🚀 35 Must-Have Visual Studio Code Plugins for Developers
Tags: tutorial, productivity, beginners, vscode
Published: 2023-11-10 16:36:34

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a powerful, extensible code editor used by millions of developers. Enhancing your development experience is all about choosing the right plugins. 

Here are the top 35 plugins that can supercharge your coding workflow in VS Code.

## 1. Prettier - Code Formatter 🌈

**What's Cool:** It makes your code look pretty and consistent. Say goodbye to messy code!

**Why You'll Love It:** Prettier is an opinionated code formatter that supports many languages and integrates with most editors. It formats code consistently and enforces a style guide. It is essential for maintaining consistent code style, especially in team projects.

**Check It Out:** [Prettier Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=esbenp.prettier-vscode)

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## 2. GitLens — Git supercharged 🔍

**What's Cool:** Shows who wrote what in your code with Git annotations. Like a code detective!

**Why You'll Love It:** GitLens supercharges Git within VS Code. It helps you visualize code authorship at a glance via Git blame annotations and logs. It is invaluable for teams working on shared codebases to track changes and understand code history.

**Check It Out:** [GitLens Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens)

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## 3. ESLint ✅

**What's Cool:** Keeps your JavaScript on point and error-free.

**Why You'll Love It:** Integrates ESLint JavaScript into VS Code. It helps in identifying and reporting on patterns found in ECMAScript/JavaScript code. It is crucial for maintaining code quality and adhering to coding standards.

**Check It Out:** [ESLint Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint)

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## 4. Live Share 👥

**What's Cool:** Code together in real-time with friends or colleagues.

**Why You'll Love It:** Enables real-time collaborative development with teammates. You can share your codebase and collaborate on code edits and debugging. Great for pair programming and real-time code collaboration.

**Check It Out:** [Live Share Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare)

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## 5. Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 🌈

**What's Cool:** Adds colors to your brackets for better readability.

**Why You'll Love It:** This extension allows matching brackets to be identified with colors. The user can define which characters to match, and which colors to use. Helps in quickly identifying matching brackets, improving code readability.

**Check It Out:** [Bracket Pair Colorizer 2](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CoenraadS.bracket-pair-colorizer-2)

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## 6. Python 🐍

**What's Cool:** All you need for Python coding - IntelliSense, linting, debugging, and more.

**Why You'll Love It:** Provides comprehensive Python language support with features like IntelliSense, linting, debugging, and more. A must-have for Python developers for efficient coding and debugging.

**Check It Out:** [Python Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python)

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## 7. Docker 🐳

**What's Cool:** Makes working with Docker a breeze.

**Why You'll Love It:** Makes it easy to create, manage, and debug containerized applications using Docker. Streamlines the workflow for developers using Docker in their development process.

**Check It Out:** [Docker Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-docker)

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## 8. Bookmarks 📚

**What's Cool:** Mark your spot in code like you would in a good book! Jump around files with ease, never losing track of those key code snippets.

**Why You'll Love It:** The Bookmarks plugin allows users to mark specific places in a code file and quickly navigate between them. Enhances navigation within files, making it easier to jump to and remember important or frequently modified sections of code.

**Check It Out:** [Bookmarks Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=alefragnani.Bookmarks)

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## 9. IntelliCode 🧠

**What's Cool:** AI-powered IntelliSense for smarter coding suggestions.

**Why You'll Love It:** Offers AI-assisted IntelliSense by providing suggestions based on patterns found in your code and others'. Enhances coding efficiency with smarter auto-completion.

**Check It Out:** [IntelliCode Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=VisualStudioExptTeam.vscodeintellicode)

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## 10. Path Intellisense 🛣️

**What's Cool:** Autocompletes file paths. No more typing long file names!

**Why You'll Love It:** Autocompletes filenames in your code, making it easier to reference files. Saves time when dealing with large projects with many files.

**Check It Out:** [Path Intellisense](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=christian-kohler.path-intellisense)

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## 11. Vetur 🌟

**What's Cool:** The perfect buddy for Vue.js development.

**Why You'll Love It:** Tailored for Vue.js development, Vetur offers syntax highlighting, snippets, Emmet, and other essential features for Vue. Ideal for developers working with Vue.js frameworks.

**Check It Out:** [Vetur Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=octref.vetur)

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## 12. Debugger for Chrome 🐛

**What's Cool:** Debug your JavaScript right in Chrome.

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows you to debug your JavaScript code in the Google Chrome browser, or any other target that supports the Chrome Debugger protocol. Critical for JavaScript development and debugging.

