Visual Studio Code, also commonly referred to as VS Code, is a source-code editor made by Microsoft for Windows and macOS. Features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git. Users can change the theme, keyboard shortcuts, preferences, and install extensions that add additional functionality. It can be used with a variety of programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, Go, Node.js, Python, C++ and Fortran. It is based on the Electron framework, which is used to develop Node.js Web applications that run on the Blink layout engine. Visual Studio Code employs the same editor component (codenamed “Monaco”) used in Azure DevOps (formerly called Visual Studio Online and Visual Studio Team Services).
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.
Instead of a project system, it 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 differs per language. Unwanted files and folders can be excluded from the project tree via the settings. Many Visual Studio Code features are not exposed through menus or the user interface but can be accessed via the command palette.
Visual Studio Code can be extended via extensions, available through a central repository. This includes additions to the editor and language support. A notable feature is the ability to create extensions that add support for new languages, themes, and debuggers, perform static code analysis, and add code linters using the Language Server Protocol.
Source control is a built-in feature of Visual Studio Code. It has a dedicated tab inside of the menu bar where you can access version control settings and view changes made to the current project. To use the feature you must link Visual Studio Code to any supported version control system (Git, Apache Subversion, Perforce, etc.). This allows you to create repositories as well as to make push and pull requests directly from the Visual Studio Code program.
Visual Studio Code includes multiple extensions for FTP, allowing the software to be used as a free alternative for web development. Code can be synced between the editor and the server, without downloading any extra software.
Visual Studio Code allows users to set the code page in which the active document is saved, the newline character, and the programming language of the active document. This allows it to be used on any platform, in any locale, and for any given programming language.
Visual Studio Code collects usage data and sends it to Microsoft, although this can be disabled. Due to the open-source nature of the application, the telemetry code is accessible to the public, who can see exactly what is collected.