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Why VS Code?

VS Code is the most popular editor for JavaScript development. It has built-in JavaScript support, a huge extension ecosystem, and an integrated terminal where you’ll run your code. If you’re already using VS Code for Python, you just need a few extra extensions.

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Essential extensions

Install these two extensions from the VS Code Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X):
1

ESLint

Catches JavaScript errors and enforces code style as you type. It underlines problems in red and yellow so you can fix them before running your code.Search for: ESLint by Microsoft
2

Prettier

Automatically formats your code on save — consistent indentation, quotes, semicolons, line breaks. No more arguing about code style.Search for: Prettier - Code formatter by Prettier
You probably already have the Python extension installed. Keep it — it won’t conflict with JavaScript extensions. VS Code handles multiple languages fine.

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Keyboard shortcuts worth knowing

You don’t need to memorize these now. Come back to this list when you’re writing more code.
Shortcut (Mac / Windows)What it does
Cmd+P / Ctrl+PQuick open file by name
Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+PCommand Palette
Cmd+D / Ctrl+DSelect next occurrence of current word
Option+Up/Down / Alt+Up/DownMove line up or down
Cmd+/ / Ctrl+/Toggle line comment
Ctrl+`Toggle integrated terminal
Cmd+B / Ctrl+BToggle sidebar
The integrated terminal (Ctrl+`) is where you’ll run node commands and start React development servers. Get comfortable switching between your code and the terminal.

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What’s next?

Your editor is ready. Let’s create your first JavaScript file and run it.

Your first JavaScript file

Create and run your first JavaScript program