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Manikant Kella
Manikant Kella Subscriber

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How I Built an AI-Powered Website Modernizer in 3 Days with Kiro

#kiro #openai #ai #productivity

I built ReVitalize - an AI-powered platform that transforms outdated websites into modern, accessible designs - in just 3 days using Kiro. What would typically take 2-3 weeks became a weekend project thanks to Kiro's context-aware vibe coding.

The Result:

  • 60+ files of production-ready code
  • Complete AI transformation pipeline
  • Beautiful UI with animations
  • Side-by-side preview system
  • Chat refinement, component extraction, accessibility auditing
  • Export to ZIP and GitHub

The Secret: Natural conversations with an AI that actually remembers context and evolves with you.

The Problem: Outdated Websites Everywhere

Have you ever visited a website that looks like it's from 1995? Plain HTML, no styling, broken layouts? Companies like Berkshire Hathaway still run websites that look ancient!

I thought: "What if AI could instantly modernize any outdated website?"

That's how ReVitalize was born - an AI-powered tool that transforms any website in seconds, not weeks.

The Kiro Difference: Context-Aware Development

Before Kiro: The Traditional Approach 

1. Plan everything upfront (2-3 days)
2. Write detailed specs (1 day)
3. Set up project structure (1 day)
4. Build features one by one (1-2 weeks)
5. Debug and refine (3-4 days)
6. Write documentation (1-2 days)

Total: 2-3 weeks
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With Kiro: Iterative Conversations 

Day 1: "Build a full production-grade application called ReVitalize"
       → 60+ files generated with complete architecture

Day 2: "Make UI much better, add example sites"
       → Beautiful landing page with animations

Day 3: "Preview isn't showing" → Fixed with debugging
       "Token limit exceeded" → Switched to better model
       "Secure API keys" → Complete security audit

Total: 3 days
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What Makes Kiro Special?

1. Context Awareness

Traditional AI coding tools forget context. You have to re-explain everything.

Kiro remembers:

  • Previous conversations
  • Project structure
  • Design decisions
  • Code patterns

Example:

Me: "Add example sites with auto-fill"
Kiro: *Remembers the URLInputForm component*
      *Updates LandingPage to pass URL*
      *Modifies TransformationWorkspace*
      *Updates all connected components*
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No need to specify which files to modify. Kiro knows.

2. Intelligent Problem-Solving

When we hit a token limit error with GPT-4 Turbo:

Me: "Token limit exceeded"
Kiro: "Let me analyze the OpenAI pricing table..."
      "GPT-4o Mini has 200K TPM vs 30K for GPT-4 Turbo"
      "It's also 98% cheaper!"
      *Updates all model references*
      *Updates UI branding*
      *Creates documentation*
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Kiro didn't just fix the error - it optimized our entire approach.

3. Vibe Coding

Instead of writing detailed specs, I had natural conversations:

// Traditional approach:
"Create a React component called LandingPage with:
- Animated gradient background using Framer Motion
- Three floating orbs with different animation delays
- Hero section with gradient text
- Feature grid with 9 cards
- Hover effects on cards
- Stats section with 4 metrics
- CTA section
- Footer with links"

// With Kiro:
"Make UI much better than this reference website"

// Result: 500+ lines of beautiful code in 5 minutes
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The Build Process: A Day-by-Day Breakdown

Day 1: Architecture & Core Features

Initial Prompt:

Build a full production-grade application called ReVitalize,
an AI-powered platform that modernizes any outdated website.
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What Kiro Generated:

  • Complete Next.js 14 project structure
  • TypeScript configuration
  • API routes for scraping, transformation, refinement
  • React components (URLInput, Preview, Chat, etc.)
  • AI integrations (OpenAI, Google Gemini)
  • Puppeteer scraping system
  • Type definitions
  • Documentation

Files Created: 60+
Time: ~2 hours of conversation

Day 2: UI/UX & Refinement

Conversations:

Me: "Make UI much better than reference website"
Kiro: *Creates stunning landing page*
      - Animated gradient background
      - Floating orbs animation
      - Feature cards with hover effects
      - Professional typography

Me: "Add example sites that auto-populate"
Kiro: *Adds 4 example cards*
      *Implements click-to-fill*
      *Updates all connected components*

Me: "Text size too large"
Kiro: *Adjusts all typography*
      *Maintains hierarchy*
      *Updates responsive breakpoints*
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Time: ~4 hours of iterative refinement

Day 3: Debugging & Polish

The Preview Problem:

Me: "Preview isn't showing"
Kiro: *Adds comprehensive logging*
      *Identifies issue: React imports instead of HTML*
      *Creates React-to-HTML converter*
      *Implements three-level fallback system*
      *Generates beautiful fallback HTML*
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The Token Limit Issue:

Me: "Token limit exceeded"
Kiro: *Analyzes OpenAI pricing*
      *Suggests GPT-4o Mini*
      *Updates all references*
      *Documents the change*
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Security Audit:

Me: "Check for hardcoded API keys"
Kiro: *Scans entire codebase*
      *Finds exposed keys*
      *Updates .gitignore*
      *Clears sensitive data*
      *Creates SECURITY.md*
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Time: ~6 hours of problem-solving

The Most Impressive Moments

1. Complete AI Transformation System

One conversation generated:

