Vibe Coding vs. Agentic Coding: 2025 Beginner’s Guide to AI‑Driven Development

Simply put, Vibe coding = “see things, say things, run things” (Karpathy).
Agentic coding = “set a goal, let an autonomous agent plan, code, test, and PR” (Devin, Copilot).

I didn't even know what I have been doing for so long is Vibe coding. I have vibe-coded a lot of projects that I have written about. This was an interesting research to do.

Why is Everybody Vibe Coding?

Tech media and developer forums have tracked a surge in chatter around “vibe coding” and “agentic coding” since early 2025, with mainstream outlets from The New York Times to Business Insider covering the phenomenon.

What Is Vibe Coding?

Coined by OpenAI co‑founder Andrej Karpathy in February 2025, vibe coding is a natural‑language, human‑in‑the‑loop workflow:

see the problem → say the vibe → run what the model writes. You continuously prompt an LLM (ChatGPT, Cursor, Replit Ghostwriter), review its diffs, and steer it toward a working feature.

Even AI luminary Andrew Ng cautions that—despite the playful name—the process can be mentally taxing; you’re still responsible for architecture, security, and QA.

Is Vibe Coding Good For Beginners?

Short answer is yes. Here's why;

• Zero setup – just a browser tab and an LLM chat.
• Instant dopamine – deploy to Netlify/Vercel in minutes.
• Teachable moments – ask “explain this function” and get a live lesson.

What Is Agentic Coding?

Agentic coding deal smore with autonomous agents. Tools such as Devin 2.0 (Cognition Labs) or GitHub Copilot Coding Agent accept a goal—“upgrade this repo to Django 5 and pass all tests”—then plan tasks, edit files, run CI, and open pull‑requests while you supervise.

Why Should You Try Agentic Coding?

• Handles mind‑numbing chores (dependency bumps, test scaffolding).
• Scales to multi‑repo refactors and overnight builds.
• Frees humans for architectural and product thinking.

The Difference Between Vibe Coding and Agentic Coding.

Vibe Code Your First App, ready for deployment in seconds!

1. Fire a Hello‑World Vibe Prompt

   “Create a single‑file Flask app that returns ‘Hello, vibe world!’ on / .”

Ship the generated code to Vercel’s Python template in one click.

1. Level Up With Real Data
   Add OpenWeatherMap or TheMealDB API calls so the project feels alive.

2. Ask the Model to Write Tests
   “Draft a PyTest that asserts status 200 and expected JSON.” Learn TDD without boilerplate.

3. Commit Early, Commit Often
   Save a git commit before every new prompt—rolling back LLM mis‑fires is a lifesaver.

4. Lint & Scan for Vulnerabilities
   Prompt the model to add ESLint/Prettier configs and run npm audit or pip‑audit.

5. Fork a Tiny Repo & Meet Devin
   Give Devin a bounded task like “replace Husky hooks with Biome and keep CI green.” Reference: (medium.com)

6. Set Clear Acceptance Criteria for Agents
   Agents love specifics: “20 posts per page, no UI regressions.” Reference: (github.com)

7. Review Every PR Before Merge
   Even perfect‑looking diffs can hide dependency bumps or skipped tests—run CI locally.

8. Combine Forces in a Hybrid Loop
   Vibe‑code new features in the morning → let an agent add docs/tests overnight → you review & merge. Reference: (github.com)

Tips On Starting Out With Vibe or Agentic Coding

• Brand‑new to coding? Start with vibe prompts; the feedback loop is faster.
• Maintaining an existing codebase? Try agentic tickets for repetitive upgrades.
• Side‑project hustler? Hybrid: vibe for speed, agent for polish.

Is Vibe Coding A Good Thing?

Industry analysts expect most teams to adopt a human‑prompted → agent‑executed → human‑reviewed pipeline by 2026, blending the creativity of vibe coding with the scale of agentic automation.

• Vibe coding gets you from idea to running demo fast—perfect for learning and MVPs.
• Agentic coding automates the grunt work—ideal for large-scale maintenance.
• The winning skill: knowing when to steer conversationally and when to delegate autonomously.

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