AI Tool Guides
Best for
Code suggestions as you type
Works on
VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim
Alternatives
Cursor, Windsurf
Watch out
Free for students but requires GitHub Student Pack signup
What It Does
GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that sits inside your code editor. It predicts what you are about to type, suggests whole functions, writes tests, and explains unfamiliar code. It works in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, and other editors.
Setup in 5 Minutes
.
- If you are a student, apply for the GitHub Student Developer
Pack (free Copilot access).
- Install VS Code, then install the GitHub Copilot extension from
the marketplace.
- Sign in and authorise the extension.
Try This
Open a new Python file and type a comment:
\# Function that takes a list of exam scores and returns the
grade distribution as a dictionary. Press Enter and wait—Copilot
will suggest the entire function. Press Tab to accept. Now write a
second comment: \# Unit tests for the grade distribution
function. Copilot writes the tests too. Run them.
Follow Along
Follow Along — Refactor Messy Code.
statements, magic numbers.
- Place your cursor inside the function and open the Copilot Chat panel (Ctrl+I or the chat icon).
- Ask: "Refactor this function to be clean, readable, and well-documented. Use descriptive variable names and extract helper functions where appropriate."
- Compare the before and after versions side by side—note which improvements you agree with and which you would do differently.
- Run the original and refactored versions with the same inputs to confirm the behaviour is identical.
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