Visual Studio is a premium software from Microsoft for those who want to code for the .NET platform. However, not everyone can afford to buy it, and that’s where Microsoft’s open-source Visual Studio Code comes into the picture.
How to download Visual Studio Code for free
Visual Studio Code is a code editor like the proprietary Visual Studio. The best part of the Visual Studio Code is that it offers close to Visual Studio experience.
- Syntax highlighting
- Auto-complete using built-in IntelliSense.
- Debug code right in the editor. Launch or attach to your running apps and debug with breakpoints, call stacks, and an interactive console.
- It can figure out variable types, function definitions, modules, and more.
- Since it is open-source, you can further extend it and customize.
- Supports Git commands, and so on.
Not only Visual Studio Code offers support for multiple languages and not just .NET platform. You can code for RUBY, TypeScript, Perl, Python, and more.
Visual Studio Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Being available on macOS it makes it easy to manage HTML/JS/CSS, i.e., client-side technologies.
Extensions Support
While the Visual Studio offers a lot of features, Studio Code has extension support. You can find a plugin for almost everything. Here is a list of category or collection
- Azure
- Debuggers
- Extension Packs
- Formatters
- Keymaps
- Language Packs
- Linters
- Programming Languages
- SCM Providers
- Snippets
- Themes and Other
If you are into Azure development, check on Azure DevOps section. You can find free extension or trials before you chose to buy.
At the same place, you can choose for a paid subscription for Visual Studio Professional for $45 monthly and Visual Studio Enterprise.
The former offers a comprehensive collection of software, tools, and services for building professional applications with individual and team productivity. The later provides an integrated, end-to-end enterprise-grade solution for teams of any size with demanding quality and scale needs.