Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code was first announced on April 29, 2015 by Microsoft at the 2015 Build conference. A preview build was released shortly thereafter.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vscode/archive/2015/04/29/announcing-visual-studio-code-preview.aspx|title=Announcing Visual Studio Code{{dash}}Preview|date=April 29, 2015| first=Sean| last=McBreen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009211114/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vscode/archive/2015/04/29/announcing-visual-studio-code-preview.aspx|archive-date=2015-10-09}}

On November 18, 2015, the project "Visual Studio Code{{dash}}Open Source" (also known as "Code{{dash}}OSS"), on which Visual Studio Code is based, was released under the open-source MIT License and made available on GitHub.{{cite web|last1=Dias|first1=Chris|date=4 December 2015|title=Issue: Menu license links to non Open Source license|url=https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/60#issuecomment-161792005|website=Microsoft/vscode repo|publisher=Microsoft|at=Response #161792005|via=GitHub.com|quote=We wanted to deliver a Microsoft branded product, built on top of an open source code base that the community could explore and contribute to.|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-date=4 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904000420/https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/60#issuecomment-161792005|url-status=live}}

Extension support was also announced.{{cite news|title=Visual Studio now supports debugging Linux apps; Code editor now open source|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/11/visual-studio-now-supports-debugging-linux-apps-code-editor-now-open-source/|access-date=18 November 2015|work=Ars Technica|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411195700/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/11/visual-studio-now-supports-debugging-linux-apps-code-editor-now-open-source/|url-status=live}} On April 14, 2016, Visual Studio Code graduated from the public preview stage and was released to the web.{{cite web|title=Visual Studio Code editor hits version 1, has half a million users|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/04/visual-studio-code-editor-hits-version-1-has-half-a-million-users/|website=Ars Technica|publisher=Condé Nast|date=15 April 2016|access-date=15 June 2017|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707120125/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/04/visual-studio-code-editor-hits-version-1-has-half-a-million-users/|url-status=live}}

Visual Studio Code is a source-code editor that can be used with a variety of programming languages, including C, C#, C++, Fortran, Go, Java, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Rust, and Julia.{{cite web|url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/2919555/microsoft-net/visual-studio-code-a-fast-lightweight-and-cross-platform-code-editor.html|title=Visual Studio Code: A fast, lightweight, cross-platform code editor|first=Joydip|last=Kanjilal|date=2015-05-06|publisher=InfoWorld|access-date=2019-01-25|archive-date=2019-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125183306/https://www.infoworld.com/article/2919555/microsoft-net/visual-studio-code-a-fast-lightweight-and-cross-platform-code-editor.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/3304957/web-development/its-gotten-a-little-easier-to-develop-pwas-in-windows.html|title=It's gotten a little easier to develop PWAs in Windows|first=Simon|last=Bisson|date=2018-09-11|publisher=InfoWorld|access-date=2019-01-25|archive-date=2019-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125183323/https://www.infoworld.com/article/3304957/web-development/its-gotten-a-little-easier-to-develop-pwas-in-windows.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.channelworld.in/news/whats-new-microsoft-visual-studio-code|title=What's new in Microsoft Visual Studio Code|first=Paul|last=Krill|date=2018-02-24|publisher=ChannelWorld|access-date=2019-01-25|archive-date=2019-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125183213/http://www.channelworld.in/news/whats-new-microsoft-visual-studio-code|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sitepoint.com/debugging-javascript-projects-vs-code-chrome-debugger/|title=Debugging JavaScript Projects with VS Code & Chrome Debugger|first=Michael|last=Wanyoike|date=2018-06-06|publisher=SitePoint|access-date=2019-01-25|archive-date=2019-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125130917/https://www.sitepoint.com/debugging-javascript-projects-vs-code-chrome-debugger/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Julia in Visual Studio Code |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/julia |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Visual Studio Code |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526231012/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/julia |url-status=live }} Visual Studio Code employs the same editor component (codenamed "Monaco") used in Azure DevOps (formerly called "Visual Studio Online" and "Visual Studio Team Services").{{cite web|title=Monaco Editor|url=https://microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor/|website=microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor|access-date=2016-11-03|archive-date=2017-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830163725/https://microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor/|url-status=live}}

