If you want to install VS Code on Parrot Linux, you have three realistic routes: Microsoft’s official apt repository, the VSCodium repository for a telemetry-free build, or a Flatpak from Flathub. All three work on Parrot 7.x because Parrot OS is Debian-based, so anything that installs cleanly on Debian 13 will install on Parrot too. This guide walks through each method, explains the differences between VS Code and VSCodium, and covers the small Parrot-specific snags you may hit, such as the editor refusing to start inside a sandbox or extensions that behave differently on the open-source build.
VS Code vs VSCodium: which one should you install on Parrot Linux?
Both editors are built from the same open-source codebase that Microsoft publishes on GitHub. The difference is in what gets added on top of it when the binaries are built:
| VS Code (Microsoft build) | VSCodium | |
|---|---|---|
| License of the binary | Microsoft proprietary license | MIT |
| Telemetry | Enabled by default, can be reduced in settings | Removed from the build |
| Extension marketplace | Microsoft Marketplace | Open VSX by default |
| Microsoft-only extensions (Remote SSH, Pylance, Live Share, C/C++) | Available | Not available or limited |
| Command name | code | codium |
| Config directory | ~/.config/Code | ~/.config/VSCodium |
For a privacy-focused distribution like Parrot Linux, VSCodium is the natural fit, and many users run it without ever noticing a difference. The practical exception is remote development. If you rely on the Remote – SSH, Dev Containers or WSL extensions, or on Pylance for Python, those are licensed for the Microsoft build only, and you should install the official VS Code package instead. You can also install both side by side; they use separate configuration directories and do not conflict.
Before you start: update the system
Run a full system update first so that the Electron runtime dependencies (libgtk, libnss3, libxkbfile and friends) are current. On Parrot the recommended command is parrot-upgrade, which wraps apt with the project’s preferred options:
sudo parrot-upgradeIf you prefer plain apt, sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade does the same job. The guide to updating Parrot Linux safely explains the difference between the two in detail. You will also need wget or curl and gpg, which are installed on every Parrot edition by default.
Method 1: install VS Code from Microsoft’s apt repository
This is the method that gives you automatic updates through apt. It adds one signing key and one repository entry; nothing else on the system changes.
Step 1: add the signing key
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft.gpg > /dev/null
sudo chmod 0644 /etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft.gpgStoring the key under /etc/apt/keyrings/ and referencing it with signed-by is the current Debian convention. It scopes the key to this one repository instead of trusting it for every package source on the machine, which is a meaningful security improvement over the old apt-key add approach.
Step 2: add the repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.listStep 3: install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install codeLaunch it from the application menu or with code in a terminal. Future updates arrive whenever you run parrot-upgrade, exactly like any other package.
Alternative: the standalone .deb
If you would rather not add a third-party repository permanently, download the 64-bit .deb from code.visualstudio.com and install it with sudo apt install ./code_*.deb. Be aware that the Microsoft .deb installer adds the repository and key for you during post-install unless you disable that behaviour, so you end up in the same place as Method 1 anyway. If you want to opt out, create the file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list as an empty file before installing, or set echo "code code/add-microsoft-repo boolean false" | sudo debconf-set-selections first.
Method 2: install VSCodium from its apt repository
VSCodium publishes a community-maintained Debian repository. The steps mirror the VS Code ones.
wget -qO- https://gitlab.com/paulcarroty/vscodium-deb-rpm-repo/raw/master/pub.gpg | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/vscodium.gpg > /dev/null
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/vscodium.gpg] https://download.vscodium.com/debs vscodium main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscodium.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install codiumThe binary is codium. Before you add the repository, it is worth checking whether a codium package is already offered by the Parrot repositories themselves on your release, because that version would be tested against the rest of the system:
apt-cache policy codiumIf the output shows a candidate version from a deb.parrot.sh mirror, you can simply run sudo apt install codium without adding anything. If it shows (none), use the VSCodium repository above. Keep in mind that mixing two sources for the same package name can cause apt to pick whichever has the higher version number; pin one of them if that bothers you. The Parrot software management documentation covers how apt pinning and the Parrot repositories fit together.