**Check It Out:** [Debugger for Chrome](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=msjsdiag.debugger-for-chrome)

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## 13. Settings Sync ☁️

**What's Cool:** Sync your VS Code settings across machines using GitHub Gist.

**Why You'll Love It:** Synchronizes settings, snippets, themes, file icons, launch, keybindings, workspaces and extensions across multiple machines using GitHub Gist. Perfect for maintaining a consistent development environment across different machines.

**Check It Out:** [Settings Sync Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Shan.code-settings-sync)

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## 14. REST Client 🌐

**What's Cool:** Test APIs right from your editor.

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows you to send HTTP requests and view the response directly within VS Code. An excellent tool for testing APIs without leaving your editor.

**Check It Out:** [REST Client Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=humao.rest-client)

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## 15. SQL Server (mssql) 💾

**What's Cool:** Directly work with SQL databases in VS Code.

**Why You'll Love It:** Enables you to connect to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and SQL Data Warehouses, and run queries. A must-have for developers working with Microsoft's SQL databases.

**Check It Out:** [SQL Server Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-mssql.mssql)

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## 16. C# 🔷

**What's Cool:** Everything for C# development - debugging, IntelliSense, and more.

**Why You'll Love It:** Provides C# editing support, including Syntax Highlighting, Debugging, IntelliSense, CodeLens, and more. Essential for developers working on C# projects.

**Check It Out:** [C# Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-dotnettools.csharp)

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## 17. Terraform 🌍

**What's Cool:** Ace your infrastructure coding with Terraform support.

**Why You'll Love It:** Offers syntax highlighting and other IntelliSense features for HashiCorp's Terraform. Beneficial for those working with infrastructure as code, particularly Terraform.

**Check It Out:** [Terraform Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=HashiCorp.terraform)

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## 18. Babel JavaScript 🔄

**What's Cool:** Ups your JavaScript game with Babel syntax highlighting.

**Why You'll Love It:** Enhances JavaScript coding in VS Code with Babel syntax highlighting. Ideal for modern JavaScript development using ES6 and beyond.

**Check It Out:** [Babel JavaScript Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=mgmcdermott.vscode-language-babel)

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## 19. Auto Rename Tag 🏷️

**What's Cool:** Auto-updates HTML/XML tags for you.

**Why You'll Love It:** Automatically renames paired HTML/XML tag, same as Visual Studio IDE does. Simplifies editing HTML and XML, making it less error-prone.

**Check It Out:** [Auto Rename Tag Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.auto-rename-tag)

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## 20. Remote - SSH 🔗

**What's Cool:** Work on remote projects via SSH like they're local.

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows you to use any remote machine with a SSH server as your development environment. Extremely useful for developers who need to access and edit code on remote servers.

**Check It Out:** [Remote - SSH Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh)

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## 21. vscode-icons 🌟

**What's Cool:** Instantly jazz up your VS Code with eye-catching icons for all file types and folders.

**Why You'll Love It:** Enhances VS Code by adding icons for files and folders, making navigation more visually intuitive. Provides an easy and efficient way to identify file types and directories at a glance.

**Check It Out:** [vscode-icons Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscode-icons-team.vscode-icons)

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## 22. Lorem Ipsum Generator ✍️

**What's Cool:** Need placeholder text? This plugin generates 'Lorem Ipsum' dummy text in a snap.

**Why You'll Love It:** Generates 'Lorem Ipsum' placeholder text directly within VS Code. Ideal for quickly inserting dummy text while designing or testing.

**Check It Out:** [Lorem Ipsum Generator Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Tyriar.lorem-ipsum)

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## 23. Duplicate Action 🔄

**What's Cool:** This nifty tool lets you duplicate lines or sections of code with a simple shortcut.

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows for easy duplication of lines or sections of code, enhancing productivity. Saves significant time when needing to replicate code blocks, improving workflow efficiency.

**Check It Out:** [Duplicate Action Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=mrmlnc.vscode-duplicate)

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## 24. Color Highlight 🎨

**What's Cool:** Highlights color codes (like HEX, RGB) in your code with their actual color.

**Why You'll Love It:** Highlights and visualizes colors in your code, represented by color codes like HEX, RGB. Assists in quickly identifying and managing colors directly within code files.

