordPress: Use a popular CMS platform.
- Headless CMS: Separate content management from presentation.
- Content modeling: Structure your content effectively.
- API integration: Connect CMS with other systems.
Creating effective and appealing interfaces.
- UI/UX basics: Design user-friendly interfaces.
- Color theory: Use color effectively in design.
- Typography: Choose and use fonts appropriately.
- Layout design: Organize content for optimal user experience.
Creating mobile-friendly experiences.
- Responsive design: Adapt layouts to different screen sizes.
- Progressive enhancement: Build for basic browsers first.
- Mobile-first approach: Design for mobile devices first.
- Touch interactions: Optimize for touch-based input.
High-performance web applications.
- WASM basics: Understand WebAssembly technology.
- Performance optimization: Achieve near-native performance.
- Language integration: Use other languages in the browser.
- Use cases: Identify when to use WebAssembly.
Reusable custom HTML elements.
- Custom elements: Create your own HTML tags.
- Shadow DOM: Encapsulate component styles and markup.
- HTML templates: Define reusable markup structures.
- Component lifecycle: Manage component state and updates.
Adding type safety to JavaScript.
- Type system: Use static typing in JavaScript.
- Interfaces: Define object structures.
- Generics: Create reusable type-safe code.
- Type inference: Let TypeScript determine types automatically.
Storing and querying connected data.
- Neo4j basics: Use a popular graph database.
- GraphQL integration: Connect GraphQL with graph databases.
- Query languages: Learn specialized query languages for graphs.
- Use cases: Identify when to use graph databases.
Handling asynchronous communication.
- RabbitMQ: Use a popular message broker.
- Kafka: Implement event streaming.
- Message patterns: Design effective message flows.
- Event-driven architecture: Build systems around events.
Improving application performance.
- Redis: Use an in-memory data store.
- Memcached: Implement distributed caching.
- CDN integration: Serve content from edge locations.
- Cache invalidation: Manage cached data updates.
Extracting data from websites.
- Scraping tools: Use libraries for web scraping.
- Data extraction: Parse and collect web data.
- Rate limiting: Respect website usage policies.
- Legal considerations: Understand scraping legality.
Making applications work globally.
- i18n libraries: Use tools for internationalization.
- Locale management: Handle different languages and regions.
- RTL support: Support right-to-left languages.
- Date/time handling: Format dates and times correctly.
Processing online payments securely.
- Payment gateways: Connect to payment processors.
- Security compliance: Meet payment security standards.
- Subscription models: Handle recurring payments.
- Payment processing: Implement payment flows.
Real-time communication in the browser.
- Real-time communication: Enable peer-to-peer connections.
- Peer-to-peer connections: Connect users directly.
- Media streaming: Handle audio and video streams.
- Data channels: Exchange arbitrary data between peers.
Enhancing web security through headers.
- CSP: Control resource loading with Content Security Policy.
- HSTS: Enforce HTTPS with HTTP Strict Transport Security.
- X-Frame-Options: Prevent clickjacking attacks.
- Security headers: Implement various security-related headers.
Optimizing website speed and efficiency.
- Core Web Vitals: Measure key performance metrics.
- Lighthouse: Use Google's performance auditing tool.
- Performance budgets: Set and maintain performance goals.
- Optimization techniques: Implement performance improvements.
Following web development best practices.
- W3C standards: Adhere to web standards.
- Browser compatibility: Ensure cross-browser support.
- Feature detection: Check for browser capabilities.
- Polyfills: Add missing features to older browsers.
Designing scalable web applications.
- Monolithic vs Microservices: Choose the right architecture.
- Serverless architecture: Build without managing servers.
- Event-driven architecture: Design around events.
- Domain-driven design: Model complex business domains.
Essential tools for development.
- Code editors: Use powerful text editors.
- Debugging tools: Find and fix issues.
- Browser extensions: Enhance development workflow.
- Development environments: Set up efficient workspaces.
Managing the development process.
- Agile methodology: Follow iterative development practices.
- Project management: Organize and track development work.
- Code review process: Ensure code quality through reviews.
- Documentation: Maintain clear project documentation.
Following industry standards and patterns.
- Code organization: Structure code effectively.
- Naming conventions: Use consistent naming patterns.
- Error handling: Manage errors gracefully.
- Logging strategies: Implement effective logging.
Emerging trends and technologies.
- Web3: Explore decentralized web technologies.
- AI integration: Incorporate artificial intelligence.
- AR/VR web: Develop immersive web experiences.
- Emerging technologies: Stay current with new developments.