10 Must-Know VS Code Extensions: To Develop Faster

Beginners We all know that the go-to editor for most developers is VS Code: lightweight, customizable, and more importantly, it stays out of your way when you're coding. But where it really turns into a powerhouse is with the extension marketplace.

There's just about an extension to do anything: be it debugging, refactoring, or even just cleaning up your workspace. So let's dive in.

1. Prettier

   Is the amount of time you spent aligning your code more than writing the code itself? Well, that's where Prettier saves the day. It auto-formats your code for neatness and consistency without you having to lift a finger. Just set this up once, and it'll handle everything from indentation to line breaks.

Why it's worth your time: It forces consistency in the team, saves you from stupid "formatting discussions" on code review, and generally keeps your code tidy.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=esbenp.prettier-vscode

2. GitLens

   Sure, VS Code has Git built-in, but GitLens turbo charges it. In GitLens line-by-line commit history and authorship are surfaced and changes can be compared inline all within your editor. That's like having the power of git blame at your fingertips only way friendlier.

Why it's worth your time: It adds context to every line of code and is really great in hunting down bugs or just answering the question of why that weird line is there.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens

3. Bracket Pair Colorizer 2

   Ever lost in a sea of parentheses, brackets, and curly braces? Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 colorizes matching brackets so you can spot in an instant which ones belong together. It's one of those extensions you never knew you needed until you tried it.

Why it's worth your time: It saves you from playing the "matching bracket game" when you've got nested code blocks.

https://marketstore.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CoenraadS.bracket-pair-colorizer-2

4. Path Intellisense:

   Manually typing long file paths? That's for rookies. Path Intellisense auto-suggests file paths as you type, making sure that you don't spend more time finding the right file than actually using it.

Why it's worth your time: Speeds up your imports and guarantees you avoid those annoying "file not found" errors.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=christian-kohler.path-intellisense

5. Tabnine:

   Tabnine is your AI-powered sidekick. It uses machine learning to provide smart code completions, based on your coding style. It's like having a co-pilot who knows what you are going to type before you finish typing.

Why worth your time: Spend less time typing boilerplate code and more time actually building logic because it's so fast and intelligent.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=TabNine.tabnine-vscode

6. Live Server:

   Tired of refreshing the page constantly to see changes? Liveserver will spin up a local development server and automatically reload your project when changes are made, so you don't have to constantly flip from editor to browser.

Why it's worth your time: For front-end development, you can see the changes as they come.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ritwickdey.LiveServer

7. Code Spell Checker:

   Nothing kills credibility like a misspelled variable or comment. Code Spell Checker highlights spelling errors in your code, comments, strings, and markdown files.

Why it's worth your time: Save yourself from embarrassing typos, especially in those long-winded comments you leave for the team.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker

8. ESLint:

   If you are working in JavaScript, then you need ESLint. This enforces standards in coding and catches common errors on the fly; it's like having both a linter and a reviewer in one.

Why it's worth your time: Because it saves you from pushing bug-ridden or subpar code, thus saving your future self from headaches.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint

9. Peacock:

   Okay, this one's more aesthetic than functional, but hear me out. Peacock allows you to change the color of your VS Code workspace. If you're working with multiple projects at once, you could assign different colors to each window to save yourself that "Wait, which repo am I in?" moment.

Why it's worth your time: It keeps your workspace organized, helping to reduce context-switching errors.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=johnpapa.vscode-peacock

10. REST Client:

    For testing an API every now and then without having to leave your editor, REST Client has got your back. Send HTTP requests and see responses directly from within VS Code. No more app switching with Postman or CURL commands.

Why it's worth your time: It makes your life so much easier in testing APIs without leaving your code.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=humao.rest-client