The Importance of Software Engineering in Web Apps: Risks of Vibe Coding and Poor Practices

Why Software Engineering Still Matters in Web Application Development: The Hidden Dangers of Vibe Coding

Introduction

Web applications have become an important part of our everyday lives. We use them for online banking, shopping, education, communication, entertainment and many other activities. Behind these applications are different technologies and programming languages that work together to provide services to users.

Today, building a web application has become easier than it used to be. With artificial intelligence tools, developers can describe what they want in ordinary language and receive generated code within seconds. This has introduced a popular approach known as vibe coding.

Although this approach can make development faster, it also raises an important question: Is an application really ready for users simply because its code works and its interface looks good?

In my opinion, this is where software engineering becomes very important. Developing a web application involves more than writing code. It requires proper planning, designing, testing, security, maintenance and an understanding of the problems the application is expected to solve.

What is Software Engineering?

Software engineering is the systematic approach to designing, developing, testing, deploying and maintaining software applications.

It provides developers with a proper way of handling software projects instead of writing code without a clear plan.

For example, before developing a school management web application, a developer should understand what the school needs. The system may need to manage student records, lecturers, courses, examination results and payments.

Software engineering helps developers identify these requirements, plan the system, choose suitable technologies, design the database and test the application before making it available to users.

It also ensures that the software can be maintained and improved when new requirements arise.

The Relevance of Software Engineering in Web Applications

I believe software engineering is essential in web application development for several reasons.

1. Proper Planning and Requirement Analysis

Every successful web application should be developed to solve a particular problem. Software engineering helps developers understand what users need before starting implementation.

Without proper planning, developers may create features that users do not need while ignoring important requirements.

For instance, a school management system that cannot properly protect students' examination records has failed to address an important requirement.

1. Security and Protection of User Information

Web applications often handle sensitive information such as names, passwords, financial details and personal records.

Software engineering encourages developers to consider security during the design and development stages.

This includes proper authentication, access control, input validation, secure data storage and regular security testing.

Without these practices, an application may expose users to attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and unauthorised access.

1. Reliability and Performance

A web application should work correctly even when many users access it at the same time.

Software engineering encourages proper system design, testing and performance evaluation. These practices help identify problems before they affect actual users.

For example, an online examination platform that crashes during an examination because too many students log in simultaneously can cause serious problems.

1. Easy Maintenance and Future Development

Software applications are not always completed once and forgotten. They require updates, corrections and improvements.

Proper software engineering encourages organised code, documentation and good system design. This makes it easier for another developer to understand the project and continue working on it.

Without these practices, even a small change can become difficult because the developer may not understand how different parts of the application depend on each other.

1. Testing and Quality Assurance

Testing helps developers discover errors before an application is released.

For example, a payment application should be tested to ensure that users are not charged twice, incorrect transactions are rejected and payment records are properly maintained.

Without proper testing, an application may appear to work during development but fail when real users begin using it.

Understanding Vibe Coding

Vibe coding is an approach to software development where a person uses artificial intelligence to generate code based mainly on natural-language instructions, often without fully examining or understanding the generated code.

Instead of manually writing every line, a developer describes what they want, and an AI tool produces the implementation.

Tools such as ChatGPT and other AI coding assistants have made this approach increasingly accessible.

I do not think vibe coding is necessarily a bad thing. It can be useful for learning, prototyping, generating ideas and reducing repetitive work.

However, the problem begins when developers depend entirely on generated code without reviewing, understanding or testing it.

An application can look impressive on the screen and still contain serious problems behind the interface.

Demerits and Dangers of Vibe Coding and Web Applications Without Software Engineering

1. Security Vulnerabilities

AI-generated code can contain security weaknesses. If developers simply copy and use the generated code without reviewing it, these weaknesses may become part of the application.

For example, a poorly implemented login system may expose user accounts to unauthorised access.

1. Poor Code Quality

Code generated without proper planning may become disorganised, repetitive and difficult to maintain.

As the application grows, developers may struggle to understand how different components work together.

1. Incorrect Functionality

AI tools can generate code that looks correct but does not properly solve the intended problem.

For example, an AI-generated payment feature may display a successful payment message without correctly verifying the transaction with the payment provider.

This can create serious financial and operational problems.

1. Technical Debt

Technical debt occurs when developers take shortcuts during development that create additional work and difficulties in the future.

Vibe coding can encourage this when developers repeatedly request quick fixes without understanding the underlying problem.

Eventually, the application may become difficult and expensive to improve.

1. Lack of Proper Testing

One of the biggest dangers is assuming that code is correct simply because it runs without displaying an error.

An application needs different forms of testing, including unit testing, integration testing and security testing.

Without these tests, hidden problems may remain unnoticed until the application is already being used by the public.

1. Privacy and Data Protection Risks

Developers who use AI tools must also be careful about the information they provide.

Uploading private source code, database credentials, passwords or customer information to an AI service without considering its data-handling policies can expose sensitive information.

1. Poor Scalability

A web application may work perfectly when only a few people use it but become slow or unstable when hundreds or thousands of users access it.

Without proper architectural planning and performance testing, the system may not be prepared for growth.

Can AI and Software Engineering Work Together?

In my view, the best approach is not to reject AI but to use it responsibly.

AI can assist developers in writing code, explaining unfamiliar concepts, generating test cases and identifying possible errors.

However, developers should still understand the requirements, review the generated code, test the application and make important technical decisions.

AI should be treated as an assistant rather than a replacement for software engineering knowledge.

A developer remains responsible for the quality, security and reliability of the application being delivered.

Conclusion

Software engineering remains highly relevant in modern web application development, especially now that artificial intelligence has made code generation easier and faster.

The ability to generate code quickly does not automatically mean that a developer has created a good application.

A successful web application should be secure, reliable, maintainable, efficient and capable of meeting the needs of its users.

Vibe coding can be a useful development approach when combined with proper technical knowledge and verification. However, depending on generated code without understanding the software engineering principles behind it can lead to security problems, poor performance, financial losses and applications that are difficult to maintain.

Personally, I believe that the future of web development should not be about choosing between artificial intelligence and software engineering. It should be about combining both. AI can help us work faster, but software engineering helps ensure that what we build is actually worth using.

References

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2022). Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF), Version 1.1.
   https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/218/final

2. OWASP Developer Guide. Secure Development and Integration.
   https://devguide.owasp.org/en/02-foundations/02-secure-development/

3. Microsoft Learn. Architecture Strategies for Securing a Development Lifecycle.
   https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/security/secure-development-lifecycle

4. NIST. DevSecOps Practices.
   https://pages.nist.gov/nccoe-devsecops/