This VS Code AI Coding Assistant Is A Game Changer!

codeSTACKr
12 Mar 202414:27

TLDRIn this video, the reviewer explores Codium, a free AI coding assistant as an alternative to GitHub Copilot. Codium supports over 40 IDEs and 70 languages, offering features like multi-line auto-completion, chat and search, and full repo context awareness. It's trained on permissive data and is SO2 type 2 compliant. The reviewer tests Codium's capabilities by creating a basic Node.js Express server and using it to build a currency conversion API endpoint. They also discuss the benefits of Codium's live feature, which provides context-aware AI chatbots for various technologies. The video concludes with the reviewer's positive impression of Codium's ability to assist in coding faster, making it an attractive option for developers.

Takeaways

  • 🌟 Codium is a free alternative to GitHub Copilot, aiming to be a modern coding superpower.
  • 🛠️ It supports over 40 IDEs and 70+ languages, offering full repo context awareness and SO2 type 2 compliance.
  • 💡 Codium provides multi-line auto-completion, chat and search functionalities, and is trained on permissive data, avoiding proprietary code bases.
  • 🎉 Individual users get a free seat with unlimited usage, auto-completion, and AI chat assistant capabilities.
  • 🚀 For a monthly fee of $12, teams can access admin dashboard, seat management, and GPT-4 support.
  • 📌 Codium's AI chat assistant can understand and assist with specific technologies like Bun and Next.js through context-aware chatbots.
  • 🔧 The AI can generate JS doc style comments, refactor code, and even create unit tests to improve code quality.
  • 🤖 Codium's response is fast and accurate, although it may not always write perfect code and requires some user knowledge.
  • 🎨 It can also assist with adding Tailwind CSS classes to create styled components like cards.
  • 📝 Codium's error detection and explanation are efficient, guiding users on how to fix issues in their code.
  • 💻 The AI coding assistant helps to speed up the coding process, but it doesn't replace the need for a developer's understanding of coding concepts.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is an exploration of Codium, a VSS code AI coding assistant, which is presented as a potential free alternative to GitHub Copilot.

  • How does the video creator describe Codium at the beginning of the video?

    -The video creator describes Codium as 'The Modern coding superpower' and mentions that it is loved by hundreds of thousands of developers, supports over 40 IDEs, and offers multi-line auto-completion, chat and search features.

  • What are some of the key features of Codium mentioned in the video?

    -Some key features of Codium mentioned in the video include full repo context awareness, the ability to be deployed on Prem and NVPC, SO2 type 2 compliance, and support for 70 plus languages.

  • What is the pricing model for individuals using Codium?

    -Codium offers a free tier for individuals, which includes auto-completion, AI chat assistant, and unlimited usage. It is trained on permissive data, meaning it is not trained on code bases that are not open source to some degree.

  • What additional features does Codium provide for teams that pay a monthly subscription?

    -For a monthly subscription of $12 per seat, teams get admin dashboard seat management and GPT-4 support.

  • How does the video demonstrate Codium's capability in creating a basic Node.js Express server?

    -The video demonstrates Codium's capability by showing it create an API endpoint for an HTTP server that dynamically converts currencies using real-time exchange rates from a third-party service.

  • What is Codium Live, and how does it relate to the video content?

    -Codium Live is a feature on Codium's website that offers various context-aware AI chat bots for different technologies like Bun, Lang Chain, Next.js, and more. The video shows how to use the Bun chatbot to build a simple HTTP server and the Next.js chatbot to create a server action for a Next.js app.

  • How does the video showcase Codium's refactoring and error-checking capabilities?

    -The video showcases Codium's refactoring capabilities by adding comments and generating JS doc style comments. It also demonstrates error-checking by identifying a missing 'await' keyword and suggesting the correct fix.

  • What is the final outcome of the video creator's interaction with Codium?

    -The final outcome is that the video creator successfully uses Codium to create a server action to fetch movies from a database, integrate it into a Next.js page, and add Tailwind CSS classes to display movie titles in styled cards.

  • What is the video creator's overall impression of Codium?

    -The video creator is impressed with Codium's capabilities and considers it a very capable tool for coding faster. Despite acknowledging that AI coding assistants are not perfect and won't write all the code for developers, the creator recommends giving Codium a try due to its effectiveness and pricing model.

  • How does the video address the limitations of AI coding assistants?

    -The video acknowledges that AI coding assistants, including Codium, are not perfect and cannot replace the need for developers to understand what they are doing. It emphasizes that these tools are designed to assist and help developers code faster, but developers still need to oversee and refine the output.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to VSS Code AI Coding Assistant

The video begins with the host introducing a new VSS code AI coding assistant, Codium. Despite the abundance of similar tools, the host suggests that Codium might be the best free alternative to GitHub Copilot. The video is sponsored by Codium, but the host promises an unbiased analysis. Codium is described as a modern coding superpower, supported by thousands of developers and compatible with over 40 IDEs. It offers multi-line auto-completion, chat and search functionality, and full repo context awareness. Codium's free individual plan includes AI chat assistance, unlimited usage, and is trained on permissive data, meaning it doesn't use non-open source code bases. The host also mentions Codium's compliance with SOC 2 Type 2 standards and compares its pricing and features to those of GPT-4 support for teams.

05:00

🔍 Exploring Codium's Features and Functionality

The host dives into Codium's capabilities by demonstrating how it can create a basic Node.js Express server with custom API endpoints. The assistant's response is thorough and fast, providing a detailed code snippet using the HTTP package and node-fetch. The host then explores Codium's code explanation feature, its ability to generate JS doc style comments, and refactoring options. The video showcases Codium's efficiency in identifying and fixing code issues, such as the need to await a client promise. The host also highlights Codium's user experience, including the confetti celebration for successful code implementation and the option to rewrite functions with improved efficiency.

