Did you know that you can get a NuGet experience in VS Code similar to what you have in Visual Studio?
Typically, when working in VS Code, you need to manually add package references to your .csproj file, for example:
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.3" />
</ItemGroup>
However, this doesn’t quite feel like a first-class experience compared to Visual Studio.
Unlike Visual Studio, VS Code doesn’t natively handle package resolution, assemblies, and versioning in the same structured way, which can make package management feel a bit clunky.
In Visual Studio, we have the NuGet Package Manager, allowing us to browse, select, and manage packages seamlessly.
Wouldn’t it be great if VS Code offered something similar? Well, good news—you can achieve this by installing an extension that brings a more integrated NuGet experience to VS Code.
Visual Nuget
How to Set It Up
- Open Extensions in VS Code and search for: Visual NuGet
- Install the extension.
- Once installed, right-click your
.csprojfile and select “Visual NuGet: Manage Packages”.
This will open a familiar UI, similar to what you’d expect in Visual Studio. You can browse installed packages, search for new ones, update, install, upgrade, or downgrade versions—all in a more streamlined way.
With this setup, working in a VS Code environment becomes much more efficient and enjoyable!
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