Vibe Coding is not the problem. The problem is to build without understanding what you are doing.

And there is something extraordinary about it: people who have never had the opportunity to study programming can now turn ideas into real projects. People with completely different stories, professions and experiences can find that they are also able to create technology. This possibility deserves to be celebrated, because it makes software development more accessible.

But there is an important difference between creating something that seems to work and building something that actually works, is safe and can grow. An application can have beautiful screens, buttons working and a nice browsing, but hiding problems that only appear when real users start using it.

The Vibe Coding is not a wrong shortcut. It is a new gateway. The error is in believing that crossing this door means not having to learn what exists on the other side.

1. Artificial intelligence can write the code. But who understands the problem?

Think of someone who wants to develop an app to control sales of a small store. With the help of an AI, this person can create screens, register products, register customers and even develop a financial panel. In a short time, he can visualize an idea that once seemed distant, something that can be extremely motivating to those who are starting.

Everything seems perfect until two employees sell the last product at the same time, a customer loses their data or a financial calculation presents an incorrect result. These problems may not appear during the first tests, but they start to arise when the system needs to deal with unexpected situations, multiple users and important information.

At this point, an essential question arises: who can identify and solve the problem?

Artificial intelligence can help, of course. It can analyze the code, suggest corrections, explain possible causes and even perform tests. But those who develop need to have sufficient knowledge to assess these answers, recognize the risks and realize when a seemingly correct solution can cause other problems.

It is not about writing thousands of lines of memory code, it is about understanding the functioning of what we are building and taking responsibility for the decisions made during development.

That is why there are three fundamentals that no one should ignore.

2. The three pillars that every beginner needs to learn

Programming logic and algorithms

The logic of programming teaches how to transform problems into understandable and organized steps. An algorithm is precisely a sequence of instructions to perform a particular task, following conditions and rules that allow achieving a result. This knowledge does not belong to a specific language: it can be applied in Python, JavaScript, Java and virtually any other language.

Think of an electronic box. Before releasing money, it needs to check if the customer is authenticated, check the available balance, validate the requested value and decide whether the transaction can continue. If any conditions are not met, the system needs to know how to react, without performing an incorrect operation.

Those who understand this logic can better guide artificial intelligence, develop more complete instructions and identify when it creates a wrong path. After all, AI can write the code, but it is the understanding of the problem that allows us to recognize whether that code really meets the need.

Object-Oriented Programming (POO)

Object-Oriented Programming is a way of organizing programs using structures that represent information and behaviors. It facilitates the understanding of more complex systems, allowing to separate responsibilities and create components that can be used in different parts of an application.

Imagine a school system. There are students, teachers, classes and enrollment, each with its own characteristics and responsibilities. A student can have a name and enrollment, while a class can have a list of students and a responsible teacher. POO helps represent these relationships in an organized way.

Learning concepts such as classes, objects, methods, attributes, inheritance and encapsulation allows us to understand how many systems are built and maintained. Although it is not the only way to program, this knowledge helps a lot when we need to review, expand or correct applications developed with artificial intelligence.

Database

Almost every system needs to store information. When we register a customer, register a sale, send a message or perform a appointment scheduling, this data usually needs to be preserved for future queries and operations. The database is one of the structures responsible for organizing, storing and making available this information.

Think of a virtual store that needs to link customers, products, orders and payments. It's not enough to save everything somewhere: you need to understand how these records connect, how to avoid duplicate information and how to ensure that a non-comproMeta change other parts of the system.

Learning SQL, tables, relationships, keys and queries is essential for those who want to develop applications that use relational databases. It is also important to understand permissions, backups and care needed to prevent one user from having access to information from another.

These three knowledges form an important basis for understanding what artificial intelligence is building. Without them, there is a risk of accepting any solution presented by the tool, even when it contains errors or uses inadequate structures.

You don't have to master everything before you create your first project. You can learn while you develop, even with the help of AI itself. The important thing is not to abandon this learning, because each concept understood represents more autonomy to make decisions and solve problems.

3. IDEs, AI Agents and LLMs: Know your tools

After learning the basics, it is time to know the tools used in modern development. They are part of the daily routine of many professionals and help transform ideas into applications, but it is important to understand that they have different functions.

IDE — Integrated Development Environment

IDE is the space where you write, organize, execute and investigate problems in your code. Tools such as Visual Studio Code and other modern environments offer editors, terminals, debugging mechanisms and resources that facilitate software development.

Think of IDE as a workshop: it is in it that you gather the tools needed to work on your project. Some already offer resources artificial intelligence integrated, allowing you to request explanations, generate functionality and receive suggestions directly in the programming environment.

