Essential Vs Code Extensions For 2025: 18 Must-have Tools To Supercharge Developer Productivity

By Author: Charlie Thomas
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Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has become one of the most widely used code editors among programmers all over the world. Due to its lightweight design, open-source foundation, and large extension market, VS Code allows programmers to tailor their environment to meet almost any project requirement. In 2025, the development tool landscape is still changing, and it is therefore vital for developers to remain current with the top VS Code Extensions that can automate workflows and increase productivity.

Whether you are a front-end developer, a backend engineer, a DevOps engineer, or a data scientist, the correct extensions can assist you in coding better, faster, reducing errors, and automating tedious operations. Below are the top 18 VS Code extensions that every developer should be aware of in 2025.

Prettier – Code Formatter

Purpose: Automatic code formatting

Why You Need It: Prettier ensures uniform code style within teams and projects. It formats your code automatically every time you save a file, stopping styling ...
... arguments and making the code more readable.

Best For: JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JSON, and more.

ESLint

Purpose: JavaScript/TypeScript linting

Why You Need It: ESLint detects and corrects errors in your JavaScript/TypeScript code. ESLint checks that code is following best practices and blocks bugs from entering your codebase.

Best For: JavaScript/TypeScript developers building new frameworks such as React or Vue.

GitLens — Git Supercharged

Purpose: Git visualization and history tracking

Why You Need It: GitLens supercharges VS Code's native Git functionality. GitLens informs you about the code better by presenting who altered what and when, in line with the code.

Best For: Teams working on big codebases with high-frequency Git commits.

Bracket Pair Colorizer 2

Purpose: Enhanced bracket visibility

Why You Need It: This extension highlights matching brackets, which helps you comprehend nested blocks of code more easily. It's a basic feature that saves hours if you're working with deeply nested logic.

Best For: Any developer who works with languages such as Python, JavaScript, or C++.

5. Path Intellisense

Purpose: File path autocompletion

Why You Need It: Autocompletes filenames and directory paths in real-time, which streamlines file imports and navigation, and reduces errors.

Best For: Front-end and full-stack developers handling extensive project hierarchy.

6. Live Server

Purpose: Start local development server

Why You Need It: Live Server helps you view changes in real-time while you modify HTML/CSS/JavaScript files. It's ideal for rapid prototyping and static site building.

Best For: Front-end developers and web designers.

Docker

Purpose: Docker integration

Why You Need It: This extension lets you build, manage, and deploy Docker containers from VS Code directly. It makes containerized development easier.

Best For: DevOps engineers and developers who work with container-based applications.

REST Client

Purpose: API testing in VS Code
Why You Need It: You can send HTTP requests and see responses within VS Code directly without using Postman. This accelerates API development and debugging.

Best For: Backend developers and API testers.

Python (by Microsoft)

Purpose: Python language support

Why You Need It: It is the default extension for Python devs. It provides IntelliSense, debugging, linting, and Jupyter notebook support.

Best For: Data scientists, AI engineers, and Python developers.

Debugger for Chrome

Purpose: JavaScript debugging

Why You Need It: The extension allows you to debug JavaScript code executing in the Chrome browser within VS Code. This assists in identifying and correcting front-end bugs more quickly.

Best For: Frontend developers who code against JS-intensive applications.

Code Spell Checker

Purpose: Spell-checking code strings and comments

Why You Need It: An easy yet effective tool that detects typos in variable names, comments, strings, and markdown files to enhance code professionalism and documentation.

Best For: All developers.

Visual Studio IntelliCode

Purpose: Code completion with AI

Why You Need It: IntelliCode uses machine learning to offer smart code completions based on the best practices of thousands of open-source projects.

Best For: Developers of any level wanting to accelerate repetitive coding tasks.

Tailwind CSS IntelliSense

Purpose: Tailwind class autocompletion

Why You Need It: It offers autocomplete suggestions, syntax coloring, and linting for Tailwind CSS classes, improving productivity and minimizing errors.

Best For: Developers working with Tailwind for new UI development.

Markdown All in One

Purpose: Markdown editing improvement

Why You Need It: It improves the editing process for Markdown files, offering shortcuts, previews, table of contents, etc.

Best For: Programmers author documentation or blog posts.

Import Cost

Purpose: Visualize import sizes.

Why You Need It: Shows the size of imported packages in real-time. This helps you view performance bottlenecks and streamline your buildings.

Best For: JavaScript/TypeScript developers who care about performance.

Peacock

Purpose: Color-code VS Code workspaces

Why You Need It: Change the color of your workspace so you can distinguish between various projects or environments at a glance. It is helpful when working on microservices or with many repos.

Best For: Developers who are working on several projects concurrently.

Settings Sync

Use: Sync settings across devices

Why You Need It: Sync extensions, settings, snippets, themes, and keybindings with your GitHub account. It keeps everything in sync across different development environments.

Best For: Developers who are working on multiple machines or teams.

Thunder Client

Purpose: Light weight API testing Why You Need It: A fast and lightweight REST API client built directly into VS Code. Thunder Client is great for users who require a Postman experience without ever leaving their editor.

Best For: Backend devs and microservices testers.

Bonus: How to Install VS Code Extensions

To install any extension is easy:

Open VS Code.

Navigate to the Extensions view (or press Ctrl+Shift+X).

Type the name of the extension in the search box.

Click on the Install button.

Reload the editor if prompted.

Installed extensions can also be managed and disabled or uninstalled when no longer needed.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right VS Code extensions can dramatically improve your development speed, reduce errors, and provide a more enjoyable coding experience. Whether you’re a beginner coding your first “Hello World” or a seasoned developer deploying enterprise apps, these 18 extensions can significantly enhance your productivity in 2025.

The power of VS Code is its extensibility — you can customize it to fit your workflow, programming language, and project requirements. Don't hesitate to try new extensions but keep an eye on performance and don't go too crazy and bloat your editor.

Try a few from this list and create your ultimate development environment today!

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