# vscode-js-debug

A DAP-compatible JavaScript debugger. Used in VS Code, VS, + more

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-js-debug
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/vscode-js-debug
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: hacktoberfest, dap, debug, vscode, vscode-extension
Last push: 2026-08-24T16:25:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 80, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2596, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 138, "gap_med": 26, "n_releases_24m": 16}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1963, forks 367 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:59.746751+00:00)

## What it is
A DAP-based JavaScript debugger built by Microsoft that powers VS Code's built-in debugging for Node.js, Chrome, and Edge. It replaces the older vscode-chrome-debug and vscode-node-debug extensions with a unified, actively maintained debugger.

## Use cases
- debug node.js applications in vs code
- debug javascript in chrome from the editor
- set breakpoints in typescript source maps
- debug jest or mocha tests
- attach debugger to a running node process
- debug react or angular apps in vs code

## When to choose
- you need JavaScript/TypeScript debugging in VS Code
- you want source-map-aware debugging across Node and browsers
- you are building tooling on top of the Debug Adapter Protocol for JS

## When to avoid
- you debug non-JavaScript languages like Python or C#
- you use an editor other than VS Code without DAP support
- you need the legacy chrome-debug extension's old behavior

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: testing, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, web-development
- platform: browser, cross-platform
- tags: debugger, debug-adapter-protocol, vscode-extension, javascript-debugging, node-debugging, chrome-devtools, javascript, nodejs

## Member repositories
- microsoft/vscode-js-debug (main) score 93
- microsoft/vscode-recipes (docs) score 66
- microsoft/vscode-chrome-debug (mirror) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:59.746751+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:50:10.946539+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-js-debug (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:59.746751+00:00, sha 6f03ec7e4fbc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.