10:03

🚀 Implementing Codium in Real-Time Coding Scenarios

The host tests Codium's practical applications by using it to build a simple HTTP server with Bun JavaScript runtime and creating a server action in a Next.js application to fetch movies from a database. Codium's live feature is also demonstrated, showcasing context-aware AI chatbots for various technologies. The host interacts with the Bun and Next.js chatbots, receiving code examples and guidance. Codium's problem explanation and code refactoring features are utilized to correct errors and improve code quality. The host concludes by integrating the fetched movie data into a web page and applying Tailwind CSS classes to style the movie cards. The video ends with the host's positive evaluation of Codium's capabilities and encourages viewers to try it out and share their thoughts.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡VSS code AI coding assistant

VSS code AI coding assistant refers to an artificial intelligence tool designed to assist developers in writing and optimizing code within the Visual Studio Code environment. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the software being reviewed, which is an alternative to GitHub Copilot, offering similar functionalities to aid in coding tasks.

💡Codium

Codium is the specific AI coding assistant discussed in the video. It is described as a modern coding superpower, offering features such as auto-completion, chat and search, and support for over 40 IDEs and 70 languages. Codium is highlighted for its free individual use and its ability to be deployed on various platforms, making it a versatile tool for developers.

💡Auto-completion

Auto-completion is a feature in coding assistants where the tool predicts and suggests the rest of a line of code based on what the developer has typed so far. This feature saves time and increases efficiency by reducing the amount of manual typing required. In the video, Codium's auto-completion is showcased as a key benefit, providing multi-line completion to enhance the coding experience.

💡IDE support

IDE, or Integrated Development Environment, is a software application that provides a comprehensive environment for developing software. IDE support refers to the compatibility of a coding assistant with various IDEs, allowing developers to use the assistant across different platforms. The video emphasizes Codium's support for over 40 IDEs, highlighting its wide applicability and convenience for developers using different IDEs.

💡Language support

Language support in the context of coding assistants refers to the range of programming languages that the tool can assist with. A tool with extensive language support, like Codium, which supports over 70 languages, is valuable as it caters to a diverse set of programming needs and can adapt to various projects.

💡Free for individuals

This phrase refers to the pricing model of Codium, where individual developers can use the AI coding assistant without any cost. This is a significant selling point as it allows developers to access advanced coding assistance without incurring financial expenses, making the tool more accessible and appealing.

💡Full repo context awareness

Full repo context awareness is the ability of an AI coding assistant to understand and utilize the context of the entire code repository it is working with. This means the tool can take into account the structure, dependencies, and existing code when providing suggestions or completing tasks, leading to more accurate and relevant assistance.

💡Deployable on Prem and NVPC

This term refers to the capability of Codium to be deployed on premises (on-prem) and non-virtual private cloud (NVPC) environments. This is particularly beneficial for companies that handle proprietary code, as it allows them to use the AI coding assistant within their own infrastructure, ensuring data security and compliance with internal policies.

💡SO2 type 2 compliance

SO2, or Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements, is a reporting framework that outlines the criteria for evaluating and reporting on the effectiveness of an organization's controls related to financial reporting. SO2 type 2 compliance indicates that Codium meets the requirements for this specific type of attestation engagement, demonstrating its reliability and trustworthiness in a business context.

💡AI chat assistant

An AI chat assistant is an artificial intelligence-powered tool designed to communicate with users through text-based chat, providing information, answering questions, and assisting with tasks. In the context of Codium, the AI chat assistant helps developers by offering coding suggestions, explanations, and troubleshooting assistance, enhancing the overall development experience.

💡Permissive data training

Permissive data training refers to the practice of training AI models on datasets that have been made available under permissive licenses, allowing for their use, modification, and distribution without strict restrictions. This ensures that the AI tool, like Codium, is not trained on proprietary or restricted code, respecting the intellectual property rights of code owners.

Highlights

The video explores Codium, a VSS code AI coding assistant, which is considered a potential best free alternative to GitHub Copilot.

Codium is described as 'The Modern coding superpower' and supports over 40 IDEs and 70 languages.

Codium offers multi-line auto-completion, chat and search functionality, and full repo context awareness.

It is free for individuals and can be deployed on Prem and NVPC, making it suitable for companies with proprietary code.

Codium is SO2 type 2 compliant, adding to its appeal for businesses.

The individual plan includes one seat, free forever, with auto-completion, AI chat assistant, and unlimited usage.

Teams can access additional features like admin dashboard and seat management, as well as GPT-4 support for a monthly fee of $12.

Codium's AI is trained on permissive data, meaning it doesn't use code bases that are not open source to some degree.

The reviewer tests Codium by asking it to create a basic Node.js Express server with a custom endpoint for dynamic currency conversion.

Codium provides a thorough and fast response, suggesting the use of the HTTP package and node Fetch.

The AI assistant includes error checking in its response, demonstrating its attention to detail.

Codium's developer experience is praised, especially the confetti celebration for successful code implementation.

Codium offers the ability to copy or insert code directly into the IDE, enhancing the user experience.

The AI assistant can explain selected code blocks, providing clarity on their functionality.

Codium's live feature provides context-aware AI chat bots for various technologies, such as Bun and Next.js.

The AI assistant accurately identifies and fixes coding issues, such as the need to await a client promise.

Codium can generate JS doc style comments and refactor code to improve readability and structure.

The assistant's error detection and resolution capabilities are showcased when it corrects an issue with missing awaits.

Codium's ability to add Tailwind classes for styling is demonstrated, showing its integration with popular CSS frameworks.

Despite some minor issues, Codium is deemed very capable and a no-brainer for its price, encouraging viewers to give it a try.