Conan vs Visual Studio Code: What are the differences?

Introduction

Conan and Visual Studio Code are both software tools commonly used in software development. However, they serve different purposes and have distinct features that set them apart.

1. Installation and Purpose:

   • Conan is a package manager that enables developers to manage dependencies and share software libraries across different projects and platforms. It simplifies the process of building and distributing software.
   • Visual Studio Code, on the other hand, is a source code editor that provides a wide range of features for writing and debugging code. It offers an integrated development environment (IDE) with support for multiple programming languages and extensions.

2. User Interface and Experience:

   • Conan primarily operates through a command-line interface (CLI) or using a graphical user interface (GUI) tools such as ConanCenter or ConanStudio. It focuses on providing a flexible and efficient workflow for managing dependencies.
   • Visual Studio Code provides a more comprehensive and user-friendly user interface. It offers features like syntax highlighting, code navigation, and debugging tools to enhance the coding experience.

3. Programming Language Support:

   • Conan is language-agnostic, meaning it can be used with multiple programming languages such as C++, Python, and Java. It allows developers to manage dependencies for projects written in different languages.
   • Visual Studio Code, in addition to being a versatile code editor, offers extensive language support and comes with built-in IntelliSense and debugging capabilities for various programming languages.

4. Integration with Other Tools:

   • Conan integrates well with other software development tools and build systems like CMake. It seamlessly integrates into the existing development workflow and can be used alongside popular IDEs like Visual Studio or CLion.
   • Visual Studio Code, being an IDE itself, offers integration with a wide range of tools and extensions. It can be customized to support specific programming languages or frameworks and is often used as a lightweight alternative to full-featured IDEs.

5. Collaboration and Community Support:

   • Conan has a vibrant and active community of developers who contribute to the development and maintenance of the Conan ecosystem. It also has a dedicated package repository, ConanCenter, which hosts thousands of pre-built packages.
   • Visual Studio Code benefits from the extensive Microsoft ecosystem and has a large user base. It has an active marketplace where developers can find and share extensions, themes, and other resources.

6. Cost and Licensing:

   • Conan is an open-source project released under the MIT license, which allows for the free use, modification, and distribution of its codebase.
   • Visual Studio Code is also free to use and distributed under a combination of open-source and proprietary licenses. However, some extensions or features may require a separate license or subscription.

In Summary, Conan is a package manager for managing dependencies across different projects and platforms, primarily through a command-line interface, while Visual Studio Code is a versatile code editor with extensive language support and a user-friendly interface, often used as a lightweight IDE, with integration and customization options.