Differences between Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio

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#1

Can anyone provide me the detail differences between Visual Studio Code & Visual Studio.

#2

With my years of experience in software development, I can tell you that Visual Studio offers a comprehensive and user-friendly development environment in its full version.

The free “Express” editions of Visual Studio, available until 2017, are streamlined, feature-focused versions of the full suite. These editions are tailored to specific development needs, such as Visual Studio Web Developer and Visual Studio C#.

Since 2015, the free Community edition of Visual Studio has been available as a simplified alternative to the full version, replacing the various Express editions previously used.

Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a versatile, cross-platform editor compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows. It is highly customizable through plugins to suit different development needs.

For instance, to create an ASP. NET application in Visual Studio Code, you must manually set up the project, following distinct tutorials for each operating system.

#3

In my experience working with both tools, Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is more than just a text editor like Notepad. It has the capability to compile, run, debug, and offer code completion, making it an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) since it integrates all necessary development tools.

Let me break down the detailed differences between Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code:

The most noticeable difference is the split within .NET:

  • .NET Core (compatible with macOS, Linux, and Windows)

  • .NET Framework (Windows only)

All native user interface technologies (such as Windows Presentation Foundation and Windows Forms) are part of the .NET Framework, not .NET Core.

The “Visual” in Visual Studio, derived from Visual Basic, refers to visual UI (drag & drop WYSIWYG) design. In this sense, Visual Studio Code is like Visual Studio but without the visual UI.

Another key difference is that Visual Studio is organized around projects and solutions, whereas Visual Studio Code is primarily file-oriented.

Visual Studio Code:

  • A lightweight source code editor used for viewing, editing, running, and debugging source code.

  • Essentially, it is Visual Studio without the visual UI, functioning as an advanced text editor.

  • It is file-oriented rather than project-oriented.

  • It lacks scaffolding support.

  • Competes with editors like Sublime Text or Atom, built on the Electron framework for cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies.

  • Does not support Microsoft’s Team Foundation Server for version control.

  • Provides limited IntelliSense for Microsoft file types and similar features.

  • Mainly used by developers on macOS who work with client-side technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS).

Visual Studio:

  • As an IDE, it encompasses all features required for project development, including code auto-completion, debugging, database integration, server setup, and configurations.

  • A comprehensive solution mainly used by .NET developers, offering everything from source control to bug tracking to deployment tools.

  • Extensively used for .NET projects but can also be used for other types of development.

  • The Community version is free, but advanced features may require a paid license.

  • Aims to be the world’s best IDE, providing full-stack development toolsets, including powerful code completion (IntelliSense), a debugger for both source and machine code, extensive ASP. NET development tools, and SQL development features.

  • The latest versions allow for cross-platform application development within the IDE itself. Visual Studio can require over 8 GB of disk space, depending on the components selected.

  • In summary, Visual Studio is a robust, comprehensive development environment, albeit quite heavy.

#4

With over a decade in the field, I’d like to add that while the community version of Visual Studio is free, making the most of it isn’t entirely cost-free.

The Community edition is quite capable of handling substantial development, including multiple projects and deploying to various target platforms. Unless you need the high-end design/team tools only available in the Enterprise edition (or work in a company that meets Microsoft’s criteria for being an Enterprise), you can do everything you need in Community. However, if you’re targeting mobile via Xamarin, the Xamarin Profiler requires an Enterprise license, so you’ll have to pay or do without.

Hope this helps :slight_smile: