Quick reference cheat sheet
With so many options, how does a developer know which version to use? The following is a list of simplified suggestions to help you choose a particular flavor:
- If you are using a PC and are brand new to software development, start with VS 2019 Community.
- If you are using a PC as an experienced developer, or have a well-funded company footing the bill, consider the VS 2019 Professional or VS 2019 Enterprise editions.
- If you're primarily a web developer planning to use NodeJS and TypeScript, try VS Code.
- If you're developing cross-platform iOS/Android mobile apps, consider using VS for Mac.
Have you already decided on which version to use?
If you have already figured out which version of Visual Studio is right for you, then feel free to skip this chapter's content. Alternatively, if you are an experienced developer, skim this material looking for new tidbits, such as GitHub Codespaces.
For those readers that need more information to decide, let's begin digging into the details of the most long-lived product flavor, Visual Studio for Windows.