※ This book is the Next.js edition of Vibe Coding: A Practical Guide to Claude Code for Non-Developers - Streamlit Edition.

You are now standing at the gateway to a major transformation in the world of data analysis.

We've moved from the era of organizing data in Excel or Google Sheets and creating reports in PowerPoint to an age where you can build professional-grade web applications through AI collaboration. At the center of this transformation are full-stack frameworks like Next.js and Claude Code.

In this chapter, we'll explore what power Claude Code gives to non-developers and what possibilities open up when combined with Next.js.

This book's unique points include:

A thorough explanation from account setup and environment configuration to actually running Claude Code, designed so even complete programming beginners can master it.
We recommend using Github Codespaces as the development environment, which works from any browser regardless of your local machine's specs or OS.
As practical content, we consistently focus on building data analysis dashboards using Next.js as our main topic.

Why Claude Code?

As a professional engineer with over 10 years of career experience, I'm convinced that Claude Code is currently the best vibe coding tool available. Thanks to the features and functionality of Claude Code that you'll actually experience, it enables practical vibe coding that sets it apart from other AI coding tools.

Powerful Features of Claude Code

AI Models with World-Class Coding Performance

The Sonnet 4 / Opus 4 models used by Claude Code are Anthropic's latest models, recording high benchmark scores particularly in coding performance. From my experience using them, I find them to be very high-performing models.

Agentic Behavior: Planning Before Execution

Claude Code accurately reflects user intent by creating plans in response to user instructions and then executing them step by step.

High Code Understanding Through Terminal Invocation

Claude Code is a CLI (command line interface) used from the terminal. Because it can freely read and write files and directory structures, it understands codebases correctly and performs operations that align with user intent.

Feature Extension Through MCP and Custom Slash Commands

Claude Code supports integration with MCP servers, allowing you to extend Claude Code's functionality. Additionally, for frequently repeated tasks, you can use custom slash commands to routinize them, making it highly extensible.

While these powerful features exist, Claude Code has a high barrier to entry especially for non-engineers, which is why tools like Replit and Bolt tend to get more attention. However, once you overcome this barrier, you can harness the powerful capabilities of Claude Code.

Why Next.js?

Differences from Streamlit

Have you read our published Streamlit Ebook? If you have, you might wonder "How should I decide between Streamlit and Next.js?" Both are full-stack frameworks that can build interactive web applications.

Streamlit is indeed a very user-friendly tool for those doing data analysis in Python. You can display graphs with just a few lines of code, and it has excellent compatibility with popular libraries like Pandas, Matplotlib, and Plotly.

However, when you actually operate Streamlit apps, you encounter several limitations.

When you want to change button colors, fine-tune layouts, or add custom interaction features, Streamlit often makes these difficult to implement. One developer expressed it as: "Want to change button colors? Impossible. Want to add JavaScript or CSS? Can't do it." While workarounds exist, they're hardly efficient.

On the other hand, Next.js is a React-based frontend framework that can leverage React's ecosystem. By using UI libraries like TailwindCSS and shadcn/ui, you can easily achieve beautiful UIs. It has significant advantages in user interaction and UI customization.

Before Starting This Book

To succeed in Next.js dashboard development, the following preparation is important:

Basic PC operation skills (file operations, browser usage, etc.)
No resistance to command line operations
About 10-15 hours of study time per week
Motivation for continuous learning

If you meet these conditions, you can steadily acquire skills even without programming experience.

Five Tools to Become a Full-Fledged Vibe Coder

In this book, we'll learn practical vibe coding using these five tools:

Github is a platform for code management and sharing. You can safely store your created code and share it with other members. With a GitHub account, you can manage code in the same environment used by engineers worldwide.
Github Codespaces is a development environment that runs in your browser. You don't need to install complex software on your computer - you can start developing immediately with just an internet browser.
Claude Code is your AI programming partner. It understands natural language instructions and generates and modifies appropriate code. Don't worry if you're not an engineer - while it might seem difficult, it's actually simple.
Next.js is a React-based frontend framework. It works well with Claude Code, and by using UI libraries like TailwindCSS and shadcn/ui, you can easily achieve beautiful UIs.
Squadbase is a platform for easily and safely deploying and sharing your created dashboards. You can share dashboards with team members while meeting security requirements and integrating with internal systems. No server setup is needed - dashboards are automatically deployed by pushing code to GitHub.

By managing code with GitHub, building development environments with Codespaces, creating code with Claude Code, implementing dashboards with Next.js, and deploying to production with Squadbase, you can become a practical vibe coder through this entire workflow.

Overall Vision and Goals for What We'll Build

Throughout this book, you'll create a practical BI dashboard using e-commerce site data.

Learning progresses step by step:

First, we'll set up the environment and learn basic Claude Code operations
Next, we'll perform actual data analysis and create a basic dashboard
Then, we'll add advanced features and rich UI, ultimately finishing with a dashboard that the entire team can use

Content by Chapter

Chapter 1: Account Setup

Creating Claude Code and Github Codespaces accounts
Overcoming psychological barriers to development tools
Free plan limitations and efficient usage

Chapter 2: Environment Setup

Building cloud development environment with Github Codespaces
Forking Next.js starter template
Running your first Next.js application

Chapter 3: First Meeting with Claude Code

Basic usage and authentication of Claude Code
File referencing using @ notation
Utilizing CLAUDE.md files
How to give effective instructions

Chapter 4: Data Preparation and Basic Dashboard Construction

Data analysis using CSV files
Implementing interactive visualizations
Implementing monthly sales trends and cancellation rate analysis

Chapter 5: Advanced Dashboard Features

Adding new analysis pages (category analysis)
Implementing data filtering and user interaction-driven visualizations

Chapter 6: Database Integration and API Integration

Database connection configuration
Customizing data queries

Chapter 7: Team Sharing and Maintenance

Safe deployment environment using Squadbase
Team member invitations and access control
Continuous improvement and feedback collection
Analysis and runtime log management

Upon completing this book, you will have transformed from a programming beginner to a practical vibe coder. You'll have acquired not just the ability to create dashboards, but the skills to collaborate with AI to solve various business challenges.

Introduction: Building Dashboards with Next.js + Vibe Coding