Visual Studio Code

Integrated development environment from Microsoft

Not to be confused with Visual Studio.

Visual Studio Code

Logo used since May 2019

Visual Studio Code starting screen with dark theme

Original author(s)| Erich Gamma
Developer(s)| Microsoft
Initial release| April 29, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-04-29)
Stable release|

1.102.0[1]  / 10 July 2025

Preview release|

1.103.0-insiders[2]  / 11 July 2025

Repository|

* github.com/microsoft/vscode

Written in| TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS[3]
Operating system| Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, Linux
Platform| x86-64, ARM32, ARM64
Size|

* Windows: 93–97 MB
* Linux: 89–137 MB
* macOS: 127–217 MB

Available in| 15 languages

List of languages

English (US), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Czech[4]

Type| Integrated development environment
License| Proprietary freeware[5][6] based on open-source project[7][8]
Website| code.visualstudio.com

Visual Studio Code, commonly referred to as VS Code,[9] is an integrated development environment developed by Microsoft for Windows, Linux, macOS and web browsers.[10][11] Features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded version control with Git. Users can change the theme, keyboard shortcuts and preferences, as well as install extensions that add functionality.

Visual Studio Code is proprietary software released under the "Microsoft Software License",[6] but based on the MIT licensed program named "Visual Studio Code – Open Source" (also known as "Code – OSS"), also created by Microsoft and available through GitHub.[12]

In the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, out of 58,121 responses, 73.6% of respondents reported using Visual Studio Code, more than twice the percentage of respondents who reported using its nearest alternative, Visual Studio.[13]

## History

[edit]

Visual Studio Code was first announced on April 29, 2015 by Microsoft at the 2015 Build conference. A preview build was released shortly thereafter.[14]

On November 18, 2015, the project "Visual Studio Code – Open Source" (also known as "Code – OSS"), on which Visual Studio Code is based, was released under the open-source MIT License and made available on GitHub.[12]

Extension support was also announced.[15] On April 14, 2016, Visual Studio Code graduated from the public preview stage and was released to the web.[16]

## Features

[edit]

### Code editor

[edit]

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.[17][18][19][20][21] Visual Studio Code employs the same editor component (codenamed "Monaco") used in Azure DevOps (formerly called "Visual Studio Online" and "Visual Studio Team Services").[22]

The downloadable version of Visual Studio Code is built on the Electron framework,[23] 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.[24] It is officially supported and hosted by Microsoft and can be accessed at 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.[25]

### Debugging

[edit]

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++.[26] Furthermore, users can set breakpoints – either standard or conditional – 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.[27] 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.

### File management and workspace

[edit]

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.[28] The command palette is able to execute virtually every feature the graphical interface supports, making it very keyboard-accessible.[29]

### Integrated terminal

[edit]

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.[30] 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.[31]

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.

### Extensibility and customization

[edit]

Visual Studio Code can be extended via extensions.[32] Users may install extensions from the VS Code Marketplace to add language support,[28] editor,[33] 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.[34]

### Source control

[edit]

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.[35] The information contained in this telemetry data can be inspected by the public, since the product is open source.[36]

### Remote development and web-based access

[edit]

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.[37] This version supports basic editing tasks and integration with remote repositories.

### Insiders

[edit]

Visual Studio Code Insiders logo

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. [38]

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.

## Reception

[edit]

In the 2016 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Visual Studio Code ranked 13th among the top popular development tools, with only 7% of the 47,000 respondents using it.[39] Two years later, Visual Studio Code rose to the no. 1 spot, with 35% of the 75,000 respondents using it.[40] Since then Visual Studio Code has retained the no. 1 spot, with the percentage of respondents reporting using it increasing to 50% in 2019,[41] 74.5% in 2021,[42] 74.48% in 2022,[43] 73.71% in 2023,[44] and 73.6% in 2024.[45] (The 2020 Developers Survey did not cover integrated development environments.[46])

## Controversy

[edit]

### CEC-IDE

[edit]

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.[47][48] 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.[49]

### Removal of suspicious extension

[edit]

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.[50]

## See also

[edit]

