> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dotvibe.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Turn AI-built apps into files you can share and open anywhere.

# Vibe

**Vibe** lets you package an AI-built app into a single file and send it to anyone. They open it with the Vibe player on their Mac and run it safely — no setup, no terminals, no dev stack required. Sharing software feels like sending a file, not deploying an app.

## What is a .vibeapp?

A `.vibeapp` is a self-contained archive that bundles your application manifest, container images, and optional seed data into one portable file. The Vibe macOS player verifies the package signature, spins up a lightweight Alpine Linux VM, and runs your services using containerd — all transparently.

## Key Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One file to share" icon="file-archive">
    Your whole app ships as a single `.vibeapp` — email it, share a link, or send it over Slack.
  </Card>

  <Card title="No installation for recipients" icon="circle-check">
    Opens like any document on macOS. Recipients need only the Vibe player.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Runs safely in a sandbox" icon="shield">
    Fully isolated from the host system. Capabilities are declared up-front and prompted before first run.
  </Card>

  <Card title="State is preserved" icon="floppy-disk">
    Apps remember what they were doing. Auto-save snapshots every 30 seconds, up to 100 per app.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Password protection" icon="lock">
    Optionally encrypt packages with AES-256-GCM before sharing. Recipients need the password to open.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Works with any AI-built stack" icon="layer-group">
    Node, Python, Postgres, Redis — anything containerized. Bring your own images.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How It Works

Vibe has two parts: a **CLI** (for developers packaging apps) and a **macOS player** (for everyone running them).

### Packaging (CLI)

1. Write a `vibe.yaml` manifest describing your app's services
2. `vibe package` bundles everything into a ZIP-based `.vibeapp` archive
3. `vibe sign` signs the package with Ed25519; SHA-256 hashes every file
4. Optionally encrypt with AES-256-GCM via `--password`

### Running (macOS player)

1. The host app verifies the Ed25519 signature before launching
2. A persistent Alpine Linux VM starts via Apple's Virtualization framework
3. containerd runs your app's services inside the VM
4. State snapshots save automatically every 30 seconds (up to 100 per app)

## Requirements

| Role                      | Requirement                               |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Open .vibeapp files**   | macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later                |
| **Package and sign apps** | Rust toolchain (for building from source) |

## Architecture

| Component       | Language | Role                                            |
| --------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `vibe-cli`      | Rust     | Package, sign, verify, inspect `.vibeapp` files |
| `vibe-manifest` | Rust     | Manifest parsing and validation                 |
| `vibe-signing`  | Rust     | Ed25519 keygen, sign, verify, SHA-256 hashing   |
| `Vibe` (macOS)  | Swift    | macOS UI, VM lifecycle, project library         |

<Note>
  Vibe is open source under the MIT license. Source code is at [github.com/dolfin/vibe](https://github.com/dolfin/vibe).
</Note>