VS Code
Microsoft's open-source code editor, the base of Visual Studio Code, for writing and debugging code.
- Stars
- 194k
- Forks
- 44.4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Visual Studio Code is a code editor that combines simple editing with the tools developers need for the edit, build, and debug cycle. It offers code editing, navigation, lightweight debugging, and an extension system. This repository is the open-source "Code - OSS" source; the official VS Code product is a distribution of it with Microsoft-specific additions under a separate license.
- Edit, build, and debug code in many programming languages
- Use language support features such as Go to Definition and inline suggestions through bundled extensions
- Open the project in a Dev Container or GitHub Codespace for a prepared development environment
- Build and run the editor from source to contribute changes
Great for
- Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons
- People who want to read or modify the editor's source code
- Contributors who want to fix bugs or propose features in an active project
- Developers working across many languages who want built-in grammars and snippets
Not ideal for
- People who only need a basic text editor, since a full build of this project is resource-heavy (README recommends 4 cores and 6 GB RAM, 8 GB preferred)
- Users who want the official Microsoft product build; this repo is the open-source base, and the README says the official product has different licensing and customizations
- Non-developers looking for a general-purpose office or note-taking tool
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Docker (for the Dev Container route) · Git
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vscode - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository with Git
- Open the folder in VS Code or a Dev Container as described in the README's Development Container section
- Follow the How to Contribute wiki page to build and run from source
- For the ready-made product, download it from code.visualstudio.com instead
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the Dev Containers command 'Clone Repository in Container Volume' for better disk I/O on macOS and Windows, as the README suggests
- Browse bundled extensions in the extensions folder to see how language features are organized
- Follow the wiki's Coding Guidelines and How to Contribute pages before submitting pull requests
- Read the Related Projects wiki page to find separate extensions and debug adapters
Downloads
Strengths
- MIT licensed and developed in public by Microsoft with a published roadmap and monthly iteration plans
- Extensible through a large extension model, with many components living in separate repositories
- Includes a Dev Container and Codespaces setup for consistent development environments
Trade-offs
- Building from source requires significant hardware and Docker or a similar setup for the containerized route
- The README describes the official product as a Microsoft-licensed distribution, so the open-source build may differ from the downloadable product
- Some features and extensions live in other repositories, so the full experience is spread across projects
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vscode (this) | 194k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons |
| vscodium | 33.9k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers who want the VS Code interface without Microsoft's telemetry or license terms |
| marktext | 63.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor |
| atom | 60.7k | App | beginner | 3.8 years ago | Developers who want a desktop code editor they can customize with packages |
| micro | 29.8k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who work mostly in a terminal and want an easy editor |
| desktop | 22k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers who work with GitHub and prefer a visual interface for commits and branches |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.