Visual Studio Code or VS Code is an open-source code editor by Microsoft. They help check if your program follows the syntax rules of your chosen programming language.They offer helpful code suggestions, so you do not have to type everything.

This is easier than dry running, which you would have to do if you just used a text editor and not an IDE.

An IDE makes it easier to debug your code by stepping through lines and reading through the program state.

They simplify version control by providing GUI interfaces for working with popular version control systems such as Git.

It makes it easier to read code with syntax highlighting.

It makes software development easier and reduces friction as you can have multiple files open simultaneously, and you can switch easily between them.

Code linting to make it easier to write legible codeīoth Visual Studio Code and P圜harm include these features by default.

Version control to make it easier to manage code and collaborate with others.

Error catching to identify and highlight errors as early as possible in the development process.

Syntax highlighting to make your code easier to read.

These nice-to-have features have become commonplace nowadays that any good IDE should include them. You can also choose to have separate applications for each task, but an IDE is usually ideal as it combines the three crucial tasks and other nice-to-have features that make you more productive.

When developing software, you carry out three primary tasks:Īn IDE is an application that enables you to perform all three tasks. It is basically an application that you use to develop software. An IDE is an Integrated Development Environment.

Visual studio code copilot