Installing and Using Visual Studio Code on Debian 10

Why Choose Visual Studio Code?

Lightning Fast Performance

VS Code is built on top of the Electron framework which utilizes cutting-edge web technologies. This allows it to deliver exceptional performance while maintaining a relatively small memory footprint. Opening and editing files in VS Code feels snappy and responsive.

Based on various benchmarks, here is how VS Code compares to other popular text editors in terms of performance:

Editor	Open Time	Memory Use
VS Code	480 ms	298 MB
Sublime Text	322 ms	218 MB
Atom	1.8 sec	630 MB
Vim	52 ms	25 MB

So while lightweight editors like Vim and Sublime text hold the edge in raw speed and memory efficiency, VS Code strikes a nice balance of performance and features.

Excellent Extensibility

The plugin ecosystem for VS Code is simply unmatched. There are extensions available to support just about any language, framework, or tool you could possibly need. This level of extensibility allows you to craft a highly customized editing environment tailored to your exact needs.

A few examples of popular VS Code extensions include:

• ESLint – linting for JavaScript/TypeScript
• Docker – Dockerfile editing/intellisense
• Markdown All in One – enhanced Markdown authoring
• VS Live Share – real-time coding collaboration

VS Code extensions have been downloaded over 1 billion times, a testament to the vast enhancements they provide.

Intuitive User Interface

The UI design of VS Code embraces minimalism while still providing all the most critical editing tools within easy reach. Things like the sidebar, status bar, and command palette help you navigate and manipulate your codebase efficiently. Overall, you‘ll find the user experience intuitive and unobtrusive.

Customizable layouts, themes, and shortcuts allow you to really make the editor your own. Font ligature support and the built-in Zen Mode help keep you focused and productive during long coding sessions.

Built-in Git Support

Git integration comes baked right into VS Code, allowing you to run essential commands, view diffs, and even commit changes without leaving the editor. Support for GitHub pull requests and issues is also available out of the box.

You can install additional extensions like GitLens and Git Graph to take your Git workflow even further with powerful history visualizations, commit searching, and advanced integrations.

Remote Development Capabilities

With the Remote Development extensions, you can use VS Code to directly access and edit codebases on remote servers or inside Docker containers. This streamlines the entire coding workflow, especially when dealing with projects spanning multiple environments.

Some examples of remote development integrations include:

• SSH – Edit files on any remote server via SSH
• Docker – Launch a container from Dockerfile and develop inside it
• WSL – Leverage the Windows Subsystem for Linux
• Kubernetes – Develop against a Kubernetes cluster

These remote capabilities keep context switching to a minimum and afford the full power of VS Code regardless of where code executes.

Step 1 – Download the Debian Package

Since Visual Studio Code is not included in the main Debian repositories, we need to download the Debian package (.deb file) directly from the official website:

1. Open your web browser and navigate to https://code.visualstudio.com/download

2. Under the "Linux" section, click the button to download the 64-bit .deb package for Debian/Ubuntu:

3. In the file download dialog, select "Save File" and click OK. This will save the .deb installer to your default Downloads folder.

The package download may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection speed. Once finished, we can install it locally using the dpkg tool.

Step 2 – Install the Downloaded Package

Here we‘ll install the VS code .deb package we just downloaded using the dpkg package manager:

1. Open a terminal window and change directory into Downloads:

cd ~/Downloads  

2. List the contents with ls to confirm the presence of the VS Code .deb file:

ls
code_1.75.1-1674446621_amd64.deb

3. Install the package using dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i code_1.75.1-1674446621_amd64.deb  

Enter your sudo password when prompted. Dpkg will install all the necessary VS Code files and set up menu items and shortcuts system-wide.

Step 3 – Launching VS Code

With the package installation complete, VS Code is ready to launch! Here are some ways you can open the editor:

• Application Menu – Under Programming section
• Command Line – Run code in terminal
• Desktop Icon – Single-click to launch
• File Manager – Double-click .code executable

I‘ll demonstrate opening via the Application Menu:

1. Click the Application Menu button in the top-left hotspot
2. Locate Visual Studio Code under the Programming section
3. Click the "Visual Studio Code" entry to launch the app

After a quick splash screen, the main VS Code window will appear:

The intuitive user interface provides the perfect jumping off point to access all commonly used features. Let‘s explore some of these in more detail.

Step 4 – Opening a Project

To open up an existing project in VS Code, you have several options:

• File > Open Folder
• Keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K, Ctrl+O
• code command + folder path

I‘ll demonstrate using the File > Open Folder method:

1. Click File > Open Folder from the main menu
2. Select the target folder containing your code files
3. Click OK to open the folder

This will display your files in the EXPLORER pane and set the folder as the workspace context:

You can browse and open individual files within the project explorer. VS Code automatically detects source file types and assigns the appropriate language mode.

When finished, use File > Close Folder or the Ctrl+K, Ctrl+F shortcut to close the folder and clear the workspace.

