7 Reasons To Choose Visual Studio Code for .NET Development

Introduction

.NET is a fast and modular platform for creating many different types of applications that run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Whether you're building web apps, native apps, cloud apps, or games, you need a powerful and flexible development environment that can support your needs. That's where Visual Studio Code comes in.

Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source, cross-platform code editor that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It offers a rich set of features for .NET development, such as code completion, debugging, testing, refactoring, source control, extensions, and more. Here are seven reasons why you should choose Visual Studio Code for your .NET projects.

Reason 1: Cross-platform and lightweight

One of the main advantages of Visual Studio Code is that it runs on multiple operating systems. You can use it to develop .NET applications on Windows, Linux, or macOS without any compatibility issues. This gives you more flexibility and choice in your development environment.

Another benefit is that Visual Studio Code is lightweight and fast. Unlike some other IDEs that require a large installation size and consume significant resources, Visual Studio Code has a small footprint and a modular design. You can install only the components you need for your .NET development, such as the .NET SDK and the C# or F# extensions. You can also update or repair your installation easily with the .NET Coding Pack.

Here's how you can verify your .NET installation:

dotnet --version

This command displays the installed .NET SDK version, confirming your development environment is ready.

Reason 2: Powerful editing and debugging features

Visual Studio Code provides a powerful editing experience for .NET developers. It supports C#, F#, and VB languages with IntelliSense and analyzers. IntelliSense is a feature that provides smart code completion, parameter info, quick info, and signature help. Analyzers are tools that help you find and fix code issues, such as syntax errors, style violations, and performance problems.

For example, when you're writing C# code, IntelliSense automatically suggests method names and parameters:

public class Calculator
{
    public int Add(int a, int b)
    {
        return a + b;
    }

    public void DisplayResult()
    {
        // IntelliSense suggests 'Add' method as you type
        int result = Add(5, 3);
        Console.WriteLine($"Result: {result}");
    }
}

Visual Studio Code also provides integrated debugging and testing tools for .NET applications. You can set breakpoints, watch variables, inspect call stacks, and evaluate expressions. You can also run unit tests, code coverage tests, and performance tests with various testing frameworks.

To start debugging, add breakpoints in your code and press F5. You can configure your launch settings in the launch.json file:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": ".NET Core Launch (console)",
            "type": "coreclr",
            "request": "launch",
            "preLaunchTask": "build",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/bin/Debug/net8.0/YourApp.dll",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "stopAtEntry": false
        }
    ]
}

Reason 3: Rich extension ecosystem

Visual Studio Code has a built-in marketplace for extensions that enhance its functionality. You can find thousands of extensions for various languages, frameworks, and tools that you can use for your .NET development. Here are some popular extensions:

• Blazor: A framework for building interactive web UIs with C#. You can create single-page applications with C# instead of JavaScript.
• Entity Framework Core: A lightweight and extensible ORM for .NET that simplifies database operations.
• ML.NET: A machine learning framework for .NET that enables you to add custom machine learning models to your applications.
• PowerShell: A scripting language and shell for Windows that integrates seamlessly with .NET.
• Unity: A game engine and development platform for .NET that lets you build 2D and 3D games.
• Xamarin: A platform for building native mobile apps with .NET for iOS and Android.

You can also create your own extensions or contribute to existing ones on GitHub. Installing extensions is straightforward through the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X), where you can search and install with just one click.

Reason 4: Seamless integration with Azure

Visual Studio Code provides seamless integration with Azure, the cloud computing platform from Microsoft. You can use Visual Studio Code to:

• Deploy your .NET applications to Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Container Instances, or other Azure services
• Debug your .NET applications remotely on Azure with remote debugging capabilities
• Monitor and troubleshoot your .NET applications on Azure with Application Insights integration
• Use Azure DevOps services, such as pipelines, boards, and repos

Here's an example of deploying a simple ASP.NET Core app to Azure:

dotnet new webapp -o MyWebApp
cd MyWebApp
dotnet publish -c Release

After building your app, you can deploy it directly from Visual Studio Code using the Azure App Service extension. Right-click your project folder and select "Deploy to Web App" to push your application to the cloud.

You can also use the Azure extension pack to get a comprehensive set of tools for working with Azure resources directly from your editor.

Reason 5: Flexible web development options

Visual Studio Code supports various web development options for .NET developers. You can use it to:

• Build web apps and services with ASP.NET, an open-source web framework for .NET
• Build web UIs with C# using Blazor, a framework that lets you run C# code in the browser
• Build web APIs and mobile sites with real-time technologies, such as SignalR, gRPC, and WebSockets
• Use web development tools, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Angular, React, and Vue

Here's a quick example of creating an ASP.NET Core Web API:

dotnet new webapi -o MyApi
cd MyApi
dotnet run

This creates a basic API with a sample WeatherForecast controller. You can test it by navigating to https://localhost:5001/weatherforecast in your browser.

Here's what a simple controller looks like:

[ApiController]
[Route("[controller]")]
public class WeatherForecastController : ControllerBase
{
    [HttpGet]
    public IEnumerable<WeatherForecast> Get()
    {
        return Enumerable.Range(1, 5).Select(index => new WeatherForecast
        {
            Date = DateTime.Now.AddDays(index),
            TemperatureC = Random.Shared.Next(-20, 55),
            Summary = "Sunny"
        });
    }
}

You can also use the .NET Extension Pack to get a collection of extensions for web development with .NET.

Reason 6: Modern Windows desktop development

Visual Studio Code supports modern Windows desktop development with .NET. You can use it to:

• Build Windows desktop applications with Windows Forms and WPF, two UI frameworks for .NET
• Build data-centric and user-friendly applications with controls, data binding, animation, styles, and templates
• Use desktop development tools, such as XAML, MVVM, and WinUI

Here's a simple example of creating a WPF application:

dotnet new wpf -o MyWpfApp
cd MyWpfApp
dotnet run

In your MainWindow.xaml, you can define a simple UI:

<Window x:Class="MyWpfApp.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="My WPF App" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid>
        <Button Content="Click Me" 
                HorizontalAlignment="Center" 
                VerticalAlignment="Center"
                Click="Button_Click"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

And handle the click event in your code-behind:

private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    MessageBox.Show("Hello from WPF!");
}

You can use the Windows Desktop Extension Pack to get a set of extensions for Windows desktop development with .NET.

Reason 7: Open source and community-driven

Visual Studio Code is based on the open-source .NET platform and Roslyn compiler platform. This means you can access the source code of these projects and contribute to their development. You can also report issues, request features, or provide feedback on GitHub.

Visual Studio Code also has a vibrant community of developers and contributors who create and share extensions, themes, snippets, and tutorials. You can join the community and learn from others or share your own knowledge and experience.

The open-source nature means you're not locked into proprietary tools. You can customize your environment, understand how things work under the hood, and even fix issues yourself if needed. The community regularly publishes helpful resources, from beginner tutorials to advanced debugging techniques.

Wrapping Up

Visual Studio Code is a cross-platform and lightweight code editor that offers powerful editing and debugging features, a rich extension ecosystem, seamless integration with Azure, flexible web development options, modern Windows desktop development options, and an open-source, community-driven nature. If you're looking for a versatile and productive development environment for your .NET projects, Visual Studio Code is an excellent choice.