Method 3: install VS Code or VSCodium as a Flatpak
Flatpak is useful when you want the editor isolated from the rest of the system, or when you are running Parrot on an architecture or release where the apt packages lag behind. First make sure Flatpak and the Flathub remote are present:
sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoThen install whichever editor you want:
flatpak install flathub com.vscodium.codium
# or
flatpak install flathub com.visualstudio.codeThe trade-off with Flatpak is that the editor runs inside its own sandbox. The integrated terminal runs in that sandbox too, so system tools such as nmap, python3 modules you installed with apt, or Docker are not visible unless you break out with flatpak-spawn --host or grant extra permissions with Flatseal. For a pentesting workstation where the editor is mostly used to write scripts that call system tools, the apt packages are the smoother option.
First-launch setup worth doing on Parrot
Reduce telemetry on the Microsoft build
Open Settings (Ctrl+,), search for telemetry, and set Telemetry: Telemetry Level to off. Also consider disabling Workbench: Enable Experiments and Update: Show Release Notes. On VSCodium none of this is required.
Install the extensions you actually need
A typical Parrot setup for scripting and security work includes the Python extension, ShellCheck for shell scripts, a YAML extension for Ansible and Docker Compose files, and Hex Editor for looking at binaries. On VSCodium, search Open VSX; the Python extension is available there, but Pylance is not, so the language server falls back to Jedi, which is perfectly usable. If you work with containers, pairing the editor with the setup from our Docker on Parrot Linux guide lets you run the Docker extension against a local daemon.
Set it as the default editor for the terminal
Add one of these lines to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:
export EDITOR="code --wait"
# or
export EDITOR="codium --wait"The --wait flag makes tools like git commit and visudo pause until you close the file.
Troubleshooting VS Code on Parrot Linux
The editor opens and immediately closes, or shows a blank window
This is almost always a sandbox conflict. Parrot ships Firejail and AppArmor profiles for many desktop applications, and Electron apps use their own Chromium sandbox on top of that. Start the editor from a terminal to see the actual error:
code --verbose 2>&1 | tail -n 30If the log mentions SUID sandbox helper or user namespaces, check whether unprivileged user namespaces are enabled: sysctl kernel.unprivileged_userns_clone. A value of 1 is what Electron expects. If a Firejail profile is being applied automatically, run the editor outside it once with firejail --noprofile code to confirm; if that works, the fix is to edit or disable the profile rather than to launch with --no-sandbox permanently. Our Firejail documentation explains how profiles are applied and overridden on Parrot.
Blurry or tiny text on a HiDPI screen
On KDE Plasma 6 under Wayland, Electron apps sometimes ignore the desktop scaling factor. Launch with code --ozone-platform=wayland to use native Wayland rendering, or set Window: Zoom Level in settings. If you are on MATE or LXQt, the X11 path is used and scaling follows the desktop setting. See our comparison of the Parrot desktop environments if you are deciding which spin to use for development work.
Keyring prompts on every launch
VS Code stores tokens in the system secret service. On MATE or LXQt without a running keyring daemon you may see repeated prompts or a warning that the OS keyring is unavailable. Installing gnome-keyring and letting it unlock with your login session resolves it, or you can switch the editor to basic encrypted storage with Password Store set to basic in the command palette (Preferences: Configure Runtime Arguments).
apt reports a GPG error after a key rotation
If apt update complains that the Microsoft or VSCodium signature could not be verified, simply re-download the key with the command from the relevant step above. Keys are rotated occasionally and the old one stops validating new package lists.
Uninstalling cleanly
To remove the editor and the repository you added:
sudo apt purge code # or: sudo apt purge codium
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list /etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft.gpg
sudo apt updateYour settings and extensions remain in ~/.config/Code and ~/.vscode (or the VSCodium equivalents) in case you reinstall; delete those directories if you want a full clean-up. Flatpak installs are removed with flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.vscodium.codium.
FAQ
Can I install VS Code on Parrot Linux without adding Microsoft’s repository?
Yes. Use the Flatpak from Flathub, or install the standalone .deb after telling debconf not to add the repository. You will then have to update the editor manually, which is the main downside.
Does VSCodium work with the same extensions as VS Code?
Most of them. VSCodium uses the Open VSX registry, which carries the large majority of popular open-source extensions. Microsoft’s proprietary extensions, notably Pylance and the Remote Development pack, are not offered there and their license does not permit use in non-Microsoft builds.
Is VS Code available in the Parrot repositories?
Microsoft’s build is not; it has never been redistributable by third-party repositories. A codium package has been offered by Parrot at various points. Run apt-cache policy codium on your own system to see whether your current release provides it.