Table of contents
Cursor and Visual Studio Code (VS Code) are two prominent code editors catering to modern developers. While Cursor is a relatively new entrant emphasizing AI-driven development, VS Code is a well-established editor known for its extensibility and robust community support. This comparison explores their histories, features, integrations, and how tools like Graphite enhance their functionalities.
History and background
Cursor
Launched in 2023 by Anysphere Inc., Cursor is a proprietary AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE) designed to enhance developer productivity by integrating advanced artificial intelligence features directly into the coding environment. It is a fork of Visual Studio Code with additional AI features like code generation, smart rewrites, and codebase queries. Cursor is developed by Anysphere Inc., an applied research lab involved in building AI systems.
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
Developed by Microsoft and released in 2015, VS Code is a free, cross-platform code editor built on the Electron framework. It supports a wide range of programming languages and offers features like debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git control. VS Code has a vast extension marketplace, allowing developers to customize their environment extensively.
Features comparison
| Feature | Cursor | Visual Studio Code (VS Code) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Integration | Built-in AI features like code generation, smart rewrites, and codebase queries. | Supports AI through extensions like GitHub Copilot. | |
| Extensibility | Compatible with VS Code extensions, though the ecosystem is smaller. | Extensive marketplace with thousands of extensions. | |
| Performance | AI features may introduce slight overhead. | Lightweight and fast performance. | |
| Debugging Tools | Basic debugging capabilities. | Advanced debugging tools with breakpoints, call stacks, and an interactive console. | |
| Version Control | Integrated Git support. | Built-in Git support with a dedicated source control panel. | |
| Customization | Limited customization options compared to VS Code. | Highly customizable with themes, keybindings, and settings. | |
| Community Support | Growing community with increasing adoption. | Large and active community with extensive documentation and tutorials. | |
| Cost | May require a subscription for full AI features. | Free to use; some extensions may have associated costs. |
Pros and cons
Cursor
Pros:
- Seamless AI integration for code generation and editing.
- Built-in features like smart rewrites and codebase queries.
- Compatible with VS Code extensions.
Cons:
- AI features may introduce performance overhead.
- Smaller extension ecosystem compared to VS Code.
- May require a subscription for full feature access.
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
Pros:
- Extensive extension marketplace for customization.
- Robust performance and stability.
- Advanced debugging and Git integration.
- Large community with abundant resources.
Cons:
- AI features require additional extensions.
- Customization can be overwhelming for beginners.
Graphite integration with VS Code
Graphite is a developer workflow tool that enhances Git operations by introducing stacked pull requests (PRs), allowing developers to manage and review code changes more efficiently. The Graphite VS Code extension enables users to create and manage stacked pull requests visually within the IDE. Features include visualizing and managing stacks, creating new branches, modifying existing branches, submitting pull requests, and syncing the trunk branch.
While Cursor excels in AI-assisted code generation, it currently lacks a dedicated Graphite extension. However, developers can leverage Diamond, Graphite's AI-powered code review tool, to enhance the quality and reliability of AI-generated code. Learn more about how to use AI for code reviews and integrating AI into your code review workflow.
Benefits of using Diamond:
- Provides immediate, actionable feedback on pull requests
- Detects bugs, security vulnerabilities, and style inconsistencies
- Offers one-click suggested fixes, streamlining the review process
- Integrates seamlessly with GitHub repositories, making it accessible regardless of the code editor used
By incorporating Diamond into the development workflow, teams can ensure that AI-generated code from Cursor meets quality standards and adheres to best practices, even in the absence of direct integration between the two tools.
Conclusion
Both Cursor and VS Code offer compelling features tailored to different developer needs. Cursor stands out with its integrated AI capabilities, making it suitable for developers seeking AI-assisted coding experiences. VS Code, with its extensive customization options and robust performance, remains a top choice for developers valuing flexibility and community support. The integration of tools like Graphite and Diamond further enhances both Cursor and VS Code's capabilities, streamlining workflows involving stacked pull requests and AI-powered code reviews.