VS Code Extensions Worth Knowing Cheat Sheet

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Programming · VS Code Extensions Worth Knowing Cheat Sheet

62 extensions grouped by what they help with, each with its Marketplace ID so you can search for it or install it with code --install-extension <id>. A starting point for discovery, not a recommendation to install everything. Every ID, name and description was checked against the Visual Studio Marketplace on 5 October 2026. Sheet 24 in the VS Code series; extensions you already have are marked.

Gems to Try First (my picks)

Error LensShows each error or warning at the end of its line, so you stop hunting through the Problems panel. usernamehw.errorlens

PeacockGives each VS Code window its own colour: useful when the site, a course and a tool are all open at once. johnpapa.vscode-peacock

Rainbow CSVColours CSV columns and lets you query a CSV with SQL-like commands. mechatroner.rainbow-csv

Draw.io IntegrationEdit Draw.io diagrams (.drawio files) inside VS Code: handy for course diagrams. hediet.vscode-drawio

SQLite ViewerOpen a SQLite database file and browse its tables without leaving the editor. qwtel.sqlite-viewer

Hex EditorView and edit any file as raw bytes: good for checking encodings. ms-vscode.hexeditor

Todo TreeCollects every TODO and FIXME in the project into a tree. Last updated 2023 on the Marketplace. Gruntfuggly.todo-tree

Remote ExplorerA panel of your SSH and tunnel machines: pairs with Remote - SSH for the Debian server. ms-vscode.remote-explorer

Spot Mistakes Early

Code Spell CheckerSpell-checks code, comments and strings (understands camelCase). streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker

British English - Code Spell CheckerAdds British spellings to the spell checker. streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker-british-english

SonarQube for IDEDeeper linting for JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, C/C++, Go and PHP. SonarSource.sonarlint-vscode

EditorConfigApplies a project's .editorconfig indent and line-ending rules. EditorConfig.EditorConfig

ShellCheckFinds bugs in shell scripts as you type. timonwong.shellcheck

markdownlintStyle and mistake checking for Markdown. DavidAnson.vscode-markdownlint

Git & GitHub

GitLens — Git superchargedWho changed each line and when, file and line history, branch and commit exploring. eamodio.gitlens

Git GraphDraws the commit graph and lets you run Git actions from it. Last updated 2021 on the Marketplace. mhutchie.git-graph

GitHub Pull RequestsReview and manage GitHub pull requests and issues. Already installed. GitHub.vscode-pull-request-github

GitHub ActionsSee workflows and runs of GitHub Actions. GitHub.vscode-github-actions

Everyday Helpers

Path IntellisenseAutocompletes file names when you type a path. christian-kohler.path-intellisense

Project ManagerSave projects and switch between them quickly. alefragnani.project-manager

Better CommentsColour-codes comments starting with !, ?, TODO and so on. Last updated 2022 on the Marketplace. aaron-bond.better-comments

Code RunnerRun a snippet or file in dozens of languages with one keystroke. formulahendry.code-runner

Web Development

Live PreviewMicrosoft's local preview server for web pages (an alternative to Live Server). ms-vscode.live-server

Live ServerLocal development server with live reload. Already installed. ritwickdey.LiveServer

Auto Rename TagRenames the paired HTML tag as you edit one. Last updated 2022 on the Marketplace. VS Code can also do this itself with editor.linkedEditing: try that first. formulahendry.auto-rename-tag

HTML CSS SupportCSS class and id completion in HTML. ecmel.vscode-html-css

SVGSVG coding, minify, prettify and preview. jock.svg

Python & Data

RuffFast Python linter and formatter. charliermarsh.ruff

JupyterJupyter notebooks inside VS Code. ms-toolsai.jupyter

autoDocstring - Python Docstring GeneratorGenerates Python docstring skeletons. Last updated 2022 on the Marketplace. njpwerner.autodocstring

PylancePython language server (covered on its own cheat sheet). Already installed. ms-python.vscode-pylance

PHP Alternatives (use one at a time)

PHP IntelephenseA popular PHP language server: an alternative to the DEVSENSE extensions. Do not run it together with PHP Tools. bmewburn.vscode-intelephense-client

