Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS HHVM

Compare VS Code VS HHVM and see what are their differences

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

HHVM logo HHVM

HHVM is an open-source virtual machine designed for executing programs written in Hack and PHP.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • HHVM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-13

VS Code features and specs

  • Cross-platform
    VS Code works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent development experience across different operating systems.
  • Extensibility
    A vast library of extensions allows users to add functionalities like debuggers, linters, and themes, making it highly customizable.
  • Integrated Git
    Built-in Git integration makes it easy to manage version control tasks directly within the editor.
  • Performance
    Lightweight compared to full-fledged IDEs, ensuring good performance even on systems with limited resources.
  • IntelliSense
    Advanced code completion and refactoring tools help improve coding efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Community Support
    A strong and active community provides extensive support, tutorials, and third-party extensions.
  • Debugging
    Robust debugging tools for various languages and frameworks are available out of the box.
  • Free and Open-Source
    VS Code is completely free to use and open-source, which is beneficial for both individual developers and organizations.

Possible disadvantages of VS Code

  • Limited IDE Features
    While extensible, it may lack some advanced features found in dedicated IDEs out of the box.
  • Extension Management
    Managing and configuring a large number of extensions can become cumbersome and sometimes lead to performance issues.
  • Learning Curve
    Although user-friendly, it has a steeper learning curve for beginners due to its numerous features and customization options.
  • Memory Usage
    Despite being lightweight, it can consume a significant amount of memory when multiple extensions are installed.
  • Update Frequency
    Frequent updates may sometimes introduce bugs or require users to adapt to new changes quickly.
  • Internet Dependency
    Some features and extensions may require an internet connection to function optimally.
  • Telemetry
    By default, VS Code collects usage data, which might be a concern for users sensitive about data privacy. However, this can be disabled.

HHVM features and specs

  • Performance
    HHVM uses Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation to convert PHP code into machine code, which can significantly improve execution speed compared to traditional PHP interpreters.
  • Hack Language Support
    HHVM supports the Hack programming language, which offers additional features like static type checking, generics, and asynchronous code execution, allowing developers to write safer and more efficient code.
  • Scalability
    HHVM is designed to handle high-traffic environments, making it suitable for large-scale applications and websites with high concurrency demands.
  • Open Source
    HHVM is open-source software, allowing developers to contribute to its development and benefit from community-driven improvements and support.

Possible disadvantages of HHVM

  • Compatibility
    HHVM is not fully compatible with all PHP extensions and libraries. This can create issues when migrating existing PHP applications to HHVM, requiring additional refactoring.
  • Resource Intensive
    HHVM can consume more memory and CPU resources than traditional PHP interpreters, which might be a concern for applications running on limited hardware.
  • Linux Focused
    HHVM primarily supports Linux-based systems. While there is some support for other operating systems, it may not be as robust, limiting its use in heterogeneous environments.
  • Evolving Technology
    HHVM and the Hack language are continuously evolving, which can lead to breaking changes and the need to keep development teams updated with the latest features and fixes.

Analysis of VS Code

Overall verdict

  • Yes, VS Code is generally considered a good choice for developers due to its flexibility, efficiency, and strong community support. It is lightweight, fast, and user-friendly, catering to both novice and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • VS Code, developed by Microsoft, is a widely popular and versatile code editor. It offers a robust extension ecosystem, which allows developers to customize their workflow and coding environment extensively. Additionally, VS Code supports numerous programming languages right out of the box and provides features like IntelliSense, debugging, Git integration, and a built-in terminal, making it a powerful tool for developers.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking for a comprehensive yet lightweight coding environment.
  • Software developers who need an editor with extensive language support and customization options.
  • Beginner programmers who would benefit from a feature-rich editor that can grow with their skills.
  • Developers interested in an open-source tool with continuous updates and community-driven enhancements.

Analysis of HHVM

Overall verdict

  • In recent years, HHVM has shifted focus more towards supporting Hack rather than full PHP compatibility. While it was once a popular option for running PHP applications efficiently, many projects now recommend sticking to PHP 7.x or later, which has seen significant performance improvements. Therefore, HHVM is considered good if you're specifically using Hack, but might not be the best choice for standard PHP applications.

Why this product is good

  • HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine) was originally developed by Facebook to provide improved performance for PHP applications. It offers features like a just-in-time (JIT) compiler and compatibility with Hack, Facebook's PHP dialect. It has been praised for enhancing the speed of PHP execution, particularly for large-scale applications.

Recommended for

    HHVM is recommended for organizations or projects that primarily use Hack or have legacy systems built around it. It can also be beneficial for enterprises looking to leverage its performance benefits in a Hack environment. However, for new projects or those focused solely on PHP, sticking with the latest PHP versions is advisable.

VS Code videos

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos:

  • Review - 7 reasons why I switched to Visual Studio Code from Sublime Text

HHVM videos

HHVM GLIMPSE MEME REVIEW||HARI HARA VEERA MALLU MEME REVIEW||POWER STAR..!

