Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a code editor that supports various programming languages and features. It is developed by Microsoft and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. However, Arch Linux does not provide an official installer for VS Code. How can one install VS Code on Arch Linux?
In this blog post, we will present two methods to install VS Code on Arch Linux: using the open-source version from the official Arch repositories, or using the proprietary version from the Arch User Repository (AUR). We will also explain the differences between these two versions and how to update them.
Method 1: Using the open-source version from the official Arch repositories
The simplest way to install VS Code on Arch Linux is to use the open-source version from the official Arch repositories. This version is called Code – OSS and it is built from the Code – OSS repository, which is the source code of VS Code without any Microsoft branding or licensing.
To install Code – OSS, one needs to execute the following command in a terminal:
sudo pacman -S code
This will install Code – OSS and its dependencies on the system. One can then launch it from the application menu or by typing code in a terminal.
Code – OSS has most of the features and functionality of VS Code, but there are some differences. One of them is that Code – OSS does not use the Microsoft Visual Studio Marketplace for extensions, but instead uses the Open VSX extension registry. This means that some extensions that are available on the Microsoft marketplace may not be available on Open VSX, or may not work properly.
Another difference is that Code – OSS does not have any telemetry or data collection by default, unlike VS Code which has some telemetry enabled by default. This may be a preference for some users who value their privacy.
To update Code – OSS, one needs to execute the following command in a terminal:
sudo pacman -Syu
This will update all the packages, including Code – OSS, to the latest versions.
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Method 2: Using the proprietary version from the Arch User Repository (AUR)
Another way to install VS Code on Arch Linux is to use the proprietary version from the AUR. This version is called Visual Studio Code and it is based on the binary distribution of VS Code released by Microsoft under a proprietary license.
To install Visual Studio Code from the AUR, one needs to have an AUR helper installed on the system. An AUR helper is a tool that helps one install packages from the AUR. There are many AUR helpers available, such as yay, paru, pikaur, etc. For this example, we will use yay.
To install Visual Studio Code using yay, one needs to execute the following command in a terminal:
yay -S visual-studio-code-bin
This will download and install Visual Studio Code and its dependencies on the system. One can then launch it from the application menu or by typing code in a terminal.
Visual Studio Code has all the features and functionality of VS Code, including access to the Microsoft Visual Studio Marketplace for extensions. This means that one can use any extension that is available on the Microsoft marketplace with Visual Studio Code.
However, Visual Studio Code also has some drawbacks. One of them is that Visual Studio Code has some telemetry and data collection enabled by default. This may raise some privacy concerns for some users. One can disable some of the telemetry settings in Visual Studio Code by following this guide.
Another drawback is that Visual Studio Code may not be updated as frequently as Code – OSS, since it depends on when Microsoft releases a new binary version of VS Code. This means that one may not get the latest features and bug fixes as soon as they are available.
To update Visual Studio Code, one needs to execute the following command in a terminal:
yay -Syu
This will update all the packages, including Visual Studio Code, to the latest versions.
These are two methods to install VS Code on Arch Linux. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, so one can choose the one that suits their needs and preferences best.
