CodeSandbox
codesandbox.io
codesandbox.io
The SourceGraph folks seemed to have been one of the first to get major chunks of VSCode running in browser. I've stumbled across a few others doing similar things but they seemed like toys.
For editing in the browser, where you're likely to keep one tab open for a long time, it is an absolutely obvious choice. A huge undertaking for sure, and it's awesome that he was able to accomplish it!
What the creator is saying is that he got the actual VSCode project running in the browser. This means that the vast plugin ecosystem will run inside the browser. I suppose he'd have replaced all the nodejs dependencies with browser versions; for example an "fs" module that keeps files in-memory (or maybe using indexeddb) etc.
Further down that tweet, he says that the code is very easy to get started with. That's been my experience looking at it briefly; VSCode just seems like it was written by a team with deep expertise in IDE-making and PLs.
I used to be a major contributor and follower of Atom. People commonly asked why Atom couldn't run in the browser. The answer was simple, node and a browser are totally different things. Imagine a browser opening files, starting processes, running arbitrary C-code, etc.
No, VSCode does not normally run in a browser.
While it is true that Runkit (backend) offers the ability to play around without being logged in, Francisco and team are also focused on providing an amazing Node prototyping, learning and debugging environment, so that’s a necessity. We’re super impressed with their work. (Note to Runkit team: feel free to jump in.)
Our value prop, however, is that we’re an API platform (Standard Library), and Code.xyz is a product that enables less technical people (those uncomfortable with command line tools) the ability to jump in and build within our ecosystem right away.
APIs are namespaced to your user account as an intentional design decision of the system. Code.xyz is a product that’s intended to be used in a professional setting to stand up business APIs (Slack bots, Stripe webhooks) and we’re okay with that trade off — at least for now!
I’d say if you just wanna play around with an embeddable REPL environment stick to Runkit. If you want an API you can stand up and run in production (for whatever purpose) but also want to develop it and collaborate on it in the browser, then we’re for you! Think of us like Google Docs for API development, at least that’s our North Star.
If you have any questions about how things work in CodeSandbox don't hesitate to ask me! I'll watch this thread to answer any questions.
I'm not a user nor related in any way. I just think they have an interesting story!
VS Code has really done an incredible job and we're all benefiting from their work. One thing that we've done recently is add Language Servers on our containers. So when you boot up a language on Repl.it, say python/java/c++, we'll start a language server and that gives you kick-ass code intelligence: autocomplete, click-to-symbol, and some refactoring features: https://repl.it/blog/intel
I don't want to give a comparison of StackBlitz and CodeSandbox, because my view as one of the creators would be skewed. I want to note though that CodeSandbox existed before StackBlitz released, I published CodeSandbox in April ([1] [2]) and StackBlitz released in August [3].
[1] https://hackernoon.com/codesandbox-an-online-react-editor-b8...
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14022860
[3] https://medium.com/@ericsimons/stackblitz-online-vs-code-ide...
Great to see CSB making improvements!
Send my compliments to the Chef!