Best Extensions for Visual Studio Code

Choosing extensions for Visual Studio Code starts with the editor tasks you want to support. Visual Studio Code extensions add capabilities to the editor, including language support and formatting.

This article compares five extensions for distinct jobs and explains how to choose and set them up for a project.

TL;DR: Five Extensions for Distinct Jobs

Start with extensions that solve a repeated problem in your project: language support, formatting, linting, Git history, or file navigation. You do not need every pick below, and VS Code already includes many editor functions.

• GitLens adds repository history and authorship views.
• ESLint surfaces configured JavaScript and TypeScript rules.
• Prettier formats supported files consistently.
• Python and Pylance serve Python workflow and language intelligence.
• Path Intellisense suggests file paths while you type.

What Are Visual Studio Code Extensions?

A Visual Studio Code extension is an add-on that contributes a capability to the editor, such as language services, formatting, source control views, or file navigation. Extensions are installed separately from the editor and can be enabled or removed when a project changes.

The Marketplace listing identifies the publisher, describes features, and links to documentation or source when available. Treat an extension like software in your development environment: check its identity and purpose, then install only what supports your work.

VS Code includes editor features such as bracket pair colorization and JavaScript debugging. Check its built-in tools before adding another extension for those jobs.

The recommendations below cover common editor tasks, with three additional options for JavaScript projects and local web previews.

How to Choose and Set Up VS Code Extensions

Use the steps below to match an extension with your project and check its setup requirements.

Step 1: Match GitLens to repository history work

GitLens adds views for exploring Git history and code authorship inside VS Code. Use them to inspect a changed line or navigate commits without leaving the editor. Routine staging and commits remain available in VS Code’s Source Control view.

Open the Extensions view, search for GitLens, and confirm the publisher shown on the Marketplace listing before installing. Open a Git repository and inspect the extension’s views or blame annotations on a file with commit history. A non-Git folder has no repository history for these features to display.

Open a repository with commit history before testing the blame annotations. A non-Git folder has no repository history for these features to display.

Step 2: Add ESLint when the project defines lint rules

Install the Marketplace extension published as ESLint by Microsoft to connect editor diagnostics with your project setup.

Install the project’s ESLint package and configuration using the project’s documented package-manager workflow, then install the Marketplace extension published as “ESLint” by Microsoft. Open a file included by the project configuration and check whether diagnostics appear. A workspace without the project package and configuration has no rules for the extension to apply.

It can apply fixes for supported rules. If ESLint and a formatter both edit layout, align their configuration to avoid competing changes.

Step 3: Use Prettier for consistent formatting

Prettier formats supported files according to project settings, reducing differences caused by each contributor’s editor preferences. Install “Prettier – Code formatter” from the Marketplace and set it as the default formatter for languages where your project uses it.

Open a supported file and run Format Document from the Command Palette. Check the result against the repository’s configuration before enabling format on save. A project-local Prettier version and configuration give teammates a shared result, while a personal editor default alone may not reproduce that result on another machine.

Check the repository’s formatting configuration before enabling format on save. A personal editor default alone may not reproduce the team’s result on another machine.

Step 4: Add Python and Pylance for Python projects

Microsoft’s Python extension supports editor workflow and debugging. Add Pylance for language features such as completion and diagnostics.

Search for the Python extension published by Microsoft, then select the project interpreter. Open a Python file and confirm the status bar shows that environment. If imports appear unresolved, check its installed dependencies.

Install Pylance if you want its language features and the project supports it. Select the interpreter that contains the project dependencies. Select the interpreter that contains the project dependencies so its analysis uses the environment your code expects.

Step 5: Use Path Intellisense for import paths

Path Intellisense suggests file and folder names as you type paths in imports or other supported contexts. Language support and project configuration affect which paths it can resolve.

Find the extension in the Marketplace, confirm its publisher and README, then test it in a file that references a nearby project file. If suggestions omit files, check whether the workspace folder is open and whether ignore or exclude settings apply. Test the import with the project’s runtime because a path suggestion alone does not confirm that the file can be loaded.

Keep the extension when its suggestions save repeated navigation work. Remove it when your language tooling already provides equivalent completion or when you rarely type paths by hand.

Optional JavaScript pick: ESLint for lint feedback

ESLint earns a place in a JavaScript or TypeScript project when the team maintains lint rules and wants diagnostics while editing. The Problems panel collects issues from the extension, while a project script lets contributors run the same checks outside the editor.

Before adding it, look for an ESLint dependency, a configuration file, and a lint script in the package manifest. Follow the repository’s package manager instructions rather than installing an unrelated global copy. This keeps editor feedback aligned with continuous integration and other contributors’ results.

Optional API pick: Thunder Client

Thunder Client provides an API client inside VS Code for sending HTTP requests and inspecting responses. It suits a developer who wants to keep a small request-and-response check near the code, instead of switching to a separate API client for every test.

