GitHub Copilot

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant built by GitHub and Microsoft that lives inside the editors and tools developers already use. Rather than asking you to switch to a new app, it installs as an extension in editors like VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains IDEs, or works from the command line and inside github.com itself. As you type, it suggests completions for lines or whole functions, and a chat panel lets you ask questions about your code, request explanations or get help debugging.

Its biggest advantage is integration: because it comes from the company that runs GitHub, it fits naturally alongside pull requests, issues and the rest of the GitHub workflow many teams already use.

Key features

• Inline completions. Suggests code as you type, from single lines to whole functions, based on the context of your file.
• Chat interface. Ask questions about your code, request explanations, or get help fixing an error directly in your editor.
• Multi-editor support. Works across VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, the command line and github.com.
• GitHub integration. Assists with tasks tied to GitHub itself, such as summarising or reviewing pull requests.
• Multiple language support. Trained on a very wide range of programming languages and frameworks.
• Command line assistant. Suggests and explains shell commands from the terminal.

How to get started

1. Sign up for GitHub Copilot through your GitHub account.
2. Install the Copilot extension in your editor of choice, such as VS Code or a JetBrains IDE.
3. Start typing code and review the inline suggestions as they appear.
4. Open the chat panel to ask questions about your code or request a specific change.
5. Adjust settings to control how aggressively it suggests completions as you work.

Who GitHub Copilot is for

Developers who want AI assistance without leaving their current editor, teams already working inside the GitHub ecosystem for source control and pull requests, and programmers who mainly want strong inline completions rather than a fully autonomous coding agent. It fits both individual developers and larger teams standardising on one toolset.

Because it installs as an extension rather than replacing your editor, it also suits organisations that have standardised on a specific IDE for other reasons and don’t want a coding assistant to change that decision.

Tips for better results with GitHub Copilot

• Write clear function names and comments. Copilot uses surrounding context, so descriptive names and comments lead to more relevant suggestions.
• Review before accepting. Inline suggestions can look correct but miss edge cases, so read through completions rather than accepting them by habit.
• Validate structured output. When Copilot generates JSON or configuration snippets, check them with the free JSON formatter before using them.
• Test suggested regular expressions. Run any regex Copilot writes through the regex tester to confirm it matches what you actually intend.
• Use chat for context, not just completion. Ask it to explain unfamiliar code in your project rather than only relying on autocomplete.

GitHub Copilot vs alternatives

Cursor replaces your editor entirely with one built around AI from the ground up, which can go further with multi-file edits than an extension typically does. Claude Code operates more autonomously from the terminal, suited to multi-step tasks rather than primarily inline completion. OpenAI Codex offers a comparable agentic coding option through OpenAI’s tools. Replit bundles coding assistance with cloud hosting, useful if you want to build and deploy without managing your own environment.

Is GitHub Copilot worth it?

For developers who don’t want to change editors, GitHub Copilot is one of the easiest ways to add AI assistance to an existing workflow, especially for teams already relying on GitHub for source control. The free plan is enough to judge whether the suggestions fit your coding style; developers who lean on it daily, or teams wanting deeper GitHub integration, will get more from a paid plan with higher limits.

Its low barrier to entry, a single extension install with no new editor to learn, makes it a reasonable default to try first before deciding whether a more AI-centric tool is worth the switch.

Browse other coding assistants in the AI tools catalog.