As a Cloud & DevOps Engineer, Visual Studio Code isn't just a text editor—it is my absolute command center.
Whether I am writing Infrastructure as Code (IaC), debugging a broken CI/CD pipeline, or managing containerized microservices, switching back and forth between a browser, a terminal, and an editor is a massive productivity killer. The right extensions bring all of that context directly into your workspace.
If you are setting up your development environment on a fresh Linux install or just looking to optimize your daily workflow, here are the top 5 VS Code extensions I use every single day at Atul Codes.
1. HashiCorp Terraform
If you are writing Terraform modules to provision cloud infrastructure, this extension is non-negotiable.
Writing HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) without syntax highlighting is painful. The official HashiCorp extension provides auto-completion for resource blocks, real-time syntax validation, and instantly formats your code when you save.
Why I love it: It highlights missing required variables before I even run terraform validate or terraform plan, saving me countless failed deployment attempts.
2. Docker
When you are containerizing applications, writing Dockerfiles and managing docker-compose.yaml files can get messy.
The official Docker extension by Microsoft makes it incredibly easy to build, manage, and deploy containerized applications right from VS Code. It provides syntax highlighting for your Dockerfiles and gives you a visual UI in the sidebar to see exactly which containers are running and which images are taking up space on your hard drive.
Why I love it: I can right-click any running container in the sidebar and select "View Logs" to instantly troubleshoot without typing out long docker logs <container-id> commands in the terminal.
3. YAML (by Red Hat)
In the DevOps world, you are going to write a lot of YAML. From GitHub Actions workflows to Kubernetes manifests, YAML is everywhere.
The YAML extension by Red Hat is a lifesaver. It provides comprehensive auto-completion, hover support, and strict validation.
Why I love it: YAML relies entirely on exact indentation. One misplaced space will break an entire GitHub Actions pipeline. This extension catches those formatting errors instantly, so you don't have to wait for your CI/CD pipeline to fail to realize you made a typo.
4. AWS Toolkit
Since I spend the vast majority of my time architecting on AWS, having the AWS Toolkit installed is a massive time-saver.
This extension lets you interact with AWS services like S3, Lambda, and CloudWatch directly from your editor. You can view your S3 buckets, invoke serverless functions locally, and even read CloudWatch logs without ever logging into the AWS Management Console.
Why I love it: It securely integrates with my local AWS CLI profiles, meaning I can safely switch between environments without risking deploying to the wrong account.
5. GitLens — Git supercharged
Git is the backbone of everything we do, but tracking down who changed a specific line of infrastructure code (and why) can take some digging.
GitLens supercharges the built-in Git capabilities of VS Code. It adds inline blame annotations—meaning you can click on any line of code and see exactly who wrote it, when they wrote it, and the commit message associated with it.
Why I love it: It makes team collaboration seamless. If a deployment script breaks, I instantly know which commit introduced the bug. (Note: GitLens has a fantastic free version, but if you manage massive repositories and need advanced visual commit graphs).
The Takeaway
Your code editor should work for you, not against you. By loading up VS Code with the right tools, you can catch errors earlier, type less boilerplate code, and stay focused on building resilient cloud infrastructure.
Did I miss your favorite DevOps extension? Let me know in the comments below!
☕ Did you discover a new favorite extension today? Buy me a coffee to help keep Atul Codes running!
Top comments (0)