Check the Marketplace listing and its data-storage documentation before saving requests, environment variables, or credentials. Use a disposable, non-secret request first, then verify the status and response body. Keep secrets out of shared collections and source control unless the project has an approved secret-management method.

Optional preview pick: Live Server

Live Server can serve static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files locally and refresh the browser preview as files change. It is useful for a small static page where a framework or application server is not already running.

Open the project folder, select an HTML file, and start the extension’s preview command. Check that the local page reflects a saved edit. For React, Angular, or another app with its own development server, use that project’s documented command instead so its build and routing behavior are represented.

These are optional additions rather than replacements for the five core roles above. A project that already has an API test workflow or a development server may gain little from adding another editor surface.

Share project recommendations without enforcing installs

VS Code workspace recommendations let a repository suggest extensions through its .vscode/extensions.json file. A recommendation gives teammates a discoverable setup hint, while each person decides whether to install it.

For example, the file can list extension identifiers under a recommendations array. Use the exact publisher and extension identifier from the Marketplace rather than relying on a display name that may be shared by unrelated packages. Open the Extensions view and use the recommended filter to review suggestions for the workspace.

Keep recommendations narrow. Include tools that help contributors work with the repository, such as its linter or formatter, and leave personal themes or unrelated conveniences out. When a recommendation no longer matches the project, update the file and explain the change in the same review as other developer tooling.

Check extension activation and project fit

An extension can activate only for relevant languages, files, or workspace contexts. A tool that appears idle in a blank folder may begin contributing once its supported file type is open or its project prerequisites are present.

When checking a new install, open a representative file from the repository and look at the status bar, Problems panel, or extension output channel that the listing documents. Compare the result with the project’s own command or configuration. That check separates missing setup from a feature that does not match the task.

For a conflict, disable one recently added extension and repeat the same editor action. If the behavior changes, inspect its settings and activation scope before removing other tools. Re-enable it when the comparison is finished so the test does not leave the editor in a changed state.

A quick way to narrow the options is to match the tool to the project work you repeat. Use this table as a starting point, then check the project files and Marketplace listing before installing.

Project situation	Candidate	First check
Reviewing changes across a Git repository	GitLens	Open a repository with commit history
JavaScript or TypeScript with shared lint rules	ESLint	Project package and lint configuration
Python development	Python and Pylance	Selected interpreter and dependencies
Small static page preview	Live Server	Project does not already run its own server

A repository may need only a language extension and its formatter. Another may benefit from Git history or an API client. Making the choice at repository level also helps avoid carrying a global tool into projects where its configuration does not apply.

After installing, review the extension’s settings and activation behavior if it adds unexpected commands or editor changes. VS Code can update extensions automatically, so use the Marketplace version history and project documentation when an update changes behavior. For a reproducible team workflow, prefer project configuration and documented scripts over an editor setting that only exists on one developer’s machine.

Edge Cases: Conflicts, Trust, and Cleanup

When an extension does not behave as expected, check the project setup and editor’s built-in features before reinstalling it. These checks separate a missing prerequisite from an extension conflict.

Symptom	Likely cause	What to check
ESLint shows no diagnostics	No project ESLint setup or file excluded by config	Package, configuration, selected workspace, and included file glob
Formatting changes unexpectedly	Two formatters or conflicting settings	Default formatter and project configuration
Python imports are unresolved	Wrong interpreter or missing dependency	Selected environment and project install instructions
Suggestions or Git views are empty	Folder is not open as a workspace or Git repository	Open the project root and verify repository status
Editor slows after adding tools	Unneeded or overlapping extensions	Disable one extension at a time and review extension host behavior

Review the publisher, README, update history, compatibility, and requested capabilities before installing an unfamiliar extension. Extensions execute as part of the editor environment, so avoid adding an unverified package to a workspace that contains sensitive credentials. A publisher confirmation prompt asks you to inspect the package identity and requested access before you continue.

Use workspace recommendations when a repository benefits from shared suggestions without requiring every contributor to install the same tools globally. Review recommendations before accepting them, especially in repositories from outside your organization. Review the enabled list when editor behavior changes, then disable a candidate extension to see whether the issue stops.

The legacy Chrome debugger recommendation has been removed from this starter list. VS Code’s JavaScript debugging support and browser developer tools cover the general workflow.

Conclusion

Choose extensions by the task they add to your project, then check the publisher and setup before installing. Keep the tools that support your workflow.

For a JavaScript refresher, see JavaScript if else examples. The guide to serving static files in Express helps when a preview needs a server.

The official VS Code extension Marketplace documentation covers installation. Check the GitLens listing, ESLint listing, and Prettier listing for setup details. The Python tutorial covers its project workflow.

FAQ

These quick answers help narrow the shortlist to your project.