LLM — Large Door Language Model

A LLM is the technology behind many artificial intelligences capable of interpreting questions, explaining concepts, producing texts and generating code. Models like GPT, Claude and Gemini are examples of technologies used in different development tools.

However, it is important to understand that a model can generate convincing and yet incorrect answers. It can suggest an incompatible library, invent a function that does not exist or produce a code that works in certain scenarios, but fails in others. Therefore, learning to evaluate the answers of an AI is as important as knowing how to ask good questions.

AI agents

AI agents are systems that use artificial intelligence models and tools to perform tasks with different levels of autonomy. A programming agent can analyze the files of a project, modify codes, run tests, install dependencies and propose corrections in different parts of an application.

This capacity can significantly accelerate development, especially when we need to work with greater functionalities. However, autonomy does not mean infallibility: one agent can fix one error and create another, install an unnecessary library or change a part of the system that already worked properly.

Therefore, it is important to learn how to use Git, understand the changes made in the code, test functionalities and review the decisions made by AI. These practices help to keep control of the project and allow recovery of previous versions when some change does not present the expected result.

A good tool speeds up the developer. It does not replace the responsibility to understand the product.

4. Your app works. But are you safe?

Perhaps this is one of the most neglected steps by those who start on the Vibe Coding. After being able to develop an application, it is natural to feel enthusiasm and want to make it available immediately to other people. But creating an application running on your computer is a different achievement from putting it on the internet, available to hundreds or thousands of users.

When a system starts operating on the internet, it needs to deal with connections, servers, storage, availability and possible attempts to access improperly. A configuration error can cause unavailability, loss of information or exposure of data that should remain private. It is precisely at this point that knowledge of infrastructure and security ceases to be distant subjects and become part of the responsibility of the developer.

This is where Docker, networks, firewalls and cybersecurity come in.

Docker: Organizing the execution of the system

Docker allows you to pack applications and their dependencies into containers, making it easier to run in different environments. This means that a developer can organize the components needed to run your application, reducing problems caused by differences between computers and servers.

Learning Docker also helps to understand how applications, databases and other services can be run in an organized way. However, using containers does not automatically make a system safe: settings, permissions and updates continue to require attention.

Networks: understanding how everything communicates

When a user accesses an application, information travels between different devices, servers and databases. This communication depends on technologies and rules that allow you to identify the correct destinations and transport information between the components of a system.

Understanding concepts such as IP addresses, ports, DNS, HTTPS and communication between services helps identify failures and avoid unnecessary exposures. This knowledge also makes it easy to understand why an application works locally, but presents problems when it is published on the internet.

Firewall: controlling the entrance doors

Imagine a building with several entrances. You wouldn't leave all of them open to anyone, especially those that give access to restricted areas. A firewall works as one of the layers of control of these entrances, allowing rules to be established for connections that arrive or leave a network or server.

Learning to set up a firewall helps you understand which services need to be accessible and which should remain protected. However, it does not replace other security practices, as a system may also present vulnerabilities in the code itself, settings or access management.

Cybersecurity: Protecting people and information

Cybersecurity involves the set of practices used to protect data, accounts, applications and infrastructure against undue access, leaks and other threats, including technical measures, prevention processes and the ability to identify and respond to possible incidents.

Those who develop applications need to know concepts of authentication, permissions, encryption, up-to-date dependencies, password protection, backups and secure data processing. It is not necessary to become an immediate expert, but understanding these risks is indispensable to build more reliable applications.

Imagine that you built a system for a clinic. It works perfectly, has a beautiful interface and allows you to register patients, Schedulingr consultations and consult information. However, due to an incorrect configuration, the database is publicly accessible, allowing unauthorized people to have access to information that should be protected.

The interface can be beautiful, the code can be organized and the AI can have helped develop everything in a few hours. None of this eliminates the risk of exposing patient information or the possible damage caused by a security incident. And the impact is not only technical: there are privacy, trust and legal responsibilities issues, including the General Data Protection Act (LGPD).

That's why security should not be something you add after you finish the application. It needs to be part of the development from the start.

5. Where to start? You don't have to pay a fortune to learn

One of the best news for those who want to enter the program is that there are excellent free education initiatives. The internet offers materials, exercises, courses and communities that make it possible to start studies without investing large amounts. The main challenge is often not in the lack of content, but in discovering what to study first and how to organize learning.

