Prompt-Driven Development
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Prompt-driven development is writing code by writing prompts instead of code. You're basically a technical translator — converting product requirements into AI prompts that generate the actual implementation. The better your prompts, the better your code. It's like being a wizard: your words are the spells and the AI is the magic.
Real Talk
Prompt-driven development (PDD) is an emerging paradigm where developers use natural language prompts as the primary interface for generating, modifying, and debugging code. It shifts the developer's role from implementation to specification, prompt engineering, and code review. It relies on AI code generation tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and Copilot.
When You'll Hear This
"I do prompt-driven development — I haven't typed a for-loop in months." / "The prompt is the new source code."
Related Terms
AI Pair Programming
AI pair programming is pair programming where your partner is an AI.
Claude Code
Claude Code is like having a senior developer living inside your terminal.
Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is the art of talking to AI so it actually does what you want.
Vibe Coding
Vibe coding is writing software by vibes — you describe what you want to an AI, it writes the code, and you just... vibe.