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Module
Module 2 of 5Lesson 1 of 2~15 min

Chat, app builder or coding agent?

A chat assistant, an app generator and a coding agent do not give you the same level of control over what you build. This lesson explains what an agent adds and helps you choose the right approach for your need, weighing control, risk and cost before you commit to one.

Take this lesson: your first course is freeSee the full syllabus

Lesson objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain what a coding agent does beyond a chat, and choose the right build approach for a need based on the control required, the risk and the cost.

Topics covered

  • coding agent
  • app generator
  • Claude Code
  • no-code vs code

Where it fits

Frame the tool and choose how to build it

What will I build, with which tool, and how will I know it worked?

Lessons in this module

  1. Chat, app builder or coding agent? (this lesson)
  2. Frame your tool and its success criteria

What you will learn in the course

This lesson is part of the course Build and ship a web app with an AI coding agent

  • Frame a tool (problem, user, inputs, expected result) and write its acceptance criteria before generating a single line of code.
  • Choose between a chat with artifacts, an app builder and a coding agent based on the need, the level of control required and the risk.
  • Write a build request for a coding agent (context, scope, constraints, verification) and get a plan approved before any code is written.
  • Set up the environment (terminal, Node.js, Git, Claude Code), run the application locally and explain what the main files of the generated project are for.
  • Evolve and debug the application in small, checked, committed iterations, giving the agent the right context (symptom, steps, error message).
  • Review the generated app before sharing it (behavior, edge cases, secrets, personal data, experience) and decide whether to ship, fix or stop.
  • Publish the app from GitHub to a host with continuous deployment, get a public URL and evolve the live version without breaking it.

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