Introduction
When you start writing code on your own computer, you need somewhere to write it. That "somewhere" is a code editor. It is one of the first tools you will reach for, and where you will spend a lot of time over your career. You will likely chop and change and try new ones as time goes on, so it is worth understanding what it is and how to pick a good one to start with.
A code editor is not a word processor
It is easy to assume that any program that lets you type will do the job. The most common mistake is to reach for a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Those are built for writing documents for people to read, so they quietly change what you type. They turn straight quotes into curly "smart" quotes, autocorrect your words, and save hidden formatting. All of that breaks code.
A code editor is a kind of text editor. It works with plain text and never adds hidden formatting, so what you type is exactly what the computer sees. The difference is that a code editor is a text editor built specifically for code. On top of plain text, it understands the structure of what you are writing and helps you in ways a word processor never could:
- Syntax highlighting colours the different parts of your code so it is easier to read and to spot mistakes.
- Auto indentation keeps your code neatly lined up, which matters a lot in many languages.
- Error hints point out problems, often before you even run the program.
- Autocomplete suggests the rest of what you are typing, so you write faster and make fewer typos.
- Extensions let you add support for new languages and tools as you grow.
The one we recommend
There are many good code editors, and you cannot make a bad choice here. That said, we recommend Visual Studio Code, usually shortened to VS Code. It is free, it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, it is friendly for beginners, and it is one of the most widely used editors in the world, so almost any tutorial you find will assume you are using it.
When you are ready to install it, follow our guide on installing VS Code.
Other editors you might hear about
You do not need any of these to follow along with Jiki, but you will come across them, so here is a quick tour of the common ones:
- Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the free, cross platform editor we recommend.
- Sublime Text is a fast, lightweight editor that has been popular for many years.
- Zed is a newer, very fast editor focused on speed and collaboration.
- JetBrains IDEs (such as PyCharm and IntelliJ IDEA) are powerful, heavier tools aimed at professional developers working on large projects.
- Vim and Neovim are keyboard driven editors that live in the terminal. They are much loved by experienced developers, but they have a steep learning curve.
Our advice while you are learning is simple: start with VS Code, get comfortable writing code, and explore the others later once you know what you like.