Sidenai/sidex: VS Code rebuilt on Tauri. Same architecture, 96% smaller. Early release. · GitHub

A Tauri-based port of Visual Studio Code. Same architecture, native performance, fraction of the size.

Early Release — This project is in active development. Many features are not fully working yet. We’re releasing early because a lot of people wanted to help build this out. If you’re into open source and want to help make a lightweight, native code editor a reality, you’re in the right place.

SideX is a 1:1 architectural port (HEAVILY STRIPPED) of VSCode that replaces Electron with Tauri (Rust backend + native webview). The entire VSCode workbench – editor, terminal, extensions, themes, keybindings — ported to run on a native shell.

• 5,600+ TypeScript files from VSCode’s source, ported and adapted
• Rust backend replacing Electron’s main process
• Zero Electron imports remaining in the codebase
• Lightweight — fraction of VSCode’s install size

Goal: 200mb RAM usage.

This is an early release. Here’s an honest look at where things stand:

Working:

• Core editor (Monaco) with syntax highlighting, IntelliSense basics
• File explorer — open folders, create/edit/delete files
• Integrated terminal (PTY via Rust)
• Basic Git integration
• Theme support
• Native menus
• Extension loading from Open VSX

In Progress / Unstable:

• Many workbench features are stubbed or partially implemented
• Extension host is early-stage — not all extensions will work
• Debugging support is scaffolded but incomplete
• Settings/keybindings UI may have rough edges
• Some platform services are placeholder implementations
• Multi-window support is limited

We need help across the board. See Contributing below.

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Sidenai/sidex.git
cd sidex

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start dev server with hot reload
npm run tauri dev

Building from source (not distributing pre-built binaries yet):

# Install dependencies (if not already done)
npm install

# Build the frontend (increase memory for large codebase)
# macOS / Linux:
NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=12288" npm run build

# Windows (PowerShell):
$env:NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=12288"
npm run build

# Build the Tauri app (takes 5-10 minutes)
npx tauri build

Linux blank screen: If you get a blank/white screen on Linux, run with:

WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1 npm run tauri dev

SideX preserves VSCode’s layered architecture and replaces the Electron runtime with Tauri:

VSCode (Electron)                    SideX (Tauri)
─────────────────                    ─────────────
Electron Main Process            →   Tauri Rust Backend
  BrowserWindow                  →   WebviewWindow
  ipcMain / ipcRenderer          →   invoke() + events
  Node.js APIs (fs, pty, etc.)   →   Rust commands (std::fs, portable-pty)
  Menu / Dialog / Clipboard      →   Tauri plugins

Renderer (DOM + TypeScript)      →   Same (runs in native webview)
Extension Host                   →   Sidecar process (in progress)

sidex/
├── src/                    # TypeScript frontend (VSCode workbench)
│   ├── vs/
│   │   ├── base/           # Foundation utilities
│   │   ├── platform/       # Platform services (DI)
│   │   ├── editor/         # Monaco editor
│   │   ├── workbench/      # IDE shell, features, services
│   │   └── code/           # Application entry
│   └── main.ts             # Frontend entry point
├── src-tauri/              # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── commands/       # fs, terminal, search, git, window, etc.
│   │   ├── lib.rs          # App setup, menu, command registration
│   │   └── main.rs         # Entry point
│   └── Cargo.toml
├── index.html              # HTML shell
├── vite.config.ts          # Vite config (port 1420)
└── package.json

For a deep dive into the architecture, see ARCHITECTURE.md.

We want your help. Seriously.

This project was released early specifically so the community can help build it out. There’s a ton of work to do — from fixing bugs to implementing entire subsystems.

1. Fork the repo and create a branch for your work
2. Pick something — check the Issues tab, or just find something broken and fix it
3. Submit a PR — we’ll review it, and if it gets merged, you’ll be added as a contributor

• Terminal — Shell integration, profile detection, stability
• Extensions — Extension host compatibility, API coverage
• File System — Watcher reliability, large file handling
• Editor — IntelliSense integration, language services
• Debugging — Debug adapter protocol implementation
• Settings — Settings UI, keybinding editor
• Search — Workspace search reliability and performance
• Platform — Windows and Linux testing and fixes
• UI Polish — Layout issues, theming gaps, accessibility

• The codebase follows VSCode’s patterns — if you’ve worked on VSCode, you’ll feel right at home
• TypeScript imports use .js extensions (ES modules)
• Services use VSCode’s dependency injection with @inject decorators
• Rust commands are in src-tauri/src/commands/ — add new ones and register in lib.rs
• See AGENTS.md for a detailed guide to the codebase (useful for AI-assisted development too)

MIT – This project is a port of Visual Studio Code (Code – OSS), which is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.