Visual Studio Code is one of the most popular code editors among developers today. With its sleek interface, robust features like IntelliSense, debugging, and version control integration, VS Code has become many developers‘ editor of choice.
But VS Code‘s functionality can be extended even further through its library of extensions. These extensions add useful capabilities that make developers‘ lives easier.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll highlight the 23 best VS Code extensions that no developer should code without in 2023.
1. Live Server
Live Server is a simple yet invaluable extension that launches a local development server with live reload capability. Whenever you save changes to your code, it will automatically reload the browser so you can see changes in real-time.
Key Features
- Launch a local dev server with live reload
- Support for HTML, CSS, JS files
- Cross-browser testing capability
- Hot Module Replacement (HMR) for JS files
- Proxy support
- CORS control
Live Server is the most installed extension in the VS Code marketplace for good reason. It streamlines workflow and provides a much better coding experience compared to manually reloading pages.
2. Prettier
Prettier is the undisputed code formatting champion. It enforces consistent code style by parsing your code and re-printing it with its own rules. Say goodbye to messy, inconsistent code!
Key Features
- Code formatter supporting many languages
- Integrates with ESLint, TSLint, Stylelint and more
- Supports code formatting on save
- Customizable formatting rules
- Improves code readability and collaboration
Using Prettier eliminates debates over code style. And time not worrying about formatting is time spent building features. Install Prettier for productivity and peace of mind.
3. GitLens
Understanding what was changed, when, and by who is crucial when working with existing code. GitLens supercharges your Git workflow by showing insightful blame information right in the editor.
Key Features
- Inline blame annotations
- Code authorship visualization
- Commit search
- Git command palette
- View commit history by file or author
- Visualize code contributions
GitLens provides a wealth of Git data that helps you gain valuable insight as you‘re coding. If you use Git (and you should!), GitLens is an indispensable extension.
4. Bracket Pair Colorizer
Matching brackets and keeping nesting levels clear is important for readability. Bracket Pair Colorizer makes this even easier by assigning unique colors to matched bracket pairs.
Key Features
- Colorizes matching brackets based on nesting depth
- Customizable colors and opacity
- Works with round, square, and curly brackets
- Independent colorization per bracket type
- Improves code readability
Bracket Pair Colorizer is a simple extension that provides huge visual help, making matched brackets pop. No more hunting for that missing bracket!
5. Tabnine Autocomplete AI
Tabnine’s AI autocomplete supercharges your productivity with incredibly fast and smart code suggestions. It has by far the most advanced artificial intelligence of any autocomplete tool available.
Key Features
- Deep learning AI model provides smart suggestions
- Fast suggestion response times
- As-you-type code suggestions
- Works for all programming languages
- Cloud-powered — always improving
- Over 21 supported languages including Python, JavaScript, Java, C# and more
Tabnine will make you rethink autocomplete. Its suggestions are eerily intelligent and responsive for an AI-powered tool. If you find yourself repeatedly typing the same code patterns, let Tabnine handle it for you!
6. Code Spell Checker
Small spelling mistakes in code comments or strings can cause big headaches. Code Spell Checker identifies these issues using static analysis so they no longer block your progress.
Key Features
- Finds spelling issues in comments and strings
- Identifier and built-in word support
- Custom dictionary
- Selectively enable per language
- Bulk fixes available
Catching embarrassing typos is tough. A simple spelling mistake can cost hours in debugging. Put Code Spell Checker on the case so you can focus on building features.
7. Better Comments
Well-organized, meaningful comments are invaluable when revisiting old code. Better Comments can help take your comments from good to great with support for tags like TODO and FIXME plus other custom keywords.
Key Features
- Colorizes certain keywords in comments like
TODOandFIXME - Fully customizable keyword colors and styling
- Toggle comment visibility
- Support for custom tags
- Improves code documentation and planning
Skipping proper commenting to save time almost always costs more time later. Well-crafted comments can even make bad code readable. Better Comments helps your future self thank your present self!
