Karbon Sites - A Web-Based AI Code Editor: The Future of Rapid Prototyping

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Education Track: Build Apps with Google AI Studio

This post is my submission for DEV Education Track: Build Apps with Google AI Studio.

A Web-Based AI Code Editor: The Future of Rapid Prototyping

What I Built

I set out to build a web-based AI code editor that could generate fully functional websites from a simple text prompt. The key feature is the ability to not only generate a site but also to allow users to instantly view, edit, and deploy the code. The core prompt for the demo project I created was: "Build an endless trivia game using a variety of topics." This showcased the platform's ability to create a dynamic and interactive web application from a single command.

Demo

Here is a look at the platform I created. The main dashboard is where you can explore existing projects or create a new one from a prompt.

Once inside the editor, you can provide a prompt, and the AI will generate the website. For my demo, the result was a trivia game, which appears in the live preview panel.

The real power lies in the integrated code editor. After generation, you can click on the "Code Editor" tab to access and modify the underlying HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files directly in your browser.

This allows for complete control and customization. The final result is a deployed, live website.

You can check out the platform and the demo project here: https://karbon-sites.vercel.app

Other Screenshots:

My Experience

Working through the DEV Education Track and using Google AI Studio was an eye-opening experience that truly changed my perspective on web development. The most surprising part was how a simple, well-crafted prompt could result in a fully scaffolded and functional application in seconds. The AI did the heavy lifting of setting up the file structure and writing the boilerplate code for the trivia game, which would have taken a considerable amount of time to do manually.

I learned the importance of "prompt engineering." While a basic prompt like "create a website" works, a more descriptive prompt like "a modern landing page for a new SaaS product" yields a much more professional and tailored result. I also realized that this tool is not about replacing developers, but about empowering them to be more productive. It's the ultimate prototyping tool, allowing you to generate an initial version of an app so you can focus on the unique, complex parts of your project.

The seamless deployment to Vercel was also a huge plus. It streamlines the entire development workflow, proving that the future of development is not just about writing code, but about leveraging powerful tools to turn ideas into reality as quickly and efficiently as possible. I am excited to continue exploring how AI can be integrated into my future projects.