Glossary: Key Terms in Vibe Coding

This glossary provides definitions for important terms used throughout the "Vibe Coding: Building Apps with AI Conversation" course. Understanding these concepts will help you master the art of building with AI.

A

AI-Native Environment: A code editor built from the ground up with integrated AI capabilities, designed to enhance the development workflow. Examples include Cursor.

AI Partner: Any artificial intelligence tool or service that assists in the software development process, from brainstorming to code generation and debugging.

C

Conversational AI: AI models designed to interact with users through natural language, often used for brainstorming, generating ideas, and producing initial code snippets. Examples include Gemini and ChatGPT.

Code Assistant: AI tools that integrate directly into code editors, providing real-time suggestions, autocompletions, and assistance with coding tasks. Examples include GitHub Copilot and Gemini Code Assist.

CRUD Operations: An acronym for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. These are the four basic functions of persistent storage, fundamental to most web applications.

D

Democratization of Software Development: The trend of making software creation accessible to a wider audience, regardless of their traditional coding skills, often facilitated by AI tools.

DOM (Document Object Model) Manipulation: The process of changing the structure, style, or content of a web page using JavaScript.

I

Iterative Process: A development methodology that involves breaking down a large project into smaller, manageable cycles of building, testing, and refining.

L

Local Storage: A web storage API that allows web applications to store data persistently in the user's browser, even after the browser window is closed.

M

Minimum Viable Product (MVP): The version of a new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. In Vibe Coding, it refers to the absolute essential features needed for an application to be useful.

P

Prompt: A specific instruction or query given to an AI model to generate a desired output, such as code, text, or ideas.

Prompt Framework: A structured approach to crafting effective prompts, typically including components like Persona, Task, Context & Constraints, and Output Format.

V

Vibe Coding: The art and science of building functional applications by describing your goal, intent, and desired "vibe" to an AI coding assistant in plain, natural language.