More videos:

  • Review - HHVM Performance Status - Hack Dev Day
  • Review - Scaling PHP-based Development with HHVM and Hack

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and HHVM)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Continuous Integration And Delivery

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare VS Code and HHVM

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    ยท Working at SpeechKit ยท

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Visual Studio Code, commonly known as VS Code, is a powerful and extensible code editor developed by Microsoft. With its rich ecosystem of extensions and features like IntelliSense, debugging, and Git integration, VS Code enhances your coding productivity.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
Finally, the Visual Studio Code website has numerous tabs for you to learn about the software. The documentation page walks you through steps like the setup and working with different languages. Youโ€™re also able to check out some tips and tricks and learn all of the Visual Studio Code keyboard shortcuts. Along with a blog, updates page, extensions library and API...
Source: kinsta.com
Jupyter Notebook & 10 Alternatives: Data Notebook Review [2023]
Previously, VS Code was more suited to developers or engineers due to its lack of data analysis capabilities, but since 2020, the VS Code team has collaborated with the Jupyter team to create an integrated notebook within VS Code. The end result is a fantastic IDE workbook for data analysis.
Source: lakefs.io
The Best IDEs for Java Development: A Comparative Analysis
Overview: Although not a traditional IDE, VS Code has gained popularity as a lightweight code editor.
Source: dev.to
20 Best Diff Tools to Compare File Contents on Linux
Visual studio code is a code editor made by Microsoft. It supports several development operations like debugging, task running, and version control. It works on Linux, macOS and Windows operating systems.
Source: linuxopsys.com

HHVM Reviews

We have no reviews of HHVM yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than HHVM. While we know about 1215 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 7 mentions of HHVM. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

VS Code mentions (1215)

  • History of JavaScript: Browser wars, ECMAScript, Node.js, TypeScript, and React
    Visual Studio Code, a code editor created by Microsoft, was first introduced on April 29, 2015, at the Build conference. - Source: dev.to / 15 days ago
  • How to Get Your First Tool Online
    The step up from there is an editor with a built-in agent like Cursor, Google Antigravity, Windsurf, or VS Code with a coding extension. These are code editors with an AI agent living inside them, and the difference is the responsible party for getting things from place to place. Instead of the software creator shuttling code between windows, the AI agent edits the project files directly and runs the GitHub and... - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • Agentic Engineering: What Does AI Coding Really Cost?
    For IDE-heavy teams, BYOK (bring your own key) can be interesting, no matter whether you live in WebStorm or VS Code. On the JetBrains side, the JetBrains AI plans and Junie BYOK docs allow it, and most VS Code AI extensions offer the same idea: keep the IDE, connect provider keys, pay the provider. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Best Markdown Editors for Developers
    Option 1: Raw editing in IDE. You open the .md file in VS Code or whatever you use. Syntax highlighting shows you the structure. Maybe you toggle a preview pane. This works for quick edits but becomes painful for anything involving tables, diagrams, or complex formatting. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Document Generation for Developers: Security, Compliance, and Build-vs-Buy Decisions for the Template-Plus-Data Pipeline
    You'll need Python 3.8+ and pip for the quickstart, with venv recommended for isolation. Install the requests library for HTTP calls. VS Code with the Python extension works well as an editor, though PyCharm or Sublime Text work equally well. You'll also need a free Foxit developer account. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
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HHVM mentions (7)

  • GraphQL vs REST: 18 Claims Fact-Checked with Primary Sources (2026)
    Facebook ran a massive PHP codebase, scaled through HipHop (a PHP-to-C++ transpiler) and later HHVM (a just-in-time compiler for PHP). Keith Adams , Facebook's Chief Architect and HHVM team lead, describes how Facebook scaled a large, unified PHP application in Software Engineering Daily interviews and InfoQ presentations . - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • THT v0.8.1 โ€“ A modern re-design of PHP
    $hayStack.contains('needle') This looks more or less like a new language ? It must be amazing amount of time and energy to rewrite PHP in to this. I don't see the benefits. I understand the Facebook's HHVM had some. (https://hhvm.com/) Or Swoole (https://openswoole.com/) has it. But I'm not clear of THT (also typical apple vs oranges benchamrkTM included). 2cents. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • I know that's the name of the language, I'm asking about the first P
    PHP is nearly as old as the web. Change the conversation and say: I use Hack on the Hip Hop Virtual Machine. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Nvidia is now worth more than Meta
    Meta has created/maintains ReactJS, Zstandard, IO_Uring, PyTorch, HHVM, is a member of Rust foundation, and that's only the things I know about. They've literally made the Web and Linux better and faster. Source: over 4 years ago
  • does a php-like Typescript exist?
    Have you looked into Hacklang / HHVM at all. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and HHVM, you can also consider the following products

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

Node.js - Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Packer - Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.