{
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    }
  ],
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "@id": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/vscodium/#software",
  "name": "VSCodium",
  "description": "Freely-licensed, telemetry-free binaries of Microsoft's VS Code source, built by a community project and distributed under the MIT licence.",
  "url": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/vscodium/",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/vscodium/",
  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
  "applicationCategory": "DeveloperApplication",
  "sameAs": [
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    "https://github.com/vscodium/vscodium"
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  "softwareVersion": "1.135.06055",
  "license": "MIT",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "0",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  },
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    "schemaVersion": 1,
    "id": "software:vscodium",
    "slug": "vscodium",
    "name": "VSCodium",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "code editor",
    "description": "Freely-licensed, telemetry-free binaries of Microsoft's VS Code source, built by a community project and distributed under the MIT licence.",
    "shortDescription": "Telemetry-free, MIT-licensed builds of the VS Code source.",
    "answer": "VSCodium is not a fork of Visual Studio Code but a set of build scripts that compile Microsoft's open-source `vscode` repository into binaries you can install. The point is licensing: the source is MIT-licensed, but the product Microsoft ships carries its own licence and includes telemetry, so building it yourself produces a cleaner binary. VSCodium does that build for you, disables telemetry and publishes the result under the MIT licence. The trade-off is the extension marketplace: because Microsoft restricts other products from using its marketplace, VSCodium defaults to Open VSX, where some extensions are missing and some proprietary ones will not work at all. It suits developers who want VS Code without the telemetry or the licence terms.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/vscodium/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/vscodium.json",
    "categories": [
      "developer-tools"
    ],
    "tags": [],
    "platform": [
      "macOS"
    ],
    "minOsVersion": "macOS 12",
    "architecture": [
      "x86_64",
      "arm64"
    ],
    "featured": false,
    "pricing": "open-source",
    "pricingDescription": "Free. The binaries are licensed under the MIT licence, and the project publishes no paid tier.",
    "license": "MIT",
    "currentVersion": "1.135.06055",
    "releaseDate": "2026-09-09",
    "openSource": true,
    "website": "https://vscodium.com/",
    "documentation": "https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/blob/master/docs/index.md",
    "github": "https://github.com/vscodium/vscodium",
    "download": "https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/download/1.135.06055/VSCodium-darwin-arm64-1.135.06055.zip",
    "icon": "/apps/vscodium.png",
    "features": [
      "Built from Microsoft's open-source vscode repository rather than being a fork",
      "Telemetry disabled in the shipped binaries",
      "Microsoft branding and licensing replaced with an MIT-licensed build",
      "Open VSX Registry as the default extension gallery",
      "Builds run daily and exit early when Microsoft has not released a new version",
      "macOS builds for both x86_64 and arm64, as zip and dmg",
      "Also available for Windows and Linux, including deb, rpm, AppImage, snap and Flatpak"
    ],
    "useCases": [
      "Using the VS Code editing experience without sending telemetry",
      "Running an MIT-licensed editor build where a licence review rules out Microsoft's terms",
      "Installing through a package manager such as Homebrew instead of a vendor download"
    ],
    "formats": [],
    "integrations": [],
    "pros": [
      {
        "text": "Ships with telemetry disabled, which is the main difference from Microsoft's build.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The binaries are MIT-licensed, where Microsoft's distributed product carries a proprietary licence.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Is built from Microsoft's own vscode repository by an automated pipeline, not a hand-maintained fork.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Publishes macOS builds for both Intel and Apple silicon, requiring macOS 12 or later.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Can be installed through package managers including Homebrew on macOS.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "The default extension gallery is Open VSX rather than Microsoft's marketplace, so familiar extensions may be absent.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Microsoft's marketplace terms restrict its offerings to Visual Studio products, so VSCodium cannot use it by default.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Microsoft's C# and C++ debuggers are licensed to run only in the official VS Code build.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Some proprietary extensions are hard-coded to the official build, and the project states the documented workaround will not help in those cases.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "whoIsItFor": [
      "Developers who want VS Code's features but not its telemetry or licence terms",
      "Users who prefer to install an editor from an open-source build pipeline"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Anyone who depends on extensions that exist only in Microsoft's marketplace and cannot be installed another way",
      "Teams relying on Microsoft's Remote Development extensions or its C# and C++ debuggers, which are licensed to work only with the official build"
    ],
    "limitations": [
      "The default extension gallery is Open VSX, so extensions published only to Microsoft's marketplace may be missing",
      "Microsoft's marketplace terms restrict use of its offerings to Visual Studio products, so the project cannot support using it",
      "Microsoft's C# and C++ extension debuggers are licensed to work only with the official VS Code build",
      "Some proprietary extensions are hard-coded to the official build and cannot be made to work",
      "The project notes that extensions in the Microsoft marketplace may be non-free and forbid use in non-Microsoft products"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
      "installation": {
        "value": "Download from the project's GitHub releases, or install with Homebrew as a cask on macOS.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "On macOS Mojave the app may be blocked the first time it is opened and needs to be opened by right-clicking; no account is required.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "systemIntegration": {
        "value": "Installs as a standalone editor with its own configuration directory, separate from any existing VS Code installation.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "appleSilicon": {
        "value": true,
