Microsoft’s free, extensible code editor—the default host for most AI coding tools via extensions (Copilot, Continue, Cody, etc.).
VS Code is the baseline editor much of the AI-assisted-coding ecosystem targets. Distinct from Visual Studio, its heavier IDE sibling.
Why it matters for AI
Many AI tools ship as VS Code extensions first; fork-based editors (Cursor, Windsurf) inherit its extension surface.