AI is no longer just assisting developers—it’s transforming how we build software. Whether you're a solo indie hacker, a startup engineer, or part ...
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Neat how coding is getting easier, like having a little helper doing chores for you. But if AI keeps taking on bigger parts of the job, what skills should people still work on to stay sharp in tech?
Totally! As AI handles more, staying sharp in problem-solving, system design, and critical thinking is key. Knowing why things work still sets you apart.
business analysis, software architecture, observability, scalability, security...to name a few
And to continue on the reply of @aloisseckar, convert abstract requirements to good software requirements is still key, AI can only hallucinate solutions that most likely be wrong or wrongly translated.
Software architecture and applying best practices is also still important, AI only generate some code which might not scale very well. Or doesn't fit the overal design, or worse it's using deprecated functionality. So a human developer should be really keen on it and not just accept all the code. How well it even might look like. It's still just a tool.
Nice post, Emmanuel Mumba!
Thanks Lopez! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice list. By the way, Windsurf has free GPT 4.1 access for now (it will not last long), worth trying out.
Oh nice, thanks for the heads-up! I’ll definitely check Windsurf out before the window closes.
Openai is indeed delivering free gpt 4.1 while in preview.
But also o4-mini models I believe. Mini-high, Etc.
OK, vibe coding is getting hot this time!
Haha, for real! 🔥 Coding’s definitely having its moment, More like the vibe is leveling up every week.
OK, this is a good list. I am using Cursor but also willing to explore some alternatives. Good work Emmanuel!
Appreciate that! 🙌 Cursor’s solid, always cool to explore what else is out there too. Let me know if you find any gems.
Windsurf is really good. Since they at least providea decent deb file setup, causing less issues on my linux setup than the stupid appimages from cursor.
I've spent more time trying to fix our juniors vibe coded problems than I can imagine. And what's worse is having to explain why. They have no idea what the code they are pumping out does. It's a horrifying trend. Hopefully this doesn't spread to all industries and we end up with vibe built airplanes LOL
Haha I was already afraid this will happen 2 years ago. And now we are at this stage where agents are commonly available and used in editors.
It's powerful for experienced devs. But juniors should really not just using it and blindly accept it. That is not how you grow in your knowledge or carrière. Instead of you fixing their issues, they should take full responsibility of the code they put out for review.
Okay so as a developer in the making, at what point in my learning process will these tools stop being a hindrance to my education and start being actual real usable tools and not like Nintendo 64 cheat codes because right now, having nothing but HTML CSS and some very intermediate vanilla JavaScript at my disposal (and only as it relates to the front-end. Getting at back end soon) even just the Codium Auto-complete in VS was detracting from my ability to build a solid foundation by typing through my full lines of code. I noticed that when I had auto complete enabled, pretty much immediately anytime I was working in other environments without an autocomplete buddy by my side my syntax absolutely suffered because my monkey brain wasn't getting the muscle memory of typing out the proper syntax and to be honest it was a little embarrassing in Zoom meetings with my tutors to just sit there and fumble multiple times on things like spacing or back ticks or, dare I out myself, neglected line termination in ; and }
However I definitely see the value of not having to type out very obvious return statements or whatever other repetitive this.thing = thething; -esque scenarios that when you add them all up really do burn giant holes your productive work hours. I'm just so terrified of using it too early, leaving the safety of being an 'aspiring engineer' for the reality of the job market, finally landing an interview only to realize that while I thought I was learning to code I'd just been surfing the vibe.
LOL ... I know exactly how you feel! I am at a similar junction in my programming journey and this is what I do to not feel like an imposter later on - Open a plain .txt file and just type some HTML and CSS code (along with vanilla JavaScript if you want to) into it, then save the file as "index.html", and then open this file in Google Chrome browser and see the result. To modify or edit any code that you feel is giving unexpected results, just use the Chrome Developer tools. This will give you confidence in YOUR coding prowess with ZERO autocomplete using any type of AI. Do this for just 15-20 minutes every day for 1 month and you will have solved the imposter syndrome to a large extent.
For all the rest of your tutorials use the autocomplete feature on VSCode Editor, but try to ask ChatGPT "why" was some particular code snippet suggested by the AI autocomplete. This will help you in understanding the WHY of AI coding and will help make you a better programmer.
BTW, I signed up on DEV just to post this comment. So, thank you for that. ;-)
It's a tough gig for new devs, you are entering a world where tools exist that actually hinder your understanding of what's going on.
At the risk of showing my age, id say it's akin to why the monk will make the initiate carry pales of water to then monastery before he learns the king fu. To generate an understanding of the fundamentals of movement, patience and discipline.
Some people a lot older than me would say using an IDE is not true development and that real devs can code in notepad.
Tools evolve and as long as they fill the purpose of making coding easier, but still allow you to learn and gain the knowledge and understanding I wouldn't see a problem with using them. But as you pointed out, it can be a hindrance, and you actually realizing that and accepting it means you will succeed where many of your peers won't.
AI is just another tool, it's great when you already have an understanding of how systems should work and just want some snippets. But the problem we are seeing is a misuse of these tools. The blind copy paste vibe coding is not creating developers it's creating slop.
Here's my ultimate advice though, AI doesn't have to be just a tool, it can be an amazing teacher. It can explain things to you in anyway you want , if you ask it to simplify and breakdown topics it will. It can explain things to you as if you were a toddler. USE THIS.
Vibe code your heart out but every single time it gives you code you do not understand, ask it to explain it you. You will be amazed how quickly it goes from hindrance to game changing.
Very informative article. Although not at all what I expected from title "Vibe Coding". In industry, Vibe Coding is being used to signify low code/no code or citizen development. Basically, the same holy grail that the industry has been searching for since Oracle Forms or earlier.
BUt putting the Title aside, looking forward to trying out some of your suggestions.
Nice post, Emmanuel!
Have you tried lovable.dev?
It's a pretty decent vibe coding tool. I love it... 😅
Thanks for sharing 👍
Crazy times ahead. Can only imagine the downstream impact these tools will have (personalized software, rise of individual creators, etc).
I also love platforms like Lovable and Chariot for "vibe coding" without the actual code. Though harder to build more advanced features than with Cursor, etc.
Can you elaborate on how also using Continue can add value to just using Cursor right now?
Lovable isnt bad
@therealmrmumba Have you checked out Replit? They are quite big on the Agent and Assistant.
Great summary of the path forward. The game is changing. Play to win.
These are super neat! I'd only heard of 2-3 of these. I'll give these a shot, thanks for sharing!
What is vibe coding? It's obviously not what I thought it was as this article is purely about AI tools.
Cool !
Supper
Lots of articles about AI and all these tools. Not a lot about how much my costs have suddenly sky rocketed because I have a load of subscriptions to new AI tools. None of this is for free.....
Emmanuel Mumba, The top vibe coding tools in 2025 you listed are good. Here I have also prepared a list of top vibe coding tools.
Nice list! Definitely gonna try some of these.
Also curious why Cline isn't on the list. I've heard a lot of nice things about it.