Title: VS Code extension
Published: July 15, 2026
Last modified: July 16, 2026

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# VS Code extension

[ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/local-development/vscode-extension/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target)

Start a zero-setup development environment using the [VS Code extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=WordPressPlayground.wordpress-playground),
and develop your plugin or theme locally without installing Apache or MySQL.

Key Features:

 * **Integrated Development**: Develop WordPress sites directly within VS Code.
 * **Ease of Use**: Simplifies the development workflow with integrated tools.

**Documentation**

The VS Code extension is maintained in a different GitHub repository, [Playground Tools](https://github.com/WordPress/playground-tools/).
You can find the latest documentation in the [dedicated README file](https://github.com/WordPress/playground-tools/blob/trunk/packages/vscode-extension/README.md).

## Installation and Usage:

 1. **Install the Extension**: Search for “WordPress Playground” in the VS Code extensions
    marketplace and install it.
 2. **Setup**: Follow the setup instructions provided in the extension to configure
    your development environment.
 3. **Develop and Debug**: Use the integrated tools to develop and debug your WordPress
    site.

The extension ships with a portable WebAssembly version of PHP and sets up WordPress
to use SQLite. Once installed, all you have to do is click the **Start WordPress
Server** button in VS Code:

First published

July 15, 2026

Last updated

July 16, 2026

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[ Improve it on GitHub: VS Code extension ](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/WordPress/wordpress-playground/trunk/packages/docs/site/docs/developers/05-local-development/02-vscode-extension.md)

Changelog

[ See list of changes: VS Code extension ](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/local-development/vscode-extension/?output_format=md#)

[  Previous: Playground CLI](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/developers/local-development/wp-playground-cli/)

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