Are "VS Code" and "Visual Studio Code" different? Is one retiring in August?

Are 'VS Code' and 'Visual Studio Code' Different? Is One Retiring in August?

Demystify the naming conventions around Microsoft's popular code editor and clarify common misconceptions about its future. Understand the distinction between Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.

The world of software development often comes with a lexicon of terms that can be confusing, especially when products share similar names. A common point of confusion for developers, new and experienced alike, revolves around "VS Code" and "Visual Studio Code." Are they the same? Is one a subset of the other? And, perhaps most critically, is one of them facing retirement soon? This article aims to clarify these distinctions, reassure developers about the stability of their favorite editor, and explain the relationship between Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and their respective open-source projects.

Unpacking the Names: VS Code vs. Visual Studio Code

Let's cut to the chase: "VS Code" is simply the commonly used, informal abbreviation for "Visual Studio Code." They refer to the exact same product. Microsoft officially names the cross-platform, lightweight code editor "Visual Studio Code." However, due to its popularity and the natural tendency to shorten names, "VS Code" has become the de facto colloquial term used by developers, in communities, and even in official documentation and marketing materials at times. There is no functional or conceptual difference between the two terms.

Visual Studio Code and VS Code are the same product.

Visual Studio vs. Visual Studio Code: The Real Distinction

While "VS Code" and "Visual Studio Code" are interchangeable, it's crucial to understand that "Visual Studio" (without "Code") is a distinct and much larger product. Visual Studio is a comprehensive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) primarily for Windows and macOS (with a limited Mac version). It's a feature-rich, heavy-weight application designed for large-scale enterprise development, offering deep integration with Microsoft technologies like .NET, C#, C++, SQL Server, and extensive debugging and testing tools. Visual Studio Code, on the other hand, is a lightweight, cross-platform code editor that emphasizes speed, flexibility, and extensibility through a vast marketplace of extensions. It's built on Electron and supports a multitude of programming languages and frameworks.

Key differences between Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.

Rumors of Retirement: August and Beyond

The rumor that "VS Code" or "Visual Studio Code" is retiring in August (or any other month) is false. Visual Studio Code is one of the most popular and actively developed code editors in the world, with millions of users and a vibrant community. Microsoft continues to invest heavily in its development, releasing monthly updates with new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. Such rumors often stem from misunderstandings, misinterpretations of product lifecycle announcements for other Microsoft products, or even deliberate misinformation. Developers can rest assured that Visual Studio Code is here to stay and will continue to be a cornerstone of modern development workflows for the foreseeable future.

The open-source nature of Visual Studio Code, with its codebase available on GitHub as "VS Code" (the project name), further ensures its longevity and community-driven evolution. This transparency allows anyone to inspect, contribute to, and even fork the project, making it resilient to deprecation.

code --version
# Example Output:
# 1.80.1
# 4a91c67035b86e62dcc51b80e503350ca6dd45a5
# x64

Verify your installed Visual Studio Code version.