You don't need to buy dozens of courses or start with advanced training. The ideal is to build a learning trail, gradually advancing the foundations for more complex subjects. Thus, each new knowledge can be applied to small projects, making the process more interesting and avoiding the feeling of being studying disconnected subjects.

Bradesco Foundation — Virtual School

A great option to start with programming, technology and IT foundation. Virtual School offers free online courses that can help those who are taking the first steps and want to develop a Knowledge Base before moving on to larger projects.

Santander Open Academy

It offers free courses in technology, programming and artificial intelligence, including for those who are not a bank customer. It is an interesting alternative to explore introductory topics and expand knowledge with content from different areas of technology.

freeCodeCamp

A free platform with practical exercises of JavaScript, Python, algorithms, web development and relational databases. Its differential is in the possibility of learning by putting the hand in the mass, solving challenges and developing small projects throughout the training.

Cisco Networking Academy

A reference for learning about network foundations and digital security, offering free courses on introduction to cybersecurity and basic network concepts. It is especially useful for those who have already started programming and want to better understand how applications communicate and how to protect infrastructure.

Run

It brings together content from recognized universities and institutions, allowing you to study different areas of computer and software development. Some courses have free access modalities or other possibilities of study without payment, although certificates and full access can be charged.

Docker — Official documentation

Docker's official documentation provides free tutorials to understand containers and learn how to run applications using this technology. It is a good option to put infrastructure knowledge into practice after becoming familiar with programming and systems.

6. A simple trail to get out of the ground

Do not try to study everything at the same time. Learning programming is a process, and each knowledge makes it easier to get closer. When we start directly with complex issues, without understanding the fundamentals, it is common to find difficulties that could be solved with simple concepts.

A good strategy is to establish small Metas and build projects that accompany your learning. You can start by creating a calculator, moving forward to a customer registry, connecting this registry to a database and then learn how to run the application in a Docker container. Thus, knowledge ceases to be only theoretical and becomes part of something you can visualize and use.

During all these steps, you can use the Vibe Coding to practice and accelerate development. Artificial intelligence can function as a kind of tutor, helping to explain concepts, demonstrate examples and present different ways to solve the same problem. The secret is to use these possibilities to develop knowledge, and not just to get ready answers.

Ask AI to explain why a particular function was created, what happens when an information is invalid and what are the possible risks of an implementation. Ask examples, compare solutions and try to understand the decisions made. The more you question and investigate, the greater the opportunities to turn the tool into a real learning tool.

And do a particularly important exercise: try to solve small problems without asking AI to write everything for you. It may seem more time consuming at first, but this effort develops reasoning, autonomy and confidence to deal with situations where the response generated by the tool is not enough.

It's not about competing with artificial intelligence, it's about developing the ability to recognize when it's right or wrong.

7. The future belongs to those who know how to use AI and understand what it builds

The Vibe Coding does not need to be seen as a threat to traditional programming. It can represent one of the greatest opportunities for democratizing software development, allowing people from different areas to participate in a market that, for a long time, seemed distant to those who did not have technical training.

A person who has never been able to pay for a college or a professional course can find in artificial intelligence the incentive to create his first project, discover a new profession or start a business. Someone who works with customer service, sales, education or administration can realize that he can develop tools capable of solving problems he knows deeply from his own professional experience.

This deserves encouragement. Technology should not be a space reserved only for those who have had access to the best schools, computers or training opportunities. The more people can learn, experiment and create, the greater the possibility of developing solutions to problems that before received no attention.

But we need to be careful not to turn ease into false trust. A system is not just the screens that the user can see. Behind them are rules, data, infrastructure, communication, security and decisions that can affect real people. When an application starts dealing with money, personal data or important processes, the responsibility of the developer also increases.

It is not necessary to know all languages, master all tools or become an expert in cybersecurity before starting. However, it is essential to recognize the limits of knowledge itself, understand the essential concepts and know when to seek specialized help. Learning to identify what we don't know yet is also part of professional development.

The Vibe Coding can put an idea into operation. Knowledge is what makes it a reliable product.

If you are starting now, do not give up on the amount of issues you need to learn. Start small, study the fundamentals, build projects, coMeta errors in test environments and understand each correction. Use artificial intelligence as a learning partner, not just as a code factory.

You don't need to know everything to start with. No developer knows everything, no matter how many years of experience he has. Learning is part of this profession and will continue to be necessary, even with increasingly intelligent tools that are able to perform complex tasks.

But you need to keep learning to build something better and better.

And maybe this is the greatest opportunity brought by artificial intelligence: not only to allow more people to create technology, but to awaken the will to understand it in many more people.