The downloadable version of Visual Studio Code is built on the Electron framework,{{cite web |title=Microsoft's new Code editor is built on Google's Chromium |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/microsofts-new-code-editor-is-built-on-googles-chromium/ |website=Ars Technica |date=29 April 2015 |access-date=18 November 2015 |archive-date=7 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507020146/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/microsofts-new-code-editor-is-built-on-googles-chromium/ |url-status=live }} which is used to develop Node.js web applications that run on the Blink layout engine. Visual Studio Code for the Web is a browser-based version of the editor that can be used to edit both local files and remote repositories (on GitHub and Microsoft Azure) without installing the full program.{{cite web |title=Visual Studio Code for the Web |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/vscode-web |website=code.visualstudio.com |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en |archive-date=9 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409022034/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/vscode-web |url-status=live }} It is officially supported and hosted by Microsoft and can be accessed at {{URL|https://vscode.dev}}.

Out of the box, Visual Studio Code includes basic support for most common programming languages. This basic support includes syntax highlighting, bracket matching, code folding, and configurable snippets. Visual Studio Code also ships with IntelliSense for JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, CSS, and HTML, as well as debugging support for Node.js. Support for additional languages can be provided by freely available extensions on the VS Code Marketplace.{{cite web |title=Programming Languages, Hundreds of programming languages supported |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/overview |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2016-10-11 |archive-date=2017-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511180310/https://code.visualstudio.com/Docs/languages/overview |url-status=live }}

VS Code features a built-in debugger designed to enhance the development process. It provides native support for debugging Node.js applications, while additional debuggers for other programming languages can be installed via extensions. The debugger allows developers to attach to running processes and step through source code line-by-line during execution, offering a detailed view of program flow. It can also display disassembly for low-level analysis in C++.{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Julia |date=2021-07-28 |title=Visual Studio Code C++ July 2021 Update: Disassembly View, Macro Expansion and Windows ARM64 Debugging |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/cppblog/visual-studio-code-c-july-2021-update-disassembly-view-macro-expansion-and-windows-arm64-debugging/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=C++ Team Blog |language=en-US}} Furthermore, users can set breakpoints{{dash}}either standard or conditional{{dash}}to pause execution at specific points and examine the program's state, while also monitoring variable values in real-time as the code runs.

An interactive feature of VS Code's debugging toolkit is the Debug Console.{{Cite web |title=Debug code with Visual Studio Code |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/debugging |url-status=live}} This panel is integrated directly into the debugging session, enabling users to evaluate expressions, such as checking variable values or testing functions, and execute commands on the fly. This functionality provides developers with greater control and deeper insight into the program's behavior.

Instead of a project system, VS Code allows users to open one or more directories, which can then be saved in workspaces for future reuse. This allows it to operate as a language-agnostic code editor for any language. It supports many programming languages and a set of features that differ per language. Unwanted files and folders can be excluded from the project tree via settings.

Many Visual Studio Code features are not exposed through menus or the user interface but can be accessed via the command palette.{{cite web |date=October 10, 2016 |title=Language Support in Visual Studio Code |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/overview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511180310/https://code.visualstudio.com/Docs/languages/overview |archive-date=2017-05-11 |access-date=2016-10-12 |website=Visual Studio Code}} The command palette is able to execute virtually every feature the graphical interface supports, making it very keyboard-accessible.{{Cite web |title=Visual Studio Code User Interface |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=code.visualstudio.com |language=en |archive-date=2024-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806050652/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface |url-status=live }}

Visual Studio Code provides a fully featured integrated terminal that opens at the root of the current workspace, allowing users to run shell commands without leaving the editor environment.{{Cite news |title=Terminal Basics |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/terminal/basics |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250417044829/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/terminal/basics |archive-date=2025-04-17 |access-date=2025-04-25 |language=en}} It can be toggled via View → Terminal, the Command Palette (View: Toggle Integrated Terminal), or the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+`). Users may open multiple terminals in tabs or split panes, rename them, and kill sessions individually, directly within the editor UI.

