Are there apps built on top of VSCode open source base?

Question

VSCode has a very customizable UI with Activity Bar, Sidebar, Tabs, Status Bar etc (https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface); customizable via extensions and seems to have been developed without any of the common web frameworks (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/99845).

It is well maintained, works in different OSes and has automatic updates.

Even if we remove the code-editor part, there is a lot of work in that.

This makes me wonder if it is possible to write a totally different app (not a code editor) on top of VSCode. For example a Slack-like messaging app, an Obsidian-like knowledge base app, etc.

Is it possible? Are there apps built on top of this code? Have I missed an important point that makes this idea unviable?

EDIT:

Some have pointed a very valid point. Some of what I mentioned here as VSCode features are really Electron features that VSCode inherits. Having developed an Electron app (5yrs ago) I see many things in VSCode that are not in Electron (but maybe my concept of Electron is wrong).

I want to emphasize that VSCode UI (bars, tabs, etc) + its extensibility seems to be a valid development framework. And I am ignorant of anything in this sense.

user_143475 · Answer

I think your question is very valid and I was wondering the same thing, so thanks for asking it.

One thing that VS Code gives you that Electron doesn't is a distribution model - the marketplace and how new versions of your app can be detected and downloaded automatically etc. This is a big deal.

I think the disadvantages are that a very fancy UX may not be possible directly - but you have to "work around" by putting HTML within a Web View perhaps. This is just my guess and I haven't directly tried it.

To answer your question - the only one I am aware of is Thunder Client - so think of Postman - but as a VS Code plugin.

user_314780 · Answer

See also https://stackoverflow.com/a/67069697/314780 , which points to Eclipse Theia which uses parts from Visual Studio Code (i.e "Code - OSS") - https://theia-ide.org/ . The site links to a number of IDE-style apps built on top of it.

user_4433386 · Answer

VS Code is an electron app. You might want to research what electron is – because you mention it: The Slack app is built on that same framework.

So, you've just invented something that already is done, very widely, in practice.

Are there apps built on top of VSCode open source base?

3 Answers