4/17/2025

The Shortcomings of "Vibe Coding": Understanding its Limitations in Complex Projects

Introduction

Vibe coding. It’s the latest buzzword that has taken the software development community by storm. Coined by the renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, it describes a practice where developers use AI to generate code by giving simple, often vague prompts. While it may seem like a revolutionary method that allows anyone to create software without deep technical knowledge, there are significant shortcomings to vibe coding, especially when it comes to complex projects.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into some of the key limitations of vibe coding, uncover the pitfalls of relying mostly on AI-generated code, and help you understand why structured coding practices are still crucial in the modern coding landscape.

What is Vibe Coding?

At its core, vibe coding aims to simplify coding by leveraging the power of AI. But it’s not as effortless as it sounds. Essentially, vibe coding involves feeding an AI tool a prompt and letting it generate the corresponding code. It appears to be a superhero method to create software or applications quickly. However, as enticing as it may be, this practice has significant drawbacks. To understand why, let’s break it down further.

Challenges with Vibe Coding in Complex Projects

1. Lack of Structure and Maintainability

Vibe coding’s most significant weakness is perhaps its lack of structure. When using an AI’s generated code, you often receive outputs that lack clarity, efficient structuring, and maintainability. According to Mehul Gupta, AI-generated code tends to be a mess when it comes to production-level applications. Assembling various snippets of code that AI churns out can lead to a spaghetti-like structure, making it increasingly difficult to debug or scale as needed.

2. The Last 20% is Pure Pain

Anyone who’s ever dabbled in vibe coding knows it can get frustrating when you're almost done with a project. A common refrain is that the code generated gets you about 80% there, but that last 20% can feel like climbing a mountain. AI tools often struggle with edge cases, optimizations, and production-level concerns. Fixing those last bits of code would require serious expertise, often needing a senior developer to iron out the details—a costly resource to tap when you thought you could do it easily yourself. The pitfalls of vibe coding can leave a developer scratching their heads, wondering where it all went wrong.

3. AI Tools Ain’t Cheap

Many believe that vibe coding is a means to SAVE TIME & MONEY. However, that’s another misconception. The reality is, AI services can become EXPENSIVE pretty quickly, as you'll be shelling out for API calls, model usage, and the countless hours spent debugging generated code. Instead of saving, you might find yourself spending more time & money fixing AI-generated spaghetti code than doing it the right way from scratch.

4. Dependency on Coding Knowledge

To effectively utilize vibe coding, you really need to have a grasp of coding principles yourself. If you throw vague prompts without understanding what you're asking for, you won't get meaningful results. As Gupta points out, vibe coding can work well for those who already KNOW the ins & outs of coding. For novices, however, it’s like throwing darts blindfolded. You might hit the target occasionally, but more often than not, you'll miss the mark entirely.

5. “Free Lunch” Notion Is a Lie

The idea that vibe coding will give you quick & efficient results without any extra effort is a trap. You’ll spend HOURS debugging nonsensical AI outputs that lack logic and coherence. This time sink defies the quick fix allure of vibe coding, turning what was supposed to be a “cheat code” into a massive frustration.

6. Quality Control: Who Knows What’s Going On?

When you paste AI-generated code into your project, how can you be SURE it’s functioning correctly? Most times, developers don’t know what that code does beneath the surface. Hidden bugs and potential security flaws can lurk within the AI-generated outputs—issues that are often beyond the capability of an AI to address. The thought of bringing in a new developer to decipher the AI’s “horror movie” of code can be daunting.

7. Security Risks Abound

In an age where cybersecurity is more important than ever, the slapdash nature of vibe coding raises serious security concerns. According to Dong Liang, any application dealing with sensitive data can’t afford the sloppy coding habits of AI models that might overlook best practices crucial for maintaining security. SQL injections? Cross-Site Scripting attacks? Potential data leaks? These aren’t just theoretical concerns; they’re real threats when vibe coding takes precedence over well-structured coding methodologies. As the saying goes, you can't expect performance from something that hasn't been built with security in mind.

Structured Coding vs. Vibe Coding

Given the myriad shortcomings, how does structured coding stand up against vibe coding? The reality check is clear: Structured coding is still the gold standard when it comes to building complex applications. Here’s why:

Design Principles: Structured coding rests upon clear design principles that facilitate scalability & maintainability. By adhering to established coding standards, developers can produce high-quality, efficient code.
Version Control & Collaboration: With structured methodologies, teams can collaborate more effectively, using version control tools that track code changes and simplify project scaling.
Improved Debugging: When bugs appear, structured code can be dissected logically. Developers can utilize debugging tools more effectively, making it easier to identify the root cause of issues.

So if you’re building something more substantial than a toy project, consider leveraging structured coding practices that have proven to deliver reliable and scalable results.

Arsturn: The Power of Conversational AI

Before we wrap things up, let’s talk about a tool that could help you bridge the gap between vibe coding and structured development. If you’re looking to bring a conversational AI aspect to your projects, you might want to check out Arsturn. Arsturn enables you to create custom chatbots effortlessly for your website. Be it for improving user engagement, answering FAQs, or collecting user feedback, you can design an adaptable chatbot that suits your brand—without needing any programming skills. Join thousands of others utilizing Conversational AI to enhance user experience before they hit your application.

Conclusion

While vibe coding offers an exciting glimpse into the possibility of AI-assisted development, relying solely on this approach for complex projects can lead to significant challenges. Remember, AI is a tool meant to assist but not replace fundamental coding skills. The limitations in vibe coding cannot be overlooked—a blend of structured coding practices paired with the latest AI advancements provides the best path forward. By understanding these limitations, developers can navigate the waves of this evolving landscape effectively.

The next time you think about taking the easy way out with vibe coding, consider the long-term implications. Building software is an endeavor that requires DEPTH of understanding, skill, and a solid foundation to sustain growth and performance. Don’t let the lure of quick fixes lead you down a path of frustration and risk—embrace solid coding practices while also being open to the innovations that AI brings.