If you're building apps with Laravel + Vue.js, VS Code can become your powerhouse—but only if you use the right extensions. Let’s start with the most important ones.
⭐ Top Extensions You Need to Install First
These 7 essential extensions are the bare minimum to streamline your Laravel + Vue.js development experience. Install these before any others.
1. PHP Intelephense
- Purpose: PHP auto-completion, go-to-definition, and linting
- Install from Marketplace
2. Laravel Blade Snippets
- Purpose: Blade syntax highlighting and snippets
- Install from Marketplace
3. Laravel Extra Intellisense
- Purpose: Autocomplete for Laravel routes, config, and facades
- Install from Marketplace
4. Laravel Artisan
- Purpose: Run php artisan commands from inside VS Code
- Install from Marketplace
5. Volar (Vue 3) OR Vetur (Vue 2)
⚠️ Use only one: Volar (for Vue 3) or Vetur (for Vue 2)
6. Vue VSCode Snippets
- Purpose: Type vbase, vmodel, vfor for instant Vue component scaffolds
- Install from Marketplace
7. Prettier – Code Formatter
- Purpose: Auto-format Vue, JS, Blade, PHP, CSS on save
- Install from Marketplace
📦 Other Helpful Extensions (Optional but Recommended)
| Icon | Name | Why Use It |
|---|---|---|
| 📏 | ESLint | Find and fix JS/Vue code errors |
| 📂 | Path Intellisense | Autocomplete file paths |
| 🌱 | DotENV | Highlight .env files |
| 🔍 | GitLens | Git blame, commit history |
| 🟨 | Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 | Visualize nested brackets clearly |
🛠 Recommended Settings
Update your settings.json In VS Code for smoother development:
{
"editor.formatOnSave": true,
"files.autoSave": "onFocusChange",
"intelephense.environment.phpVersion": "8.1",
"volar.takeOverMode.enabled": true
}
✅ Conclusion
By installing these top Laravel + Vue.js VS Code extensions, you’ll:
- 🚀 Write faster, cleaner code
- 🧠 Avoid syntax and logic errors
- 🔧 Work efficiently across backend and frontend
Start with these essentials and scale up your dev environment like a pro.