This terminal hosts any shell installed on the system—Bash, Zsh, PowerShell, Fish, Git Bash, WSL, etc.—and detects available profiles automatically, making it simple to switch contexts via the dropdown menu or the Terminal: Select Default Profile command.{{Cite news |title=Terminal Shell Integration |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/terminal/shell-integration |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250423063113/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/terminal/shell-integration |archive-date=2025-04-23 |access-date=2025-04-26 |language=en}}

Beyond basic command execution, VS Code’s shell integration also contains clickable file links, working-directory awareness, and error-detection markers in the scrollbar. These enhancements simplify tracing errors and navigating code paths by allowing direct jumps to source files, preserving the current working directory context, and highlighting problems inline within the terminal’s scroll bar.

Visual Studio Code can be extended via extensions.{{cite web |title=Extending Visual Studio Code |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensions/overview |website=Visual Studio Code |date=October 10, 2016 |access-date=2016-10-12 |archive-date=2016-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018124435/http://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensions/overview |url-status=live }} Users may install extensions from the VS Code Marketplace to add language support, editor,{{cite web |date=October 10, 2016 |title=Managing Extensions in Visual Studio Code |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/extension-gallery |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124105840/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/extension-gallery |archive-date=2021-01-24 |access-date=2016-10-12 |website=Visual Studio Code}} themes, debuggers, and additional utilities. A notable feature is the ability to create extensions that add support for new languages, themes, debuggers, time travel debuggers, perform static code analysis, and add code linters using the Language Server Protocol.{{Cite news|url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensions/example-language-server|title=Creating Language Servers for Visual Studio Code |website=Visual Studio Code |access-date=2017-02-27|archive-date=2017-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901125849/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensions/example-language-server|url-status=live}}

Source control is a built-in feature of Visual Studio Code. It has a dedicated tab inside the menu bar where users can access version control settings and view changes made to the current project. To use the feature, Visual Studio Code must be linked to any supported version control system (Git, Apache Subversion, Perforce, etc.). This allows users to create repositories and to make push and pull requests directly from the Visual Studio Code program.

Visual Studio Code collects usage data and sends it to Microsoft to help improve the product. This telemetry feature can be disabled.{{cite web |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq#_how-to-disable-telemetry-reporting |title=Visual Studio Code FAQ |website=Visual Studio Code |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=4 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828111301/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq |archive-date=28 August 2016 |url-status=live |quote=VS Code collects usage data and sends it to Microsoft to help improve our products and services. Read our privacy statement to learn more. If you don't wish to send usage data to Microsoft, you can set the telemetry.enableTelemetry setting to false.}} The information contained in this telemetry data can be inspected by the public, since the product is open source.{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/tree/main/src/vs/platform/telemetry |title=vscode/src/vs/platform/telemetry at main branch |work=microsoft/vscode repo |via=GitHub |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125061716/https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/tree/main/src/vs/platform/telemetry |url-status=live }}

VS Code supports remote development through extensions such as Remote–SSH, Remote–Containers, and Remote–WSL. These tools enable users to connect to and develop within remote environments, including servers and containers.

Visual Studio Code for the Web (accessible at vscode.dev) allows users to edit files directly in a web browser without the need to install the desktop application.{{Cite news |title=vscode.dev(!) |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2021/10/20/vscode-dev |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250211163322/https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2021/10/20/vscode-dev |archive-date=2025-02-11 |access-date=2025-02-27 |language=en}} This version supports basic editing tasks and integration with remote repositories.

file:Visual Studio Code Insiders 1.36 icon.svg

VS Code Insiders is a nightly build version of this code editor, providing users with the opportunity to experience new features, bug fixes, and improvements ahead of their official release. It is compiled every night based on the latest changes from the development team, allowing users to test and provide feedback before these updates are officially released in the stable version. {{Cite web |last=Chris |first=Dias |date=February 1, 2016 |title=Introducing the Insiders Build |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2016/02/01/introducing_insiders_build |url-status=live}}

This version is completely independent of the standard version, meaning users can install and run both simultaneously without any interference between their settings, extensions, or themes. This design enables developers to explore and experiment with the latest features of the code editor without affecting their primary development environment.

