Why I use VSCodium instead of VS Code

VS Code is a great editor. The extension ecosystem is massive, the performance is solid, and it is free. What it is not is open source in the way most people think.

The VS Code source code is MIT licensed, but the binaries Microsoft distributes include proprietary telemetry, tracking, and Microsoft-specific integrations that are not part of the open-source project. VSCodium is VS Code built from the open-source repository without any of that.

What Microsoft adds to VS Code

When you download VS Code from code.visualstudio.com, you get the open-source editor plus:

• Telemetry that sends usage data to Microsoft (enabled by default)
• Proprietary extensions like the Microsoft C# extension that only work in official VS Code
• Microsoft branding and marketplace integration
• Tracking via a unique machine identifier

You can disable telemetry in VS Code's settings, but you have to trust that the setting actually stops all data collection. With VSCodium, there is nothing to disable because the tracking code is not included in the build.

What VSCodium is

VSCodium takes the same MIT-licensed source code that Microsoft uses, compiles it without the proprietary bits, and distributes clean binaries. The editor looks identical, feels identical, and supports the same extensions.

Installing it is straightforward:

# macOS
brew install --cask vscodium
 
# Ubuntu/Debian
wget -qO - https://gitlab.com/nicedad/vscodium-deb/-/raw/master/pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
echo 'deb https://download.vscodium.com/debs vscodium main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscodium.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install codium
 
# Arch
pnpm -S vscodium-bin

Extensions

VSCodium uses the Open VSX Registry instead of Microsoft's Marketplace by default. Most popular extensions are available on Open VSX. If an extension you need is missing, you can add the Microsoft Marketplace as a source or install extensions from .vsix files.

In practice, I have found every extension I use (ESLint, Prettier, GitLens, language packs) on Open VSX without issues.

Settings sync

VS Code's built-in Settings Sync uses a Microsoft account. VSCodium does not include this. Instead, I use the Settings Sync extension (by Shan Khan) which syncs via GitHub Gist, or I just keep my settings in my dotfiles repo.

When to stick with VS Code

If you use Microsoft-exclusive extensions (like the official C# extension or Live Share), you need the official VS Code. If your company mandates specific tooling, switching editors might not be worth the friction.

For everyone else, VSCodium gives you the same editor without the surveillance. The switch takes 5 minutes and you will not notice the difference in daily use.

Sources

• VSCodium
• Open VSX Registry