Best Practices and Pitfalls of Vibe Coding

Best Practices and Pitfalls of Vibe Coding

The golden rules

1. Always review generated code

AI is not infallible. Before integrating generated code, check:

  • Logic: does the code actually do what was asked?
  • Security: no SQL injection, XSS vulnerabilities, or hardcoded secrets?
  • Dependencies: did the AI add an unnecessary library?
  • Style: does the code follow the project's conventions?

2. Version frequently

graph LR
    A[Prompt] --> B[Generated code]
    B --> C{Does it work?}
    C -->|Yes| D[git commit]
    C -->|No| E[Iterate]
    E --> A
    D --> F[Next prompt]

Commit after each functional step. If the AI breaks something on the next prompt, you can easily revert.

3. Maintain a context file

Create a CLAUDE.md or CURSOR_RULES file at the root of your project to give the AI persistent context:

# Project context
- Framework: Angular 19 + NestJS 10
- Database: PostgreSQL with TypeORM
- Style: Tailwind CSS v4
- Conventions: standalone components, no any

# Rules
- Always use typed interfaces
- Separate component .html, .ts, and .css files
- API routes are prefixed with /api

4. Understand before validating

Vibe Coding does not exempt you from understanding the code. If the AI generates something you don't understand:

  1. Ask it to explain the code
  2. Seek to understand each line
  3. Only validate when you are sure

A developer who doesn't understand their own code won't be able to maintain it.

Classic pitfalls

The blind trust pitfall

"The AI generated it, so it must be good"

AI can:

  • Invent APIs that don't exist (hallucinations)
  • Use outdated library versions
  • Introduce subtle security vulnerabilities
  • Produce code that compiles but doesn't do what you want

The over-engineering pitfall

AI tends to over-architect. If you ask for a simple form, it may generate a dynamic form management system with factory pattern and dependency injection.

Solution: specify "keep it simple" or "no unnecessary abstractions" in your prompts.

The copy-paste loop pitfall

When the code doesn't work:

  1. You paste the error in the chat
  2. The AI proposes a fix
  3. New bug
  4. You paste the error again
  5. Infinite loop...

Solution: after 2-3 unsuccessful iterations, step back. Read the code yourself. Often the problem is elsewhere.

The technical debt pitfall

Generating code quickly doesn't mean it's maintainable. Take the time to:

  • Refactor the generated code
  • Add tests
  • Document architecture decisions
  • Remove dead code

Security and Vibe Coding

What you should never do

  • Paste secrets (API keys, passwords) in a prompt
  • Trust the AI for user input validation
  • Deploy AI code without a security review
  • Ignore the AI's warnings about limitations

Security best practices

  • Use environment variables for secrets
  • Always validate user input on the server side
  • Explicitly ask the AI to check code security
  • Run static analysis tools (ESLint, SonarQube)

Summary

Vibe Coding is powerful but requires discipline. The four fundamental rules are: review, version, contextualize, and understand. Avoid the pitfalls of blind trust and debug loops, and you will become an effective and responsible Vibe Coder.