Step 5 – Customizing the Layout

One great thing about VS Code is how much flexibility you have when arranging workspace panels. Click and drag panels to detach, resize, or reposition them based on personal preference.

Some layout tweaks I recommend:

• Detach the EXPLORER – Frees up vertical space for editing
• Hide STATUS BAR – Condenses interface to essentials
• Adjust TERMINAL dimensions – Tailor split pane to your needs

Here is an example customized interface minimizing UI chrome:

Feel free to tweak your layout until you arrive at your optimal workflow environment.

Step 6 – Installing Extensions

One of Visual Studio Code‘s prime advantages is its easily extensible nature. Let‘s go over the process of discovering, installing, and managing extensions.

Accessing the Extension Marketplace

Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar to open the Marketplace panel. Here you can:

• Browse popular and recommended extensions
• Search by keyword for specific functionality
• Filter extension lists by install count, rating, and more

I generally sort by install count as a measure of community trust and value provided by an extension. High ratings from other users are also a great indicator of quality.

Installing and Managing Extensions

When you find an extension of interest, click it to expand a details view where you can read a full description and user reviews.

• Click "Install" for a one-click install of the latest version
• Manage installed extensions from the Installed pane
• Click an extension to check for updates or uninstall

It‘s easy to accumulate extensions, so be diligent about removing ones you find you don‘t really need.

Here are a few must-have extensions I recommend:

• Live Server – Launch local dev server for frontend work
• Prettier – Opinionated code formatter for consistency
• ESLint – Identifies code quality issues early
• Markdown All In One – Enhanced authoring for READMEs etc.

Step 7 – Configuring Keybindings

No coding environment would be complete without a customized set of keyboard shortcuts. VS Code makes binding keys to actions straightforward.

Open User Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts tab:

Here you can:

• Search for existing shortcuts
• Override defaults by clicking actions
• Enter custom key combos like Ctrl+Shift+N

For example, I enjoy mapping Focus Next Part of Editor to Ctrl+Tab for fast navigation between panels.

Don‘t forget to save your custom keybindings file when finished configuring shortcuts. This ensures your keymaps persist across workstations.

Step 8 – Pairing with Remote Servers

For web developers working with remote servers, the VS Code Remote SSH extension is an invaluable asset.

Once installed, connect to a server from the COMMAND PALETTE:

This sets up a secure tunnel allowing you to interact with files on the remove machine as if they were local.

Capabilities include:

• Editing remote files with full VS Code capabilities
• Terminal access to the server
• Debugging deployments within the environment

The remote workflow keeps context switches to a minimum and affords the full power of VS Code regardless of where code executes.

Advanced Remote Development Workflows

With its robust remote development support, VS Code can become the centerpiece of an advanced cloud-based toolchain incorporating systems like:

Docker – Launch code within a specific Docker environment by connecting to a container or opening a Dockerfile

Kubernetes – Develop against a Kubernetes cluster; debug pods and services running on the cluster

Jenkins – Streamline CI/CD by pairing VS Code with Jenkins via plugins

Azure/AWS DevOps – Tie into cloud-based services and tooling on major platforms

Configured thoughtfully, these integrations enable extremely productive Inner Development Loop workflows.

Step 9 – Additional Linux Optimizations

To squeeze maximum productivity out of VS Code on your Debian environment, some additional optimizations I recommend:

Font Rendering

Install the Source Code Pro font for crisp rendering of icons, ligatures, and coding glyphs. Adjust Debian‘s font antialiasing settings to fine tune readability.

Shell Profiles

Configure your preferred shell (Bash, Zsh, Fish) including customizing your PS1 prompt. Install the Code Runner extension to execute scripts within VS Code.

Performance Tuning

Adjust Linux resource limits to allocate sufficient CPU and memory for smooth VS Code responsiveness. For example, increasing the ulimit value for open files can prevent slowdowns.

I suggest monitoring VS Code system resource usage during workloads with tools like htop and perf. Then tweak configurations based on data-driven analysis rather than guesses.

Security Hardening

Since VS Code may handle sensitive source code, harden your Debian setup by:

• Configuring the OS firewall to restrict network exposure
• Ensuring the latest OS and VS Code updates are always installed
• Utilizing SSH keys over password auth for remote connections

Proactive security steps like these will facilitate worry-free usage of VS Code.

Reaping the Benefits

Hopefully by now you have Visual Studio Code up and running on your Debian desktop with an optimized layout, useful extensions, customized shortcuts, remote server integration, and Linux-specific tuning.

While it did take some initial setup investment, I‘m confident the efforts will pay dividends in the form of:

• Greater coding efficiency
• Enhanced developer experience
• More flexibility to adapt the environment to changing needs

I encourage you to continue exploring all that VS Code has to offer. As a platform engineered specifically for building software, there is really no substitute in terms of raw editing power and speed.

Let me know in the comments about any other tips or tricks you discover along your Visual Studio Code journey!