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    },
    "updates": [],
    "faq": [
      {
        "question": "Is VSCodium a fork of VS Code?",
        "answer": "No. The project states it is not a fork. It is a repository of build scripts that clone Microsoft's vscode repository, apply a modified product.json that removes Microsoft-specific endpoints and telemetry, build it, and publish the resulting binaries.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Does VSCodium send telemetry?",
        "answer": "The project states that telemetry is disabled in its binaries, which is the main practical difference from Microsoft's build of the same source.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Why can't I find some extensions in VSCodium?",
        "answer": "Because Microsoft prohibits other products from using its marketplace, VSCodium defaults to the Open VSX Registry instead. The project notes that Open VSX is a newer service, so extensions you know from Microsoft's marketplace may be missing. They can be obtained by asking the maintainer to publish to Open VSX, requesting publication through the Open VSX project, or installing a .vsix file manually.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Will Microsoft's C# or C++ debugger work in VSCodium?",
        "answer": "Not as shipped. The debuggers bundled with Microsoft's C# and C++ extensions are licensed to work only with the official Visual Studio Code build. The project documents Samsung's open-source netcoredbg as a workaround for C# projects.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "target": "visual-studio-code",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both provide the same editing experience from the same source, but VSCodium ships MIT-licensed, telemetry-free binaries while Visual Studio Code carries Microsoft's licence, telemetry and marketplace.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "cursor",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both are editors derived from the VS Code codebase, but Cursor adds AI features on top of a Microsoft-derived build while VSCodium strips Microsoft's customisations out.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "zed",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both are open-source editors positioned against Visual Studio Code, but Zed is an independent native codebase while VSCodium rebuilds Microsoft's source without the proprietary parts.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "vscodium:official",
        "type": "official_website",
        "url": "https://vscodium.com/",
        "title": "VSCodium — official website",
        "trustLevel": "B",
        "accessedAt": null
      },
      {
        "id": "vscodium:documentation",
        "type": "documentation",
        "url": "https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/blob/master/docs/index.md",
        "title": "VSCodium — documentation",
        "trustLevel": "C",
        "accessedAt": null
      },
      {
        "id": "vscodium:repository",
        "type": "github",
        "url": "https://github.com/vscodium/vscodium",
        "title": "VSCodium — source repository",
        "trustLevel": "D",
        "accessedAt": null
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
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        "id": "software:vscodium.isA",
        "subject": "software:vscodium",
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        "value": "code editor",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
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      {
        "id": "software:vscodium.supportsPlatform",
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        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "id": "software:vscodium.officialWebsite",
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        "value": "https://vscodium.com/",
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        "sourceIds": [
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        "id": "software:vscodium.pricingModel",
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        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "id": "software:vscodium.ownership",
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        "value": "Third-party product — not published by Nuanyue",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.isOpenSource",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.licensedUnder",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.currentVersion",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.hasFeature",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.usedFor",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.audienceNotFor",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.limitation",
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        "id": "software:vscodium.advantage.0",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "The binaries are MIT-licensed, where Microsoft's distributed product carries a proprietary licence.",
        "status": "verified",
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
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        "id": "software:vscodium.advantage.2",
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        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Is built from Microsoft's own vscode repository by an automated pipeline, not a hand-maintained fork.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
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        "id": "software:vscodium.advantage.3",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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        "id": "software:vscodium.advantage.4",
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        "status": "verified",
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
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        "id": "software:vscodium.drawback.0",
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        "predicate": "drawback",
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        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
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        "id": "software:vscodium.drawback.1",
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        "status": "verified",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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        "id": "software:vscodium.drawback.2",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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        "value": "Some proprietary extensions are hard-coded to the official build, and the project states the documented workaround will not help in those cases.",
        "status": "verified",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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        "value": true,
        "status": "verified",
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        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
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    ],
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z",
    "lastReviewedAt": null
  }
}