Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a versatile, open-source code editor that supports multiple platforms and numerous programming languages, blurring the lines between a basic editor and a full-fledged integrated development environment (IDE). It is particularly favored for Ionic and Angular development due to its speed, ease of installation, and extensive ecosystem of community-built extensions that enhance its functionality. Some essential extensions for teams include Prettier for code formatting consistency and TSLint for enforcing coding conventions, though TSLint is being phased out in favor of ESLint for TypeScript. GitLens provides easy access to git history, while other extensions like Peacock, Auto Rename Tag, Angular Language Service, and Angular2 Switcher streamline development tasks by improving project organization, code completion, and navigation. The Code Spell Checker is also highlighted for its utility in catching typos in code files. For those seeking a more integrated development experience specifically for Ionic apps, Ionic Studio offers additional features such as a drag-and-drop interface and on-device testing.