PHP DebugXdebug debugging for PHP: an alternative to DEVSENSE's debugger. xdebug.php-debug

Databases & APIs

SQLToolsConnect to many databases, run queries, browse tables (drivers are separate extensions). mtxr.sqltools

Database ClientDatabase management for MySQL/MariaDB, SQLite, PostgreSQL and more. Free trial; some features need a paid plan. cweijan.vscode-database-client2

MongoDBBrowse and query MongoDB and Atlas. mongodb.mongodb-vscode

Thunder ClientA lightweight REST client with a graphical interface. Already installed. Free trial; some features need a paid plan. rangav.vscode-thunder-client

OpenAPI (Swagger) EditorEdit and preview OpenAPI (Swagger) files; FastAPI generates OpenAPI. 42Crunch.vscode-openapi

Config Files, Docs & Diagrams

Even Better TOMLFull TOML support (for pyproject.toml and similar). tamasfe.even-better-toml

YAMLYAML language support with schema validation. redhat.vscode-yaml

Markdown All in OneMarkdown shortcuts, table of contents and preview. yzhang.markdown-all-in-one

Markdown Preview Mermaid SupportDraws Mermaid diagrams in the Markdown preview. bierner.markdown-mermaid

vscode-pdfRead PDF files inside VS Code. Already installed. tomoki1207.pdf

Servers, Remote & DevOps

Remote - SSHOpen a folder on a remote machine over SSH, with full VS Code features. ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh

KubernetesDevelop, deploy and debug Kubernetes applications. ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-kubernetes-tools

PowerShellPowerShell scripting support. ms-vscode.PowerShell

Other Languages (the ones the courses cover)

GoGo language support. golang.Go

rust-analyzerRust language support. rust-lang.rust-analyzer

C/C++C/C++ IntelliSense and debugging. ms-vscode.cpptools

Extension Pack for JavaExtension pack for Java. vscjava.vscode-java-pack

Vue (Official)Official Vue language support. Vue.volar

Editing Style, Voice & Collaboration

VimVim keys inside VS Code (useful after the Vim courses). vscodevim.vim

Live ShareReal-time collaborative editing and debugging. MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare

VS Code SpeechSpeech-to-text and voice features (see the Accessibility sheet). ms-vscode.vscode-speech

AI Assistants (besides the ones you have)

GitHub CopilotGitHub's AI pair programmer. Free trial; some features need a paid plan. GitHub.copilot

Continue - open-source AI code agentOpen-source AI code assistant where you choose the model. Continue.continue

Claude Code, ChatGPT, Tongyi LingmaAlready installed here: anthropic.claude-code, openai.chatgpt, alibaba-cloud.tongyi-lingma

Language Packs

Japanese Language PackJapanese interface for VS Code. MS-CEINTL.vscode-language-pack-ja

Hungarian Language PackHungarian interface for VS Code. Last updated 2020 on the Marketplace. MS-CEINTL.vscode-language-pack-hu

Themes & Icons

Material Icon ThemeMaterial Design file icons. PKief.material-icon-theme

One Dark ProOne Dark Pro, based on Atom's theme. zhuangtongfa.Material-theme

Catppuccin for VSCodeSoft pastel theme with four flavours. Catppuccin.catppuccin-vsc

Tokyo NightTokyo Night theme. enkia.tokyo-night

Fonts (not extensions)Install a font on the operating system (for example JetBrains Mono, Fira Code or Cascadia Code), then set editor.fontFamily and editor.fontLigatures (see the Editor Settings sheet)

How to pick: a quick checklist

Look at the publisher (a verified publisher is a good sign), the last update (a tool unchanged for years may still be fine, but check it works with your VS Code), the install count and reviews, and whether it asks for permissions or an account. Prefer one extension per job, and check whether VS Code already does the job (for example linked tag editing, bracket pair colouring and sticky scroll are now built in).

Too many extensions? How to find the slow one

Every extension costs a little start-up time and memory. Run Developer: Show Running Extensions to see which are active and how long they took to start, and Help: Start Extension Bisect to find the one causing a problem by halving the active set. Use Disable (Workspace) to keep an extension for one kind of project only, and the .vscode/extensions.json recommendations file to suggest the right set to anyone who opens a project.