# Code editors

Source: https://docs.fortrabbit.com/integrations/code-editors/intro
Reviewed: 2026-07-12


## Free vs paid

Some popular editors are free to download. Some offer paid tiers that unlock higher AI usage limits or advanced features. Commercial IDEs usually come with a subscription fee and offer a higher level of language-specific tooling — refactoring, static analysis, integrated database clients, test runners — that free editors typically approximate through plugins.

## Lightweight vs heavy

Some editors are built on Electron — they embed a full browser engine and a Node.js runtime. This makes them flexible and easy to extend, but also memory-hungry and slower to start than native applications. On older or memory-constrained machines the difference is noticeable.

Other editors are native applications or JVM-based. Native editors tend to start instantly and use significantly less memory. JVM-based IDEs have their own startup overhead, but are typically fast and responsive once a project is indexed.

## AI integration

Most modern editors have some form of AI assistance — autocomplete, inline edits, a chat panel, or all three. The key differences are how deeply AI is integrated, which model providers are supported, and whether you can run a local model to keep code off external servers.

## Privacy

Editors vary in how much data they collect. Most gather anonymous usage statistics, usually opt-in or easy to disable. AI-assisted editors are a different matter: they send code context to external model providers by design.

## Integration with fortrabbit

Any code editor works with fortrabbit through standard SSH and SFTP access. No special integration or plugins are required — configure your editor with your SSH key, connect to your app's remote server, and start coding. All fortrabbit apps support remote development via secure shell access.

## Code editors covered here

- [VS Code](/02.vscode.md) — free, Microsoft, widely used
- [PhpStorm](/03.phpstorm.md) — commercial JetBrains IDE with deep PHP tooling
- [Cursor](/04.cursor.md) — AI-assisted editor built on VS Code
- [Zed](/05.zed.md) — fast native editor, built-in SSH support

## Others

**Sublime Text** — fast, lightweight, and native. One of the first editors to popularize the command palette and multi-cursor editing. Not free, but a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. AI features are available via plugins. Still actively developed and has a loyal following.

**TextMate** — a macOS-only editor that was highly influential in the mid-2000s. Development slowed for years but has picked up again. Lightweight and native, with a distinctive bundle system for language support. No built-in AI features.

**Vim** — a terminal-based editor available on virtually every Unix system, including on each fortrabbit environment over SSH. Has a steep learning curve but is extremely efficient once internalized.

---

- [SSH key setup](/platform/code-access/intro)
- [SFTP guide](/platform/code-access/sftp)