When comparing Visual Studio Code vs Codenvy, the Slant community recommends Visual Studio Code for most people. In the question“What are the best JavaScript IDEs or editors?” Visual Studio Code is ranked 1st while Codenvy is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Visual Studio Code is:
Visual Studio Code comes fairly complete out of the box, but there are many plug-ins available to extend its functionality.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Extendable through plug-ins
Visual Studio Code comes fairly complete out of the box, but there are many plug-ins available to extend its functionality.
Pro TypeScript integration
There is very solid TypeScript integration in Visual Studio Code. Both are developed by Microsoft and VSC itself is written in TypeScript.
Pro Integrated debugging
VSC includes debugging tools for Node.js, TypeScript, and JavaScript.
Pro Ready to use out of the box
You don't need to configure and add plugins before being productive. However, you can add plugins if needed but for the basics you're well covered.
Pro Integrated terminal
There's no need to press alt+tab to go to a terminal: it is directly integrated into the editor. Shift+~
is a handy hotkey to toggle the integrated terminal.
Pro Great performance
For a 'wrapped' web-based application, Visual Studio Code performs very well.
Pro Libre/open source
Released under the MIT License.
Pro Fast and powerful
VS-Code has the speed of Sublime and the power of WebStorm. Perhaps this is the best software that Microsoft has ever created.
Pro JavaScript IntelliSense support
JavaScript IntelliSense allows Visual Studio Code to provide you with useful hints and auto-completion features while you code.
Pro Embedded Git control
Visual Studio Code has integrated Git control, guaranteeing speed, data integrity, and support for distributed, non-linear workflows.
Pro Updated frequently
There's a new release of Visual Studio Code every month. If you are one of the insiders then releases are daily.
Pro ESLint integration
ESLint integrates great. You can define your rules trough .eslintrc.* as usual and vs code will autofix your code on save. So your code is always in style.
Pro Extensions (aka plugins) are written in JavaScript
Extensions are written in either Typescript or JavaScript.
Pro Active development
It's really nice to see how the code editor evolves. Every month there is a new version with great communication of new features and changes.
Pro Integrated task runners
Task runners display lists of available tasks and performing these tasks is as simple as a click of the mouse.
Pro It has gotten really good
All it takes is one stop for all the features many people need.
Pro Custom snippets support
Snippets are templates that will insert text for you and adapt it to their context, and in VSC they are highly customizable.
Pro Huge community behind it
The ease of getting assistance and finding tutorials is increasing as the community grows.
Pro JS typechecking
It leverages TypeScript compiler functionality to statically type check JS (type inference, JSDoc types) with "javascript.implicitProjectConfig.checkJs": true
option.
Pro Python support
Excellent Python plugin, originally created by Don Jayamanne, now hired by Microsoft to extend and maintain the extension.
Pro Good support for new Emmet syntax
Pro High fidelity C# plugin
The Omnisharp plugin is very powerful providing full sln, csproj, and project.json support.
Pro Support RTL languages
It supports pretty web rtl languages like arabic languages when most of other editors don't support it.
Pro Inline definition picking and usages finding
These features allow you to have a glance at code without opening it as a whole in a separate tab. Moreover, editing is allowed.
Pro Easy setup
Once an account is set up and the user has logged in, all that's needed to start is to pick a language, a framework and a PaaS. Codenvy also allows anonymous logins albeit with some important limitations.
Pro Powerful editor
Codenvy has a fast, secure browser-based editor that supports syntax highlighting, code completion, refactoring and more. It can be used to edit, build, run and debug projects. It even has multi-cursor support.
The layout will be familiar to most developer, especially those experienced with Eclipse, with a file explorer on the left, code on the right and tabs for builders, runners, terminal and events at the bottom.
Pro Beginner-friendly
It allows going to any box and pick up a project and work on it.
Pro Git support
Codenvy supports all Git commands through UI and Codenvy CLI.
Codenvy also integrates well with all major Git hosting providers including GitHub, BitBucket, GitLab. Sign up, sign in, repo cloning, uploading SSH keys are supported. Tutorials for integrating various providers can be found here.
Pro Partly open source
Codenvy is a full multi-user, multi-account, multi-tenant implementation of [Eclipse Che](https://github.com/eclipse/che/_ which is open source but only single-user/account/tenant. Codenvy open source projects can be viewed on GitHub.
Pro Self-hostable (priced)
Codenvy has an on-premises solution that allows running it on own hardware and behind a firewall. The service costs $300/user/year.
Pro Nice interface
Look and usability of Codenvy IDE are nice and pleasant.
Pro Easy projects sharing
Projects are share by sharing the link (public projects), adding access rights (private and public projects) and factory.
Factory allows to share projects along with build/run settings. To try run/review project recipient just need an URL. Factory also works with external git repositories so it allows share github/bitbucket/other git hosting projects. Recipient doesn't have to be registered. It also allows giving out a share button that activates the factory and counts how many times it is used.
Pro Portable workspaces
You can send someone a short JSON file and your whole workspace (projects, config and runtime) can be replicated for them in a separate container. Great for coordinating among team members.
Pro On-demand, instant-access, real-time collaborative IDEs
Codenvy "Factory" feature enables developers to create temporary IDE workspaces with full code, build, test, deploy, and collaboration functionality that can be shared with a URL. Multiple people can work in the same workspace making code reviews and teaching simpler and faster. And there's no limit to collaborators.
Factories also work with external git repositories and can be shared with not registered users of Codenvy. It also allows counting how much a factory is used.
