This tutorial shows how to create a VS Code extension that opens a custom webview powered by:

React for the webview UI

Vite for fast frontend builds

Tailwind CSS for layout and custom styling

VS Code CSS theme variables for native-looking controls

VS Code Webview API for rendering the UI inside VS Code

1. Prerequisites

Install Node.js and npm first.

Then install the VS Code extension generator:

npm install --global yo generator-code

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You should also have VS Code installed.

2. Create the VS Code Extension

Run:

yo code

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Choose these options:

✔ What type of extension do you want to create? New Extension (TypeScript) ✔ What's the name of your extension? react-webview-vite ✔ What's the identifier of your extension? react-webview-vite ✔ What's the description of your extension? webview ✔ Initialize a git repository? Yes ✔ Which bundler to use? unbundled ✔ Which package manager to use?…