Visual Studio Code (often called VS Code) is a free, lightweight code editor used to write and edit code for websites, apps, and software. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports many languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and PHP right out of the box. Beginners can use it simply as a smart text editor, while more advanced users can add extensions for things like debugging, Git version control, AI coding help, and live previews—so it grows with you as you learn.