8. Import Cost
Importing many large dependencies can balloon bundle sizes unknowingly. Import Cost displays inline the size of imported packages right in the code editor to aid sanity checking.
Key Features
- Shows imported package size inline
- View size breakdown on hover
- Tree-shake detection
- Customizable display options
- Helps optimize bundles by only including needed parts of dependencies
- Supported languages include JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS
With Import Cost, making decisions to cut down bundles is no longer a shot in the dark. See exactly which imports are costly and fine tune from there!
9. ES7 React/Redux/GraphQL/React-Native snippets
React development requires writing many boilerplate code snippets. This amazing extension provides handy shortcuts for Redux and common React snippets like component skeletons, hooks, and more.
Key Features
- Shortcut snippets for React, Redux and GraphQL
- Component skeleton
- Common React lifecycle methods
- Functional component creation
- Customizable Redux actions and reducers
Stop retyping common boilerplate code again and again. ES7 React/Redux/GraphQL snippets will supercharge your React workflows with great time-saving shortcuts.
10. Todo Tree
TODO comments often get buried and overlooked as projects grow. Todo Tree surfaces all project TODOs in a helpful organized tree view, so you always know what tasks need tackling.
Key Features
- Customizable tree view of TODOs, FIXMEs and more
- Tag support
- Filters (by author, text, tags, etc)
- Dockable persistent view
- Clickable line numbers take you to the TODO
- Full text search
Let Todo Tree spotlight those pending tasks that may have fallen by the wayside. Making steady progress on all TODOs helps ensure nothing gets lost long term.
11. DotENV
Environment variables are commonly used to avoid committing secrets like API keys to source control. DotENV makes managing these variables no problem by loading .env files right into your runtime environment.
Key Features
- Loads contents of a
.envfile into environment - Syntax highlighting
- IntelliSense for key names
- Support for
.env.developmentand.env.productionfiles - Emulate environment runs
- Customizable loading rules
Stop worrying whether you configured variables correctly. DotENV handles loading so you can seamlessly work with environment configs without hassle!
12. Rainbow CSV
CSV files contain critical relational data but are tiresome to parse visually. Rainbow CSV adds color coding for easy scanning so you can query essential data faster without losing your mind.
Key Features
- Colorizes text and background per CSV column
- Custom color schemes
- Column width detection
- Automatic CSV formatting cleanup
- Handy column navigation shortcuts
- Support for semicolon delimiters
Comb throughRainbow CSV takes the pain out of staring at plain CSV. Isolate columns effortlessly so you can extract just what you need.
13. Docker
Docker helps package applications into lightweight containers for smooth deployment and distribution. This official Docker VS Code extension makes composing and managing containers simple.
Key Features
- Docker file editing assistance
- IntelliSense for compose files
- DockerCLI access
- Explorer
- Deploy images from dashboard
- Debugging containers
- Stream logs
- Portable workspaces
Docker is being embraced more every day for its convenience deploying apps at scale. This extension lets you harness Docker right from VS Code without needing the CLI.
14. Draw.io Integration
Embed configurable diagrams like flowcharts, UML, ER models and more right inside VS Code with draw.io integration. Export charts as images or custom code snippets.
Key Features
- draw.io diagram editing inside editor
- Export diagrams as images or code snippets
- SVG, PNG, JPG and PDF support
- Drag and drop shapes
- Flowcharts, UML designers, wireframing
- Align, distribute shapes
Communicating complex concepts visually is tremendously valuable. Draw.io diagrams make explaining code architecture understandable at a glance!
15. Polacode
Polacode lets you generate pretty screenshots of your code an embed them directly in documents. Instead of taking manual screenshots, just invoke Polacode to paste code as a sharable image.
Key Features
- Embeds code screenshots in MD or HTML files
- Configurable window styling
- Multiple cursors
- Scrolling line numbers
- Copy code snippets as images
- Replaces manual screenshotworkflows
Stop fumbling with awkward screenshots every time documentation needs code examples. Let Polacode wrap code snips as beautiful images for you!
16. Code Time
Code Time delivers insightful metrics on your programming activity right in VS Code. See statistics like which files you edit most and measure productivity over time.
