Eclipse IDE vs nRF Connect for VS Code

Eclipse IDE is a free development platform for building integrated tools and rich client applications, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its Java Developers package combines a Java IDE with a Git client, XML editor, and Maven and Gradle integration. The 2026-09 release supports Java 26 and includes a compact source file wizard for Java 25 and later projects, plus a quick assist for converting enhanced for loops to forEach statements. Other platform features include regular expression content assistance in find and replace, console zoom controls, and search filters in Problems, Tasks, and Bookmarks views. Packages cover Java, Enterprise Java and web, C/C++, embedded C/C++, PHP, DSLs, and other development areas. Eclipse Marketplace plugins can extend the platform. The Eclipse Foundation provides project security support, and users can seek community help through its chat space or report issues through its problem reporting process. The Foundation’s default project license is the Eclipse Public License unless project documentation says otherwise. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association based in Brussels.

nRF Connect for VS Code is a free extension for developing, building, and debugging applications based on the nRF Connect SDK. It supports nRF91, nRF70, nRF53, and nRF52 Series devices, with interfaces to the compiler and linker and an RTOS-aware debugger. Configuration tools include a DeviceTree Visual Editor and a Create New Board wizard. The environment includes a built-in terminal and both command-line and graphical interfaces, with integrated flashing listed. The product consists of four Nordic extensions: nRF Connect for VS Code, nRF DeviceTree, nRF Kconfig, and nRF Terminal. Nordic says all four must be installed and used together for the product to work correctly with supported SDKs and provide all features. The main extension is available through the Visual Studio Code Marketplace; Nordic documentation also lists the extensions in the Open VSX Registry for VSIX-compatible editors. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Nordic identifies nRF Connect for Desktop and nRF Command Line Tools as additional desktop tools, and recommends its nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course for getting started. Nordic Semiconductor is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, and was established in 1983.