sidex / tauri / vscode

SideX is a Tauri-based port of Visual Studio Code aiming to replace Electron with a smaller native shell and target ~200 MB RAM. The project (github.com/sidenai) claims to port the entire VS Code workbench but README notes many features are stubbed or partially implemented; the extension host is early-stage and not all extensions will work. Hacker News reactions highlight skepticism about Tauri’s RAM advantages (links to a Tauri memory-usage issue), concerns that the repo may be LLM-generated, praise for trying to reduce Electron bloat, and requests for clearer documentation and contributors. It matters because developer tooling and editor performance affect broad developer workflows and startup opportunities around lighter-weight IDEs.

SideX is an early-stage, community-driven port of Visual Studio Code that replaces Electron with Tauri (a Rust backend + native webview) to deliver a much smaller, more native editor. The project has ported over 5,600+ TypeScript VSCode files, reimplemented Node/Electron APIs as Rust commands, and already supports the Monaco editor, file explorer, integrated PTY terminal, basic Git, themes, native menus, and Open VSX extension loading. Many workbench features, the extension host, debugging, and multi-window support remain incomplete. SideX aims for a lightweight footprint (target ~200MB RAM) and invites contributors; builds require Node.js and Rust and can be run via tauri dev or npx tauri build for production.

SideX is an early, community-driven port of Visual Studio Code replacing Electron with Tauri (Rust backend + native webview) to deliver a much smaller, more native code editor. The project has ported 5,600+ TypeScript files from VSCode, removed Electron imports, and implements core features including the Monaco editor, file explorer, integrated PTY terminal, basic Git, themes, native menus, and Open VSX extension loading. Many workbench features, the extension host, debugging, and multi-window support remain incomplete. Developers can build locally with Node.js and Rust, run via tauri dev, and produce production builds with npx tauri build. SideX aims for low memory use (~200 MB) and invites contributions to implement missing subsystems and stabilize the app.

SideX is an early-release project that ports Visual Studio Code’s workbench to Tauri, replacing Electron with a Rust backend and native webview to deliver a much smaller, more native-feeling editor. The team has ported 5,600+ TypeScript files from VSCode, removed all Electron imports, and implemented core features including the Monaco editor, file explorer, integrated PTY terminal, basic Git, themes, native menus, and Open VSX extension loading. Many advanced workbench features, extension host stability, debugging, settings UI, and multi-window support remain incomplete. SideX aims for a ~200 MB RAM target and invites open-source contributors; builds require Node.js and Rust and can be run via tauri dev or built with npx tauri build.