Vibe Coding: Introduction¶
What is vibe coding?¶
Vibe coding is a way of building software by describing what you want, and letting an AI assistant do the actual coding.
You say: "I want a web page where I can type in a decision we made as a team, save it, and search through it later."
Copilot builds it.
You do not need to know how to write code. You need to be able to describe what you want clearly - the same skill you use when writing a requirements document or briefing a colleague. The AI figures out the technical details. You stay in charge of what gets built and why.
This is a real shift. Until recently, building a web app and putting it on the internet was something only developers could do. Now anyone willing to work with an AI assistant can do it.
The gap between a prototype and a real app¶
Here is the thing though: building something that runs on your own computer is actually the easy part.
The hard part has always been everything that comes after:
- Deployment - how do you make the app available so your colleagues can use it, not just you?
- Authentication - how do you make sure only AFRY employees can log in?
- Data - how do you store things so they are not lost when you close the browser, and so the whole team can see each other's entries?
- AI features - how do you connect your app to a language model?
Each of these requires knowledge that takes years to build up. You need to understand cloud platforms, deployment pipelines, identity systems, databases, and API design. A beginner trying to navigate all of this alone will quickly get stuck.
This is exactly the problem the Brave Copilot vibe skills were designed to solve.
The vibe coding skills¶
The vibe coding skills are a set of ready-made instructions that Copilot follows to handle the hard parts for you. Each skill knows how to do one specific thing - deploy an app, add login, connect a database - and handles all the technical decisions that would otherwise block a beginner.
You describe what you want. The skill knows how to build it. Copilot does the work.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| vibe-create-web-app | Creates a new web app - a blank canvas with a modern, professional foundation |
| vibe-deploy-app | Publishes your app to the internet so anyone can reach it at a real web address |
| vibe-add-auth-for-swa | Adds login, so only AFRY employees can access your app |
| vibe-add-local-store | Saves data in the browser - no server needed, but data stays on one device |
| vibe-add-remote-store | Adds a shared database - data is stored in the cloud and visible to every user |
| vibe-add-llm | Connects your app to an AI language model so it can understand and generate text |
Together these skills take you from "I have an idea" to "I have a live app with login and a database" - step by step, without needing to become a software engineer first.
What is Azure?¶
When you deploy an app, it needs to live somewhere. That somewhere is the cloud - a network of powerful servers, managed by a technology company, that you can rent space on.
AFRY uses Microsoft Azure as its cloud platform. Azure is where AFRY's apps, services, and data run. When you publish your vibe coding project, it goes to Azure too - inside a resource group that belongs to your team or division.
A resource group is simply a container in Azure - a named area where your app and its supporting services live together.
Think of it like this: your laptop is your workshop. Azure is the building where you rent a unit. Your resource group is your unit - your own space, inside AFRY's building, where you put your app.
You do not need to learn how Azure works in depth. The vibe coding skills handle the Azure setup for you. But it helps to know the name, because you will see it come up in the steps.
Costs¶
The trail creates real Azure resources, and real resources have real costs. The numbers vary depending on how far you go:
- Steps 16.3 and 16.4 only (create and deploy, no login): the Static Web App Free tier costs €0, plus minimal Cosmos DB and AI fees - typically under €2 per month in total.
- Full trail including step 16.5 (add AFRY login): authentication requires upgrading to the Standard tier at ~€8 per month, bringing the total to roughly €9-10 per month.
A full breakdown with per-service numbers, example calculations, and instructions for setting a budget alert is in the prerequisites chapter.
What is the Azure CLI?¶
When the vibe coding skills set up your Azure resources, they need a way to talk to Azure from your computer. That is what the Azure CLI does - it is a small tool you install once, and it gives Copilot a way to create and configure Azure services on your behalf, from the terminal.
The command is az. You will mostly see it in the background - Copilot runs it for you as part of the deployment skill. The main thing you need to do is log in once with az login, which opens a browser and connects the tool to your AFRY account.
Installation is covered in the prerequisites chapter.
The example app: Decision Log¶
Throughout this trail we build the same app, one step at a time. The app is called Decision Log - a simple tool for recording and searching the decisions your team makes.
It is an example that touches every capability in the trail:
| Step | What we add | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 16.3 - Create | The app itself | A web page where you can type and save decisions; runs on your own computer |
| 16.4 - Deploy | Publishing | The app goes live at a real URL; anyone with the link can reach it |
| 16.5 - Auth | Login | Only AFRY employees can sign in; each decision is tagged with who wrote it |
| 16.6 - Data | Shared database | Decisions are stored in the cloud; the whole team can see and search them |
| 16.7 - LLM | AI | The app can surface past decisions relevant to a new question; it can also draft a decision record from a rough description |
By the end of the trail you have a real, working, deployed app with login, shared data, and AI built in. You can keep it, extend it, and use it with your actual team.
Before you start¶
Work through the prerequisites chapter first. It has a checklist of everything you need installed and set up before the first step.
And remember: you do not need to understand every technical detail as you go. That is what Copilot is there for. Ask it to explain anything that is unclear - it is a good teacher as well as a good builder.