// src/lib/ai/openai.ts
- Smart prompt engineering
- Structured JSON output
- React-to-HTML conversion
- Three-level fallback system
- Error handling
- Comprehensive logging
- Theme-specific guidelines

// 500+ lines of production-ready code
// Time: 5 minutes
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2. Beautiful Landing Page 

// src/components/LandingPage.tsx
- Animated gradient background
- Three floating orbs with physics
- Hero section with triple gradient text
- 9 feature cards with hover-to-expand
- Stats section with animated counters
- Premium CTA section
- Professional footer

// 800+ lines with Framer Motion
// Time: 10 minutes
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3. Security Audit & Fix 

# One prompt: "Check for hardcoded API keys"

# Kiro:
1. Scanned entire codebase
2. Found exposed keys in .env.local
3. Updated .gitignore with comprehensive rules
4. Cleared all sensitive data
5. Created SECURITY.md with guidelines
6. Updated .env.example with documentation

# Files modified: 4
# Time: 3 minutes
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Key Features That Made the Difference

1. Steering Documents

Created transformation-rules.md in .kiro/steering/:

## LLM Output Format

Always return JSON matching this exact structure:
{
  "summary": "...",
  "components": [...],
  "final_build": { "files": [...] }
}
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Impact: Consistent AI outputs, no parsing errors, predictable structure.

2. Spec-Driven Development

Created .kiro/spec.yaml:

features:
  - url_input
  - scraping
  - ai_transformation
  - preview
  - chat_refinement
  - export

api_endpoints:
  - POST /api/scrape
  - POST /api/transform
  - POST /api/refine
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Impact: Clear architecture, consistent APIs, complete features.

3. Iterative Conversations 

Broad → Specific → Refine → Polish

"Build ReVitalize" 
  → "Add example sites"
    → "Make text smaller"
      → "Fix preview display"
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Each conversation built on the previous context.

The Technical Stack

Frontend:

  • Next.js 14 (App Router)
  • TypeScript
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Framer Motion
  • React Syntax Highlighter

Backend:

  • Next.js API Routes
  • Puppeteer (scraping)
  • Cheerio (HTML parsing)

AI:

  • OpenAI GPT-4o Mini (primary)
  • Google Gemini 1.5 Flash (fallback)

All generated and integrated by Kiro through conversations.

Challenges & How Kiro Helped

Challenge 1: Model Selection

Problem: Started with GPT-5.1 (doesn't exist), then GPT-4 Turbo (token limits)

Kiro's Solution:

"Let me analyze the OpenAI pricing table...
GPT-4o Mini has:
- 200K TPM (vs 30K)
- 98% cheaper
- Optimized for code generation
- Perfect for your use case"
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Result: No more token errors, 98% cost reduction

Challenge 2: Empty Preview

Problem: Preview showed "No preview available"

Kiro's Solution:

1. Added comprehensive logging
2. Identified issue: AI generating React imports
3. Created React-to-HTML converter
4. Implemented three-level fallback
5. Generated beautiful fallback HTML
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Result: Preview always works, even if AI fails

Challenge 3: Security

Problem: API keys potentially exposed

Kiro's Solution:

1. Scanned entire codebase
2. Found all sensitive data
3. Updated .gitignore
4. Created security guidelines
5. Documented best practices
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Result: Production-ready security

What I Learned

1. Context is Everything

Traditional AI tools lose context. Kiro maintains it across conversations, making iterative development natural.

2. Hybrid Approach Works Best

  • Spec-driven for initial architecture
  • Vibe coding for refinement and debugging
  • Steering docs for consistency

3. AI as Partner, Not Tool

Kiro doesn't just generate code - it:

  • Debugs with you
  • Suggests optimizations
  • Maintains consistency
  • Writes documentation
  • Solves problems

4. Speed Without Sacrificing Quality

3 days of development with Kiro produced:

  • Production-ready code
  • Comprehensive error handling
  • Security best practices
  • Complete documentation
  • Beautiful UI/UX

The Results

ReVitalize Features:

  • ✅ Instant website transformation
  • ✅ Side-by-side comparison
  • ✅ 5 theme options
  • ✅ Chat refinement
  • ✅ Component extraction
  • ✅ Accessibility audit
  • ✅ Export to ZIP/GitHub
  • ✅ Beautiful animations

Development Stats:

  • Time: 3 days (vs 2-3 weeks)
  • Files: 60+ production-ready
  • Lines of Code: ~5,000+
  • Cost per transformation: $0.003
  • Performance: 15-20 seconds per transformation

Try It Yourself

Want to experience Kiro's power?

ReVitalize Demo: [https://youtu.be/-qBKbOdIa7U]
GitHub: [https://github.com/Manikant92/ReVitalize]

Get Kiro: [https://kiro.dev/]

Final Thoughts

Kiro changed how I approach development. Instead of:

  • Planning everything upfront
  • Writing detailed specs
  • Building in isolation
  • Debugging alone

I now:

  • Start building immediately
  • Refine through conversation
  • Iterate with an AI partner
  • Solve problems together

The future of development isn't about replacing developers - it's about augmenting our capabilities with AI that truly understands context.

If you're still writing boilerplate by hand or spending hours on repetitive tasks, you're missing out on what's possible with context-aware AI development.

Questions?

Drop a comment below! I'd love to hear about your experiences with AI-assisted development.

Built with ❤️ using Kiro for the Kiroween Hackathon

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