* Free and open-source software portal

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "June 2025". Retrieved 13 July 2025.
2. ^ "Visual Studio Code Insiders (Install) 1.103.0.20250710". Retrieved 13 July 2025.
3. ^ GitHub repository microsoft/vscode, Microsoft, 2020-12-20, archived from the original on 2015-11-23, retrieved 2020-12-20
4. ^ "Visual Studio Code Display Language (Locale)". Visual Studio Code. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
5. ^ "Download Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
6. ^ a b "Microsoft Software License Terms". Visual Studio Code. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
7. ^ "LICENSE.txt". github.com/Microsoft/vscode. Microsoft. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
8. ^ "The best parts of Visual Studio Code are proprietary". Underjord. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
9. ^ Stanton, Lee (2021-08-17). "How to Run Code in VS Code". Alphr. Archived from the original on 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
10. ^ Lardinois, Frederic (April 29, 2015). "Microsoft Launches Visual Studio Code, A Free Cross-Platform Code Editor For OS X, Linux And Windows". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
11. ^ Devine, Richard (22 December 2022). "How to use Visual Studio Code in a web browser". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
12. ^ a b Dias, Chris (4 December 2015). "Issue: Menu license links to non Open Source license". Microsoft/vscode repo. Microsoft. Response #161792005. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2019 – via GitHub.com. "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."
13. ^ Stack Overflow (2024). "Technology | 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey". stackoverflow.co. Stack Overflow. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
14. ^ McBreen, Sean (April 29, 2015). "Announcing Visual Studio Code – Preview". Archived from the original on 2015-10-09.
15. ^ "Visual Studio now supports debugging Linux apps; Code editor now open source". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
16. ^ "Visual Studio Code editor hits version 1, has half a million users". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
17. ^ Kanjilal, Joydip (2015-05-06). "Visual Studio Code: A fast, lightweight, cross-platform code editor". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
18. ^ Bisson, Simon (2018-09-11). "It's gotten a little easier to develop PWAs in Windows". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
19. ^ Krill, Paul (2018-02-24). "What's new in Microsoft Visual Studio Code". ChannelWorld. Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
20. ^ Wanyoike, Michael (2018-06-06). "Debugging JavaScript Projects with VS Code & Chrome Debugger". SitePoint. Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
21. ^ "Julia in Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
22. ^ "Monaco Editor". microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor. Archived from the original on 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
23. ^ "Microsoft's new Code editor is built on Google's Chromium". Ars Technica. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
24. ^ "Visual Studio Code for the Web". code.visualstudio.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
25. ^ "Programming Languages, Hundreds of programming languages supported". Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
26. ^ Reid, Julia (2021-07-28). "Visual Studio Code C++ July 2021 Update: Disassembly View, Macro Expansion and Windows ARM64 Debugging". C++ Team Blog. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
27. ^ "Debug code with Visual Studio Code".`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
28. ^ a b "Language Support in Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
29. ^ "Visual Studio Code User Interface". code.visualstudio.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
30. ^ "Terminal Basics". Archived from the original on 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
31. ^ "Terminal Shell Integration". Archived from the original on 2025-04-23. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
32. ^ "Extending Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
33. ^ "Managing Extensions in Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
34. ^ "Creating Language Servers for Visual Studio Code". Visual Studio Code. Archived from the original on 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
35. ^ "Visual Studio Code FAQ". Visual Studio Code. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016. "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."
36. ^ "vscode/src/vs/platform/telemetry at main branch". microsoft/vscode repo. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2020 – via GitHub.
37. ^ "vscode.dev(!)". Archived from the original on 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
38. ^ Chris, Dias (February 1, 2016). "Introducing the Insiders Build".`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
39. ^ "Developer Survey Results 2016". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
40. ^ "Developer Survey Results 2018". StackOverflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
41. ^ "Developer Survey Results 2019 – Most Popular Development Environments". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
42. ^ "Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 – Integrated Development Environment". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
43. ^ "Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022 – Integrated development environment". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
44. ^ "Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023 – Integrated development environment". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
45. ^ "Technology | 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
46. ^ "Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2020 – Development Environments and Tools". Stack Overflow Insights. Stack Exchange. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
47. ^ "广东省数字政府科技创新发展论坛举办" [Guangdong Province Digital Government Technology Innovation Development Forum Held]. People's Government of Guangdong Province (in Chinese (China)). 2023-06-21. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21.
48. ^ 麒麟软件 (2023-06-26). ""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". Weixin Public Platform (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
49. ^ Sharwood, Simon (August 31, 2023). "Chinese vendor apologizes for claiming Microsoft open source code was its own product". The Register. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
50. ^ "Microsoft apologizes for removing VSCode extensions used by millions". BleepingComputer. Retrieved 2025-03-18.

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[edit]

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