The Vibe Coding Glossary
Every techy word a beginner trips over when they start building apps with AI — in plain English. 101 terms, grouped by theme. No CS degree required.
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Vibe Coding & Core Concepts
The mindset words behind building apps with AI.
Build in Public
Sharing your progress openly to attract users and clients.
Idea Validation
Checking there's real demand before you build.
Iterate
To improve in small, repeated cycles after launch.
Low-Code
Mostly visual building, with small bits of code dropped in when you need extra power.
Master Prompt
One carefully structured prompt that turns a rough idea into a complete, build-ready brief.
MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
The simplest version of your app that's still useful enough to launch and learn from.
No-Code
Building real apps and websites with visual tools and zero programming.
Product-Market Fit
When your product clearly solves a problem people actively want solved.
Prompt
The instruction you type to an AI to get an output.
Prompt Engineering
The skill of writing prompts that get great, reliable results instead of junk.
Ship
To publish something live. "Ship it" means stop tweaking and put it out.
User Flow
The path a user takes through your app to get something done.
Vibe Coding
Building software by describing what you want in plain language and letting AI write the code — you direct, the AI develops.
The Build Process
From idea to live app — the steps and their names.
Backend
The behind-the-scenes engine: data, logic, servers.
Boilerplate
Starter setup you reuse so you never begin from a blank page.
Component
A reusable building block of the interface — a button, a card, a form.
Debugging
Finding and fixing errors.
Deploy
To put your app live on the internet.
Frontend
The part of the app users see and touch.
Full-Stack
Frontend and backend together.
Mockup
A more polished visual of how the app will look.
PRD (Product Requirements Document)
A short doc describing what to build, for whom, and why.
Prototype
A clickable, fake-but-feels-real version you test before building for real.
Responsive Design
Layouts that adapt to phone, tablet, and desktop.
Rollback / Version
Saved states of your app you can return to if something breaks.
UI (User Interface)
What the user sees: screens, buttons, layout.
UX (User Experience)
How the app feels to use: ease, speed, flow.
Wireframe
A rough sketch of your app's screens and layout.
The Tools & Stack
The platforms and services that do the heavy lifting.
AISensy
A tool for automated WhatsApp messaging via the official API.
ChatGPT / GPT
OpenAI's AI assistant and model family.
Claude
An AI assistant by Anthropic you use as your co-builder and prompt brain.
Cursor
An AI code editor for more hands-on building.
Figma
A design tool for wireframes and UI.
Firebase
Google's backend alternative to Supabase.
GitHub
Where code is stored, versioned, and shared.
Lovable
An AI app builder: describe your app and it builds a real, working one.
Netlify
Another popular hosting and deploy platform.
Razorpay
India's popular payment gateway for taking money inside your app.
Stripe
A global payment gateway (international-focused).
Supabase
An easy all-in-one backend: database, logins, and file storage.
Vercel
A platform that hosts and deploys your app fast.
Zapier / Make / n8n
Tools that connect apps and automate workflows without code.
AI Terms
The words behind the brain powering your apps.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Software that does tasks normally needing human intelligence.
AI Agent
An AI that takes actions and completes multi-step tasks on its own.
Context Window
How much text an AI can hold "in mind" at once.
Custom GPT
A personalized version of ChatGPT set up for one specific task.
Fine-Tuning
Training a model further on your own data for a specific job.
Hallucination
When an AI confidently makes something up.
LLM (Large Language Model)
The kind of AI (like Claude or GPT) trained on huge amounts of text to understand and generate language.
Model
A specific trained AI, like GPT-4 or Claude Opus.
Multimodal
AI that handles text, images, audio, and more.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Feeding an AI your documents so it answers from them, not from guesses.
System Prompt
Hidden instructions that set an AI's role and rules.
Temperature
A setting for how creative vs. predictable an AI's output is.
Token
The small chunks of text an AI reads and writes; usage and cost are measured in tokens.
Data & Backend
Where your app's information lives and how it moves.
API (Application Programming Interface)
How two pieces of software talk to each other.
API Key
A secret password that lets your app use an outside service.
Authentication (Auth)
Verifying who a user is — login.
Authorization
Deciding what a logged-in user is allowed to do.
Cloud
Servers on the internet that run and store your app.
CRUD
Create, Read, Update, Delete — the four basic data actions every app does.
Database
Where your app stores its information.
Endpoint
A specific address an API responds at.
JSON
A simple, common format for sending data between apps.
OAuth / SSO
"Sign in with Google / Apple" style logins.
Query
A request to get or change data.
Schema
The blueprint or structure of your database.
Table
A structured set of data (rows and columns) inside a database.
Webhook
An automatic message one app sends another the moment something happens.
Web Basics
How your app gets online and found.
Backlink
A link from another site to yours; builds authority.
Cache
Stored copies that make pages load faster.
DNS
The system that points your domain to your hosting.
Domain
Your website's address, like yourbusiness.com.
Hosting
The service that keeps your site online.
Keyword
The phrase people search that you want to rank for.
Landing Page
A single, focused page built to convert visitors.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Getting your site to rank in Google and AI search.
SSL / HTTPS
The security that puts the padlock on your site.
Subdomain
A section of your domain, like app.yoursite.com.
URL
The full web address of a page.
Payments & Business
The money and growth words every founder needs.
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
What it costs to win one customer.
Churn
The rate at which customers cancel.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who take the action you want.
Funnel
The steps that turn a stranger into a buyer.
Lead Magnet
A free thing you give in exchange for an email address.
LTV (Lifetime Value)
Total money a customer brings over their lifetime.
MRR / ARR
Monthly / Annual Recurring Revenue.
Payment Gateway
The service that processes card and UPI payments inside your app.
Productized Service
A service packaged and sold like a fixed product.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
Software people pay for monthly or yearly.
Subscription
A recurring payment for ongoing access.
Tripwire
A low-price offer that turns a lead into a first-time buyer.
UPI
India's instant bank-to-bank payment system.
App Types
The shapes apps come in — and what each means.
Aggregator
An app that pulls many sources or listings into one place.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Software to manage customers and leads.
Dashboard
A screen showing key data and controls at a glance.
Directory
A searchable listing of businesses, people, or things.
LMS (Learning Management System)
A platform to host and sell courses.
Marketplace
A two-sided app connecting buyers and sellers.
Portal
A private, logged-in area for clients, students, or members.
Super App
One app bundling many services and features into a single experience.
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