In the 2016 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Visual Studio Code ranked 13{{sup|th}} among the top popular development tools, with only 7% of the 47,000 respondents using it.{{cite web|title=Developer Survey Results 2016|url=https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2016#technology-development-environments|website=Stack Overflow Insights|publisher=Stack Exchange|access-date=7 April 2018|archive-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318113033/http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2016#technology-development-environments|url-status=live}} Two years later, Visual Studio Code rose to the no.{{nbsp}}1 spot, with 35% of the 75,000 respondents using it.{{cite web |title=Developer Survey Results 2018 |url=https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/ |website=StackOverflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=7 April 2018 |archive-date=6 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306080413/https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018 |url-status=live }} Since then Visual Studio Code has retained the no.{{nbsp}}1 spot, with the percentage of respondents reporting using it increasing to 50% in 2019,{{cite web |title=Developer Survey Results 2019 – Most Popular Development Environments |url=https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#development-environments-and-tools |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-date=7 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307082721/https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#development-environments-and-tools |url-status=live }} 74.5% in 2021,{{cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 – Integrated Development Environment |url=https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=11 August 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413214054/https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |url-status=live }} 74.48% in 2022,{{cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022 – Integrated development environment |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=28 June 2022 |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627034954/https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |url-status=live }} 73.71% in 2023,{{cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023 – Integrated development environment |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104170531/https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment |url-status=live }} and 73.6% in 2024.{{cite web |title=Technology | 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/technology#1-integrated-development-environment |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=12 November 2024}} (The 2020 Developers Survey did not cover integrated development environments.{{cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2020 – Development Environments and Tools |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2020#development-environments-and-tools |website=Stack Overflow Insights |publisher=Stack Exchange |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101001715/https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2020#development-environments-and-tools |url-status=live }})

On June 20, 2023, during the Guangdong Province's Digital Government Innovation Development Forum held in Guangzhou, CEC-IDE was released and described as the first Chinese-produced integrated development tool.{{cite web|url=https://www.gd.gov.cn/gdywdt/dsdt/content/post_4205291.html|trans-title=Guangdong Province Digital Government Technology Innovation Development Forum Held|title=广东省数字政府科技创新发展论坛举办|language=zh-cn|date=2023-06-21|website=People's Government of Guangdong Province|archive-date=2023-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721015652/https://www.gd.gov.cn/gdywdt/dsdt/content/post_4205291.html}}{{cite web|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/v_smby8ua1vmnxI8mOhq8w|title="粤"上高地｜麒麟软件与数字广东携手推动广东数字政府建设|date=2023-06-26|website=Weixin Public Platform|author=麒麟软件|language=zh-cn|access-date=2023-08-30|archive-date=2023-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024224153/https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/v_smby8ua1vmnxI8mOhq8w|url-status=live}} However, CEC-IDE was subsequently found to be a rebranded release of Visual Studio Code that, among other things, failed to include a copy of the MIT license as required for redistributions. On August 26, Digital Guangdong published a statement admitting that CEC-IDE is based on Visual Studio Code.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2023/08/31/digital_guangdong_opensouce_ripoff_apology/|title=Chinese vendor apologizes for claiming Microsoft open source code was its own product|date=August 31, 2023|access-date=August 6, 2024|website=The Register|last=Sharwood|first=Simon|archive-date=September 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921010149/https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2023/08/31/digital_guangdong_opensouce_ripoff_apology/|url-status=live}}

In late February 2025, Microsoft flagged an extension named 'Material Theme Icons – Free' as malicious due to setting of multiple red flags that indicated malicious intent, and banned the developer, Mattia Astorino, from the Marketplace over security concerns. Astorino contested the allegations, attributing the issue to an outdated dependency used since 2016 for displaying release notes. After further review, Microsoft acknowledged the mistake and publicly apologized to Astorino on March 12, accompanied by assurances from Microsoft that they would refine their scanning and review policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.{{Cite web |title=Microsoft apologizes for removing VSCode extensions used by millions |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-apologizes-for-removing-vscode-extensions-used-by-millions/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us}}

{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

• Comparison of integrated development environments
• GitHub Copilot
• Visual Studio
• Eclipse Theia

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://code.visualstudio.com/}}
• [https://github.com/microsoft/vscode Microsoft's "Code{{dash}}OSS" Github repository]

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