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Josh the Coder
Josh the Coder

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13 Essential VS Code Plugins that Supercharge Your Workflow

If you're like me, constantly on the lookout for tools that make coding not just easier but also a bit more fun, you're going to love this. I've been tinkering with Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for a while now, and it's safe to say that it's my go-to editor for just about everything coding-related. But what really takes VS Code from good to great are the plugins. They're like these little magic wands that, with a flick (or a click), transform your coding experience.

So, I thought, why not share my top 13 VS Code plugins with you? These are the ones I find myself using all the time, and they've been absolute game-changers in how I code, debug, and manage my projects. Let's dive in and check out these awesome tools that can give your coding productivity a serious boost!

1. Live Server

A vital tool for front-end development, Live Server provides a local development server for real-time preview and debugging of web applications. Its hot reload feature instantly reflects code changes in the browser, automatically refreshing upon saving HTML, CSS, or JavaScript files.

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

2. TODO Highlights V2

This plugin assists developers in identifying and managing TODOs within the code. It visually marks comments containing TODOs or FIXMEs, making them easier to locate and address.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=jgclark.vscode-todo-highlight

3. Markdown Preview Github Styling

Enhancing Markdown previews, this plugin allows real-time previewing of .md files in GitHub style, updating as you write. It improves readability and is highly customizable, ideal for technical documentation.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=bierner.markdown-preview-github-styles

4. VSCode Icons

VSCode Icons enhances the editor's visual appeal and recognizability by adding icons to files and folders, aiding in understanding project structure.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscode-icons-team.vscode-icons

5. Tabnine

An advanced code completion plugin, Tabnine uses machine learning to provide AI powered coding suggestions in real-time for various programming languages.

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

6. CodeSnap

CodeSnap allows developers to capture and share code snippets as images, facilitating easy sharing of code examples.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=adpyke.codesnap

7. CSS Peek

Facilitating easy navigation in CSS stylesheets, CSS Peek helps in finding and maneuvering through classes, IDs, selectors, and style definitions.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=pranaygp.vscode-css-peek

8. Prettier - Code Formatter

Prettier automatically formats code in multiple languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, CSS, and HTML, eliminating the need for manual formatting.

9. Git Graph

Git Graph visually represents Git operations in a repository, similar to SourceTree, enabling easy updates, commits, and code reviews.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=mhutchie.git-graph

10. Vue Language Features (Volar)

This plugin enhances Vue code with syntax highlighting, error checking, formatting, and provides suggestions for Vue directives and event handlers.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Vue.volar

11. Auto Close Tag

Automatically adds closing tags in HTML and supports custom component names in Vue, streamlining the coding process.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.auto-close-tag

12. Auto Rename Tag

This plugin automatically renames matching opening and closing HTML tags, ensuring consistency and preventing errors.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.auto-rename-tag


Each of these plugins contributes significantly to the efficiency and effectiveness of coding in VS Code. They not only enhance productivity but also make the coding experience more enjoyable!

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