How to start vibe coding for free: the VS Code + GitHub Copilot setup

0:00 Free vibe coding setup: what you need

In this video, I'll show you how to set up a real developer environment on Windows, so you can finally build that app, website or game you've been thinking about. You only need three free tools. WSL, the Windows Subsystem for Linux, gives you the full power of Linux right inside Windows. VS Code is your code editor. And GitHub Copilot is an AI assistant that writes code with you. Let's set them up.

0:29 Install WSL 2 with Ubuntu on Windows

Open the Microsoft Store and search for Ubuntu. It's one of the most popular versions of Linux, and it's the one we'll use. Click Get. After the download, click Open. It will take a few minutes to install and might prompt you to restart. Go ahead, then open Ubuntu again. You'll need to create a username and password that will be used to install features and run sudo commands. The password doesn't show when you type. That's normal, so just type it and press Enter. It may also ask about sharing system reports. Either answer is fine. And that's it. You now have Linux running on your Windows machine.

1:13 Install VS Code

Now we're going to set up VS Code. Go to code.visualstudio.com, download the Windows version and run the installer. Accept the agreement and click through the default options. Make sure you install it on Windows, not inside Ubuntu. VS Code connects to Linux by itself, and you'll see how in a minute.

1:38 Turn on GitHub Copilot (free plan)

Open VS Code. Copilot is already built in, and the first time you open it, VS Code asks you to sign in. Click Continue with GitHub. Your browser opens, so sign in to GitHub and authorize VS Code. If you don't have an account yet, you can make one for free in a couple of minutes. Without a paid plan you're on Copilot Free, which gives you two thousand code completions a month plus a monthly allowance for chat. That's plenty to get started, and you can check how much you've used with the Copilot icon at the bottom.

2:14 Connect VS Code to WSL

Here's the step most beginners miss. Click the button in the bottom-left corner of VS Code and choose WSL from the menu at the top. VS Code sets itself up inside Ubuntu, and when it's ready, the corner says WSL Ubuntu. From now on, every file and every command in this window runs in Linux. Now let's make a folder for your project. Click File, then Open Folder, type a name like my first app and click OK to create it. New folders open in Restricted Mode to protect you from code you don't know. This one is yours, so click Manage, then Trust.

2:53 Your first prompt: build an app in plain English

Now for the fun part. Copilot Chat is on the right. Make sure it's set to Agent, then describe what you want to build in plain English. For example, build me a simple to-do list website with a clean design that I can open in my browser. Copilot plans the work, writes the code and even tests it in a browser built into VS Code. Before it runs anything, it asks for your permission, so read what it wants to do and click Allow. When it's finished, it shows what was done. Look over the changes, then click Keep. You're in charge, and Copilot is your assistant. Now try it out and ask for changes. Add a dark mode, make the buttons bigger, or save my tasks so they're still there tomorrow. If the page doesn't open for you, just ask Copilot to open it. That's vibe coding. You describe it, the AI builds it, and you steer. And that's your setup. You've got Linux on Windows, a great editor and an AI partner. In the next video, we'll build something real with it, step by step.