The Best Visual Studio Code Extensions for JavaScript Developers in 2023

Visual Studio Code is one of the most popular code editors in the world, thanks to its powerful and customizable features that enhance the development experience. However, the true power of VS Code lies in its extensions, which enable developers to customize and extend the editor’s functionality to fit their specific needs.

With thousands of extensions available, it can be overwhelming to decide which ones to use. In this article, we will highlight the best Visual Studio Code extensions for JavaScript developers that will help you boost your productivity, improve your code editing, and enhance your debugging capabilities.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, you’ll find something useful in this comprehensive guide to the best VS Code extensions for JavaScript developers.

Best vs Code Extensions for Productivity

Prettier

The Prettier extension is an essential tool for JavaScript developers, as it automatically formats your code so that it conforms to the prevailing style guidelines. This allows you to focus on the important aspects of writing code and avoid spending time formatting and cleaning up your code.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=esbenp.prettier-vscode

GitLens

GitLens is an invaluable extension for JavaScript developers who use Git in their workflow. It adds powerful features to the standard VS Code interface, making it easier to navigate and explore git repositories. You can view a comprehensive list of changes made by you or your collaborators, see diffs side by side with ease, or search through commit history quickly.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens

Live Server

Live Server offers developers an easy way to test their applications locally in a browser. It enables the user to launch a local development server with just one click and see live changes in the browser as they are made to the code.

This extension is among my favorites when quickly prototyping or working with static web pages.

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

Best vs Code Extensions to Help Writing Code

TabNine

TabNine is a powerful AI-powered code completion extension that uses machine learning to suggest and complete your code. It can save you time by providing relevant suggestions for almost any programming language, including JavaScript.

Here are some of its features:

• Insane code completion, whole line, full-function, and natural language to code
• Ability to learn from your own and your team’s projects
• Privacy, users can choose to run models locally or get cloud completions, in which case the developer’s code is encrypted and immediately deleted.
• The models are trained on open-source code
• No licensing issues
• Free and paid versions

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

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is the ChatGTP of generating code. It uses natural language to generate code based on what the user types in. For example, you can type “create a new class and call it MyClass” and it will generate the necessary JavaScript code for you.

Using GitHub Copilot, developers can save time by quickly generating boilerplate code without having to manually write it out.

But that’s not it, GitHub Copilot can also help you write unit tests and provides enhanced code completions to your Visual Studio editor.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot

Code Spell Checker

Having a typo or misspelling on a comment, or even on a variable name may not break your code, but it reflect poorly on you, so why not using a Visual Studio extension to check for it?

The Code Spell Checker extension helps you avoid typos and misspellings in your code by providing spell checking capabilities. It also suggests alternatives, so you can easily find the correct spelling of a word without having to look it up manually.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker

JavaScript Booster

One of my most loved features in WebStorm is finally available in VS Code. JavaScript Booster automatically suggests quick actions to refactor or enhance your code by analyzing your code and its context.

It supports multiple code actions from refactoring conditions, declarations, functions, typescript, promises, JSX, and much more.

Here is a demo of this extension in action:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sburg.vscode-javascript-booster

Live Share

Live Share is an amazing extension that enables developers to collaborate with each other in real-time. With Live Share, multiple users can connect to a shared session and work on code together as if they were in the same room.

It also allows you to share local ports, so you can easily debug cross-platform applications or create web services with ease.

This extension is a must-have when working in teams or pair programming.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare

Best vs Code Extensions for Themes and Icons

Material Icon Theme

Material Icon Theme is the perfect extension for replacing the default VS Code icons with beautiful material design icons. It supports over 5,000 high-quality SVG icons and provides a great way to give your editor an elegant look.

Here is an example of what it looks like on my machine:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=PKief.material-icon-theme

Dracula Official

Dracula Official is a popular theme for VS Code, with over 4 million installs. It comes with an amazing dark UI that includes colors inspired by Dracula’s castle and a unique layout for your editor.

It also has lots of customization options so you can create the perfect look for your editor.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dracula-theme.theme-dracula

One Dark Pro

One Dark Pro is another popular theme for VS Code that comes with an amazing dark UI. It also provides lots of customization options so you can create the perfect look for your editor.

It’s inspired by Atom’s One Dark theme and has been designed to be comfortable on the eyes when working in the dark or low-light conditions.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=zhuangtongfa.Material-theme

Conclusion

It’s important to note that there are thousands of Visual Studio Code extensions available, each with unique features and capabilities.

Therefore, we encourage readers to explore and try out different extensions based on their individual needs.

Whether you’re looking to improve productivity, streamline code editing, enhance debugging, or change the visual appearance of the editor, there is an extension out there for you.

By experimenting with different extensions, you can discover new tools and techniques that can help you become a more efficient and effective developer.

So don’t be afraid to explore and try out different extensions - you might just find your new favorite tool that revolutionizes your development workflow.

Thanks for reading!

Juan Cruz Martinez

Juan has made it his mission to help aspiring developers unlock their full potential. With over two decades of hands-on programming experience, he understands the challenges and rewards of learning to code. By providing accessible and engaging educational content, Juan has cultivated a community of learners who share their passion for coding. Leveraging his expertise and empathetic teaching approach, Juan has successfully guided countless students on their journey to becoming skilled developers, transforming lives through the power of technology.