Key Features
- Built right into status bar
- Tracks time coded
- Detects languages and projects
- File editing stats
- Weekly/daily reports
- Set coding goals
It’s tough improving what you can’t measure. Code Time makes critical coding metrics visible so you know exactly how productive you are!
17. Visual Studio IntelliCode
IntelliCode enhances your developer environment with AI-assisted capabilities. It suggests whole method call chains complete with parameter suggestions and tab completion.
Key Features
- AI-powered assists for variables, methods and more
- Parameter suggestions
- Method chaining
- Adaptive to your code patterns
- Contextual recommendations
- Support for ~20 languages
IntelliCode’s AI smarts keep you humming along without breaking stride as you code. It‘s like having that senior dev sitting alongside pointing out what to do next!
18. Coverage Gutters
Seeing code coverage information as you work makes prioritizing new tests simple. Coverage Gutters highlights covered/uncovered lines directly in the editor so you know what‘s tested.
Key Features
- Colorizes gutter indicators by coverage
- View summary of % lines covered per file
- Easy identification of untested code
- Customizable indicator colors and styles
- Supported languages include C#, TypeScript, Python, C++ and more
With coverage data at your fingertips, pinpointing scope gaps to raise test quality takes minutes, not hours!
19. Code Runner
Code Runner eliminates context switching to check code snippets. It allows running code blocks right inside VS Code and shows output in a stylish terminal.
Key Features
- Runs selected code from editor
- Support for ~40 languages
- Output written to embedded terminal
- Customizable build commands
- Keybinding support
- Lightweight and fast
Just highlight, run selection, and check output. Lather, rinse, repeat until your code works as expected. Simple yet game-changing!
20. indent-rainbow
Visual structure is key when scanning nested code blocks. Indent-rainbow colorizes indentation making it easy to match blocks at a glance.
Key Features
- Colorizes indent levels with different hues
- Custom color configurations
- Automatic indentation detection
- Works with tabs and spaces
- Languages include Python, YAML, HTML, JSON
- Improves readability
Indent-rainbow replaces wall-of-text code with pretty blocks of color. Now you can instantly spot mismatches before running code.
21. Bookmarks
Bookmarks enables saving markers in code for quick navigation just like in a web browser. Set an unlimited number bookmarks to hop between important points.
Key Features
- Insert numbered bookmarks at cursor
- View list of bookmarks in peek menu
- Keyboard shortcuts to set/goto bookmarks
- Pin bookmarks in a separate tree view
- Ability to display bookmarks inline
- Manage bookmarks through command palette
No more scanning endlessly to rediscover pieces of logic you need. Set bookmarks as temporary waypoints for easy future access!
22. Codesnap
Explaining code over chat or email loses critical formatting and context. Codesnap allows capturing code on a shareable, syntax highlighted page that preserves snippets in a reusable visual block.
Key Features
- Upload code snippets as sharable links
- Custom URL
- Syntax highlighting
- Multiple snippets
- Details header
- Download code as file
- Quick copy snippet to clipboard
Forget giant unsafe code dumps in chat. Codesnap lets you explain code visually with official-looking sharable demos!
23. ARM Template Viewer
Azure Resource Manager (ARM) provides infrastructure-as-code for provisioning Azure cloud services declaratively. The ARM Template Viewer adds syntax highlighting, IntelliSense and more for authoring ARM YAML templates inside VS Code.
Key Features
- Syntax highlighting
- IntelliSense for ARM template authoring
- Validation of template schema
- Template parameter editing assistance
- Quick start snippets
- Resource template content assisting
Streamline cloud management without leaving VS Code! ARM Template Viewer brings Azure infrastructure provisioning right into the editor.
The powerful ecosystem of VS Code extensions unlocks game-changing productivity for developers. I hope shining light on these 23 amazing extensions gives a helpful head start equipping your toolkit for 2023.
WhichVS Code extensions do you swear by? Share your favorites that didn‘t make my list on Twitter or LinkedIn. I‘m always huntingfor handy new tools to try out!