**Check It Out:** [Color Highlight Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=naumovs.color-highlight)

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## 25. Change Case 🔡

**What's Cool:** A simple extension to change the case of text - uppercase, lowercase, camelcase, and more.

**Why You'll Love It:** A simple utility for changing the case of text in your code, including uppercase, lowercase, camelcase, and more. Facilitates text formatting and manipulation, saving time on manual text editing.

**Check It Out:** [Change Case Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=wmaurer.change-case)

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## 26. JavaScript (ES6) Code Snippets 💥

**What's Cool:** Supercharge your JavaScript coding with handy ES6 snippets.

**Why You'll Love It:** Offers a collection of ES6 snippets for JavaScript, streamlining the coding process. Enhances efficiency in writing modern JavaScript by providing quick insertable code pieces.

**Check It Out:** [JavaScript (ES6) Code Snippets Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=xabikos.JavaScriptSnippets)

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## 27. Polacode 📸

**What's Cool:** Create beautiful snapshots of your code for sharing. It's like Instagram for your code!

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows creating snapshots of your code for sharing, with a focus on aesthetics. Useful for documenting code or sharing it on social media with a visually appealing format.

**Check It Out:** [Polacode Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=pnp.polacode)

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## 28. Better Comments 💬

**What's Cool:** Enhance your code comments with different colors and styles, making them more readable and meaningful.

**Why You'll Love It:** Improves the functionality of code comments by enabling color-coding and other styling options. Enhances the readability and manageability of comments within code.

**Check It Out:** [Better Comments Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=aaron-bond.better-comments)

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## 29. Peacock 🦚

**What's Cool:** Change the color of your VS Code workspace. Ideal for distinguishing between different projects.

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows you to change the color of your VS Code workspace, useful for distinguishing between different projects. Assists in managing and differentiating multiple project environments visually.

**Check It Out:** [Peacock Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=johnpapa.vscode-peacock)

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## 30. Quokka 🐨

**What's Cool:** A live scratchpad for JavaScript and TypeScript with real-time feedback. Code experiments made easy!

**Why You'll Love It:** A rapid prototyping playground for JavaScript and TypeScript with live feedback. Excellent for testing, learning, and experimenting with code, providing immediate output and debugging capabilities.

**Check It Out:** [Quokka Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=WallabyJs.quokka-vscode)

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## 31. Regex Previewer 🔍

**What's Cool:** Test and visualize Regular Expressions (Regex) right inside your editor.

**Why You'll Love It:** Provides real-time visual feedback for Regular Expressions, enhancing understanding and efficiency. Invaluable for debugging and composing Regular Expressions directly within the editor.

**Check It Out:** [Regex Previewer Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=chrmarti.regex)

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## 32. CSS Peek 👀

**What's Cool:** Peek at CSS definitions from your HTML files like magic!

**Why You'll Love It:** Allows inspection of CSS definitions from HTML files directly in VS Code. Streamlines the workflow by enabling quick reference to CSS properties without switching files.

**Check It Out:** [CSS Peek Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=pranaygp.vscode-css-peek)

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## 33. Icon Fonts 🎨

**What's Cool:** Easily insert icons from popular font icon sets directly into your HTML or CSS files.

**Why You'll Love It:** Simplifies the insertion of icons from popular font icon libraries into HTML or CSS files. Enhances web projects by providing an easy way to include a variety of icons.

**Check It Out:** [Icon Fonts Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=idleberg.icon-fonts)

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## 34. Indent-Rainbow 🌈

**What's Cool:** Colorizes the indentation in front of your text with a lovely rainbow effect.

**Why You'll Love It:** Colorizes the indentation levels of code, making them visually distinct and easier to navigate. Aids in quickly identifying code structure and potential indentation issues.

**Check It Out:** [Indent-Rainbow Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=oderwat.indent-rainbow)

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## 35. TODO Highlight 📝

**What's Cool:** Highlights TODOs, FIXMEs, and any keywords in your code, making them stand out.

**Why You'll Love It:** Never miss a TODO again! Ensures important comments and tasks stand out, making them easier to manage and address.

**Check It Out:** [TODO Highlight Plugin](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=wayou.vscode-todo-highlight)

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That's your power-packed list of 35 VS Code plugins! Whether you're coding up a storm in JavaScript, Python, Vue, or working with databases and APIs, these plugins will make your life way easier (and fun!). 

Happy coding! 🚀💻🎉