Hey everyone! 👋 I’m Priyansh, and this is my very first blog on Hashnode.

As someone who codes regularly, I’ve realized how much of difference the right tools make, and Visual Studio Code is one of those tools I can’t live without. But you know what really makes VS Code powerful.? Extensions.

In this post, I’ll share the 5 must-have VS Code extensions that have genuinely improved my productivity and coding experience. Whether you’re just starting out or already deep in the dev world, I promise these will be helpful.

1. 🧹 Prettier - Code Formatter

Let’s be honest, formatting your code manually is a bit of boring and time-consuming. That’s where Prettier saves the day. It automatically formats your code to make it clean and consistent, whether you're writing JavaScript, Python, HTML, or anything else.

Why I love it:

No more worrying about spaces, tabs, or messy indentation
Makes code easier to read and collaborate on

Just install it and let it handle the formatting every time you save your file.

2.🧠 ESLint – Catch Errors Early

ESlint is like a coding assistant that constantly reviews your javascript code for potential errors and bad practices as you keep on writing.

Why it’s useful:

Highlights syntax errors instantly
Suggests best practices and cleaner code
Integrates well with Prettier

If you’ve ever spent an hour debugging just to realize you missed a semicolon, this extension is for you.

3.🔍 GitLens – Supercharged Git in VS Code

If you use Git (and you should), GitLens is a game-changer. It gives you deep Git insights right inside VS Code.

What it helps with:

Shows who made each change (blame annotations)
Makes it easy to view commit history
Lets you compare branches, commits, and files visually

This one made me more confident working with teams and understanding project history.

4.🔥 Live Server – See Your Changes Instantly

Working on web projects? Live Server lets you instantly preview your HTML/CSS/JS changes in the browser without manually refreshing.

Why it rocks:

Real-time reloads while you edit
Super useful for frontend projects
Saves a lot of time during development

Just right-click your HTML file and hit “Open with Live Server” - boom, live preview!

5. ⚡ Thunder Client – Lightweight Postman Alternative

If you work with APIs, Thunder Client is a simple and fast REST client, built right into VS Code - no need to open Postman.

Why I use it:

Clean UI and easy to test APIs
Perfect for full-stack and backend devs
Saves switching between apps

It’s especially useful when building Node.js apps or working with external APIs like Gemini.

Final Thoughts

These 5 extensions have made my coding life much smoother, faster, and way more enjoyable. If you're using VS Code (and you probably are), give these a try - I guarantee they’ll boost your workflow.

5 VS Code Extensions I Can’t Code Without