🚀 Top 20 VS Code Extensions Every Developer Should Use in 2025

Visual Studio Code is loved by developers for its speed, versatility, and incredible extension marketplace. But with thousands of options available, it can be overwhelming to pick the best ones.

Here are the Top 20 must-have VS Code extensions every developer should install right now!

1. Prettier – Code Formatter

✨ Make your code beautiful automatically.

• Auto-formats your code

• Supports multiple languages

• Keeps code clean and consistent

2. ESLint

🛡 Catch bugs and maintain coding standards.

• Real-time linting

• Integrates with Prettier

• Highly customizable

3. GitLens

🔎 Supercharge your Git workflow.

• See who changed what and why

• Inline blame annotations

• Rich Git history view

4. One Dark Pro

🎨 A beautiful and minimal theme.

• Inspired by Atom’s One Dark

• Popular dark theme choice

• Boosts readability

5. Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 (Deprecated)

🌈 Match your brackets by color.

• Helps in reading nested code

• Great for JavaScript, Python, etc.

6. Path Intellisense

🧭 Auto-suggest file paths while typing.

• Helps with imports

• Reduces typing errors

7. Live Server

🔥 Launch a development server with live reload.

• Perfect for web development

• Works out of the box

8. REST Client

🧬 Test APIs directly inside VS Code.

• Send HTTP requests

• View responses instantly

• No need for Postman

9. DotENV

🔐 Syntax highlighting for .env files.

• Supports environment variable files

• Makes them easier to read and manage

10. Tabnine AI Autocomplete

🤖 AI-powered code suggestions.

• Learns your coding style

• Increases typing speed

• Great alternative to GitHub Copilot

Link: https://www.tabnine.com/install/vs-code/

11. SQLTools

💾 Work with databases directly from VS Code.

• Connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and more

• Execute queries

• View results in editor

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=mtxr.sqltools

12. Code Spell Checker

✍️ Catch typos in your code and comments.

• Multilingual support

• Lightweight and fast

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker

13. Thunder Client

🚀 Modern and lightweight Postman alternative.

• Great for REST API testing

• GUI-friendly inside VS Code

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=rangav.vscode-thunder-client

14. Markdown All in One

📝 Powerful markdown editing tools.

• Preview pane

• Table of contents generator

• Keyboard shortcuts

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yzhang.markdown-all-in-one

15. Docker

🐳 Manage Docker containers and images.

• Visualize containers

• Manage Dockerfiles

• Integrated terminal support

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-docker

16. Remote - SSH

🔐 Work on remote machines like they're local.

• Seamless SSH access

• Great for cloud development

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh

17. React Native Tools

📱 Build React Native apps efficiently.

• Debug React Native code

• View logs and inspect UI

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=msjsdiag.vscode-react-native

18. Import Cost

💡 Shows the size of your imported packages.

• Helps identify large dependencies

• Optimizes bundle size

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=wix.vscode-import-cost

19. Auto Rename Tag

✨ Rename paired HTML/XML tags instantly.

• Automatically renames the closing tag when you edit the opening tag (and vice versa)

• Works with HTML, XML, Vue, JSX, TSX, and more

• Saves time and reduces human error

• Lightweight and seamless with VS Code

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.auto-rename-tag

20. Todo Tree

✨ Organize your TODOs and FIXMEs with ease.

• Scans your project for TODO, FIXME, and custom tags

• Displays them in a structured tree view

• Quick navigation to the exact line in your code

• Helps you track unfinished tasks without leaving VS Code

Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Gruntfuggly.todo-tree

✅ Bonus Tips for Using Extensions

• Don’t overload your editor — install only what you need.

• Regularly update extensions for the latest features and fixes.

• Use Settings Sync to back up your perfect setup.

💬 Final Thoughts

Your code editor should empower you, not slow you down. These VS Code extensions will help you write better code, faster — and with fewer bugs.

Start enhancing your developer workflow today!