AI coding assistants

AI coding assistants have moved beyond autocomplete. This is a brief overview of what to look for and how they differ from AI features inside code editors.

AI assistants vs AI in editors

MOdern code editors like VS Code, Zed and Cursor have built-in AI features — inline autocomplete, a chat panel, and commands to rewrite or explain a selection. These are useful for small, focused tasks: completing a line, generating a short function, asking about unfamiliar code.

AI coding assistants are a distinct category. They operate at a higher level of autonomy — they can read your entire codebase, edit multiple files, run shell commands, and carry out multi-step tasks from a single instruction.

Some tools in this section are standalone CLIs or web agents. Others sit inside an editor. The distinction is not always sharp — Copilot and Codeium started as autocomplete tools and have since added agentic capabilities, while Claude Code is primarily an AI agent.

What to look for

Model quality is the most important factor. The underlying language model determines how well the assistant understands code, handles edge cases, and avoids mistakes. Models are improving quickly; check recent benchmarks.

Agentic capability describes how much the tool can do on its own. A basic assistant makes suggestions; a capable agent can edit files, run tests, and iterate on a task until it is done. More autonomy is not always better — it depends on your workflow and how much you trust the output.

Editor integration varies. Some assistants live entirely in the terminal; others integrate deeply into your editor with diff views, accept/reject controls, and context pickers. Consider how much you want to stay in your editor vs working in a terminal.

Model selection matters if you have preferences about which AI provider processes your code. Some tools are locked to a single provider; others let you choose.

Privacy and data handling is a significant concern when working with sensitive codebases. All cloud-based assistants send some code context to external servers. Check each tool's data handling policy before using it on proprietary or regulated code. Local model support is an option for stricter environments, though quality is typically lower.

Pricing ranges from free tiers with limited usage to per-seat subscriptions and API-based pay-as-you-go plans.

Integration with fortrabbit

AI coding assistants work with any codebase — there is no fortrabbit-specific integration required. You can use them to write deployment scripts, generate SSH config, navigate unfamiliar framework code, or automate repetitive tasks. AI assistants can read your Git history and open files across the whole project, which makes them useful for understanding how a fortrabbit app is structured and configured.