VS Code for DevOps & AI Development

VS Code is the most popular editor for DevOps and AI development. This guide covers the optimal setup for infrastructure and AI workflows.

Essential Extensions

DevOps & Infrastructure

Extension	Purpose
HashiCorp Terraform	Terraform syntax, validation, auto-complete
Kubernetes	Cluster explorer, manifest editing
YAML	YAML validation (Helm charts, K8s manifests)
Docker	Dockerfile support, container management
Remote - SSH	Edit files on remote servers
GitLens	Advanced Git blame, history, comparison

AI Development

Extension	Purpose
GitHub Copilot	AI code completion and chat
Jupyter	Notebook support for ML experiments
Python	Python language support
Pylance	Fast Python IntelliSense
REST Client	Test API endpoints inline

Install All at Once

# DevOps extensions
code --install-extension hashicorp.terraform
code --install-extension ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-kubernetes-tools
code --install-extension redhat.vscode-yaml
code --install-extension ms-azuretools.vscode-docker
code --install-extension ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens

# AI development extensions
code --install-extension github.copilot
code --install-extension ms-toolsai.jupyter
code --install-extension ms-python.python
code --install-extension ms-python.vscode-pylance
code --install-extension humao.rest-client

Remote Development Setup

SSH Config for Jump Hosts

# ~/.ssh/config
Host bastion
    HostName bastion.example.com
    User admin
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host k8s-node-*
    ProxyJump bastion
    User ubuntu
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host gpu-server
    HostName 10.0.1.50
    ProxyJump bastion
    User ubuntu
    ForwardAgent yes

Dev Containers for Reproducible Environments

// .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
{
  "name": "DevOps Workspace",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/terraform:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/kubectl-helm-minikube:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/docker-in-docker:2": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/python:1": { "version": "3.12" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/aws-cli:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "hashicorp.terraform",
        "ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-kubernetes-tools",
        "redhat.vscode-yaml",
        "github.copilot"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Workspace Settings for DevOps

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  // Terraform
  "terraform.languageServer.enable": true,
  "terraform.validation.enableEnhancedValidation": true,

  // YAML — Kubernetes schema validation
  "yaml.schemas": {
    "kubernetes": ["k8s/**/*.yaml", "manifests/**/*.yaml"],
    "https://json.schemastore.org/github-workflow.json": ".github/workflows/*.yml"
  },

  // Python
  "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "basic",
  "python.formatting.provider": "black",

  // Editor
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.rulers": [80, 120],
  "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
  "files.insertFinalNewline": true,

  // Git
  "git.autofetch": true,
  "git.confirmSync": false
}

Keyboard Shortcuts for Productivity

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+P	Command palette
Ctrl+``	Toggle terminal
Ctrl+Shift+``	New terminal
Ctrl+P	Quick file open
Ctrl+Shift+F	Search across files
Ctrl+K Ctrl+S	Keyboard shortcuts
F2	Rename symbol
Alt+Shift+F	Format document
Ctrl+Shift+G	Git panel

Tasks for Common DevOps Operations

// .vscode/tasks.json
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Terraform Plan",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "terraform plan -out=tfplan",
      "group": "build",
      "problemMatcher": []
    },
    {
      "label": "Terraform Apply",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "terraform apply tfplan",
      "group": "build",
      "problemMatcher": []
    },
    {
      "label": "K8s Port Forward",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "kubectl port-forward svc/${input:service} ${input:port}:${input:port}",
      "isBackground": true,
      "problemMatcher": []
    }
  ],
  "inputs": [
    { "id": "service", "type": "promptString", "description": "Service name" },
    { "id": "port", "type": "promptString", "description": "Port number", "default": "8080" }
  ]
}

Next Steps

• Docker Setup Guide — Container development workflows
• Git & GitHub — Version control best practices