Frequently Asked Question

Can I use VS Code on Linux, and how does it compare with Vim?

Yes. VS Code is a first-class Linux citizen: Microsoft ships official .deb and .rpm packages, a Snap, and an Arch User Repository entry, and it runs natively on x86_64 and ARM. For developing on a desktop Linux machine it is, alongside the JetBrains IDEs and Neovim with LSP, the most popular choice in 2026. The fully open-source build is called Code - OSS (or VSCodium with the Microsoft branding and telemetry stripped); the prebuilt Microsoft binary adds proprietary marketplace and telemetry components.

Where VS Code outshines Vim is graphical polish, beginner friendliness, and the Remote - SSH extension, which lets you edit files on a remote server with the GUI running locally, the editor transparently runs a small server on the remote host and forwards everything over SSH. Where Vim still wins is anywhere VS Code is not installed: SSHing into a stranger's server, working over a slow link, editing config files in single-user mode, dropping into a recovery shell. The pragmatic answer most developers reach is "VS Code for project work, Vim for everything else", with Vim keybindings available in VS Code via the popular Vim extension.

The two are converging more than competing. Both speak the Language Server Protocol, both render Tree-sitter syntax trees, both ship Git integration. The choice in 2026 is less about features than about which keyboard model you prefer to live in.