.NET provides a fast and modular platform for building many different types of applications that run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Use Visual Studio code with C# and F# extensions to get a powerful editing experience with C# IntelliSense, F# IntelliSense (smart code completion), and debugging.
Customize VS Code for .NET development
Installing extensions
If you are already a VS Code user, you can add .NET support by installing the C# Dev Kit extension. The C# Dev Kit provides a productive and reliable C# experience in VS Code by making it easier to do C# or multilingual development in VS Code. This extension package consists of a set of VS Code extensions that work together to provide a rich C# editing experience, AI-powered development, solution management, and integrated testing experience. As shown in the figure below, the C# Dev Kit consists of:
A C# extension that provides support for the underlying language services, and continues to operate and support it independently of these efforts.
The C# Dev Kit extension, which is based on the same framework as Visual Studio and provides solution management, templates, and test detection/debugging.
The IntelliCode extension for C# Dev Kit (optional), which provides the editor with AI-based development capabilities.
If your projects require F# support, you can also download the .NET Extension Pack, which contains such extensions:
- C# Dev Kit for Visual Studio code
- Ionid for F#
- Jupyter notebooks
- Polyglot Notebooks
You can also install the extensions individually.
.NET Coding Pack for students
To help you get up and running quickly, you can install the .NET Coding Pack, which includes VS Code, the .NET Software Development Kit, and the major .NET extensions. The Coding Pack can be used as a clean install or to upgrade or repair an existing development environment.
Installing the .NET Software Development Kit
If you download the extensions separately, make sure that your local environment also has the .NET SDK. The .NET SDK is a software development environment used to develop .NET applications.