VS Code is a free, open source code editor developed by Microsoft. It is lightweight, efficient and powerful, suitable for a variety of programming languages ??and development scenarios. It meets different user needs through the "extended out of the box" model; 1. Its core design is light and fast, supports mainstream languages ??and built-in Git support, and has fast response speed; 2. It has a rich plug-in ecosystem, providing multiple functions such as code formatting, debugging support, theme beautification, and achieving high customization; 3. It runs across platforms and supports remote development, which is convenient for team collaboration; 4. It is active in the community, rich in resources, and easy to learn and solve problems. Rationally selecting plug-ins and configurations can significantly improve development efficiency.

VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is a free, open source code editor developed by Microsoft. It is lightweight but powerful and suitable for a variety of programming languages ??and development scenarios. Compared with the traditional integrated development environment (IDE), VS Code is more flexible, has a fast startup speed, and can expand functions on demand through a rich plug-in system. This makes it quickly popular among developers.

1. Lightweight and efficient, suitable for a variety of development needs

One of the core design goals of VS Code is lightweight and fast. It doesn't load a lot of features as soon as it is opened like a traditional IDE, but it only runs the parts you really need. Even if you open a large project, you can maintain fast response speed.

• Supports almost all mainstream programming languages ??(such as JavaScript, Python, Java, C, etc.)
• Built-in Git support, convenient version control operation
• You can adjust the interface and behavior through settings, such as themes, font sizes, shortcut keys, etc.

This "out-of-the-box expansion" model allows it to meet the learning and use of novices, but also compete with the daily tasks of professional developers.

2. Powerful plug-in ecosystem, highly customizable

One of the most attractive things about VS Code is its plug-in market (Extensions Marketplace). There are currently tens of thousands of plug-ins, covering almost all the development needs you can think of.

Some common uses include:

• Code formatting tools (such as Prettier, ESLint)
• Debugging support (such as debugging Python, Node.js applications)
• Theme beautification and UI enhancement
• Database connection, API testing and other auxiliary development functions

You can install appropriate plug-ins according to your project type and work habits, and build VS Code into an exclusive development environment.

3. Cross-platform support, teamwork and friendly

VS Code supports Windows, macOS and Linux systems, and the interface and functions are basically the same on different platforms, which is very convenient for multi-device developers or team collaboration.

In addition, it supports Remote Development, which can be used to connect to servers through SSH, develop in Docker containers, and even combines GitHub Codespaces to implement cloud encoding. This makes it easier to maintain a consistent development environment when developing in collaboratively with multiple people.

4. Active community and rich learning resources

Due to the huge user base of VS Code, there are a large number of tutorials, videos and documentation resources on the Internet. When you encounter problems, you can usually find a solution very quickly. The official documentation is also very detailed and is suitable for checking configuration methods or advanced usage.

In addition, many open source projects also recommend using VS Code, and some projects also provide .vscode configuration files to help developers quickly build a local development environment.

Overall, the reason VS Code is the first choice for developers is that it takes into account performance, flexibility and ease of use. Although it is just an editor itself, it can be competent for the development needs of various complex projects through plug-ins and configurations. Basically all this is it. It is not complicated but easy to ignore: choosing the right plug-in and reasonable configuration can really improve work efficiency a lot.

The above is the detailed content of What is VS Code, and why is it popular among developers?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!