Pro Has a fully functional free tier
Codenvy provides a fully functional free tier with 3 GB of RAM and unlimited workspaces, free and public projects and developers. Premium subscription start at $1/month and offers machines with up to 200GB of RAM. Codenvy also offers an on-premises solution that costs $300/user/year.
Pro Fantastic Java support
All Java builders, syntax highlighting, class navigator, jump to package and declaration, and JavaDoc are present in Codenvy.
Pro Can provide a custom runtime environment
Codenvy can provide a runtime environment to test and debug code. This can also be used to share work progress with a client.
Codenvy uses Docker as the runtime application and gives access to Dockerfiles allowing any environment that runs on Linux to be built. This allows using any database, reverse proxy or builder, etc. Codenvy even provides SSH access to running container in every image.
There's also a selection of pre-built environments to speed up the development.
Pro Install anywhere Docker runs
You can install Codenvy on any OS that has Docker running on it. The simple install syntax can work through proxies and even offline.
You can use this for proxy install:
https://codenvy.com/docs/admin-guide/installation/index.html#proxy-installation
You can use this for offline install:
https://codenvy.com/docs/admin-guide/installation/index.html#offline-installation
Pro Provides a terminal with root access
Codenvy offers a terminal with full root access into the machine. Since machines can be defined with Dockerfiles this gives the ability to create any custom environment for building, running or debuging and all the access that's needed to use it as a local machine.
Pro Complete build lifecycle
The IDE allows validating, compiling, testing, packaging and deploying.
Pro Integrates with a wide variety of tools
Codenvy offers first class support for code management, continuous integration, PaaS, and project management tools.
Pro Automation of contribution to GitHub projects
Codenvy provides contribution button that can be placed in Readme.md file on GitHub. It automates contribution to the Github's projects. User clicks this button and it opens a ready to run/edit version of the project in Codenvy. If a user makes changes, Codenvy takes care of everything needed for the contribution on GitHub.
- fork of the origin project on github
- add ssh keys to push to github
- commit
- push
- create pull request in the origin project
- create factory url for review of this pull
- post this factory in pull request.
Then project's owner can use posted link to code review/run project with changes.
Pro Badge to start developing in one click
You can create a .codenvy.json
containing the Factory configuration which includes what binaries to install and how to set up the IDE, may be even start the development server. Then create a badge and put it on your GitHub repository and people can start coding and may be compile and run your server with one click.
Pro Lots of built-in templates
Pro Can be used for Android development
Can be used for android development by adding Eclipse plugin.
Pro Custom build system support
Codenvy allows setting up any build system via Dockerfile. Instructions on how to do it can be found here.
Pro Has Eclipse plugin
Codenvy can be plugged into Eclipse offering choice between online and offline builds. Plugin can be found here.
Pro Developer workspace replicas
Codenvy can create a recipe for a developer workspace that includes the build and run environment configuration plus all the IDE plug-ins, syntax rules, policies and other items. Then version and store that with the code in a repository. Makes it impossible to get a code change that doesn't build and run.
Pro Quick support from staff
Pro One-click automation
Pro SSH Access
Can connect to the workspace via SSH for use with desktop editors.
Pro Provides Java debugger
Pro Includes Subversion support
Codenvy includes full subversion version control support.
Cons
Con Embedded Git isn't powerful enough
You can do nothing but to track changes, stage them and commit. No history, visualization, rebasing or cherry-picking – these things are left to git console or external git client.
Con The autocomplete and code check is not as powerful as the one on WebStorm
Sometimes it doesn't tell you if you made a typo in a method name or if a method is not used and several other important features.
Con File search is extremely slow
It's absolutely not possible to use this tool with big projects given how long it takes to search for files.
Con Project search limits results
Because file search is so slow your results are limited in order to simulate a faster search.
Con Very bad auto import
Con Generalized
VS Code is a general code/scripting IDE built to be lightweight and for people familiar with their language of choice, not directly comparable to Visual Studio in power or scope.
Con Memory hog
Allegedly, VS Code is "lightweight". Yet, running multiple instances of it at once, you may get many "out of memory" messages from Windows despite 16 GB RAM. (While of course also running other things. The point is the comparison with some other IDEs/editors where running them alongside the same number of other applications doesn't cause Windows to run out of memory)
Con Poor error fix suggestions
Error detection and suggestions/fixes are poor compared to IntelliJ platforms
Con A "me too" offering from MS, far behind other well established editors that it attempts to clone
Other IDEs specific to a language often offer better tools for deep programming.
Con Slow launch time
Slower than it's competitors, e.g. Sublime Text.
Con Emmet plugin often fails on even simple p tags
Con Have no good default js style analyzer
In WebStorm there is analyzer that checks for warnings and highlight this in yellow, here you cannot find or add it even with plugins. It is possible to have it as errors with linter but while you are actively changing file that's not very nice.
Con .sass linting is terrible
Con Is not an IDE, is a text editor
Con No custom keyboard shortcuts
No possibility to create custom keyboard shortcuts.
Con No SSH, FTP mode
For example, "Code everywhere" allows using SSH, FTP as base of project. In Codenvy it's possible only through VM.
Con No Collaborative editing
At the moment, Codenvy does not have real-time collaborative-editing. But this is on roadmap, and would be implemented soon.
Con Lacks two-factor authentication
Con Slow installation by default
Trying to install with "npm install" and the server restarts before the installation. However, you can circumvent this by using npm install --no-bin-links
.