There’s a new kid on the block in the world of code editors and IDEs. Zed, built with Rust, promises to be fast and collaborative right out of the box. It’s designed to work smoothly with both humans and AI, aiming to stand out among the giants like VS Code, Vim, and Emacs.

Getting Started and Customizing Zed

If you’re already familiar with VS Code, Zed makes it easy to jump in. When you open Zed for the first time, you can import your VS Code or Cursor settings. This helps you get up and running quickly, especially if you’ve spent years customizing your environment. However, some settings, like extensions, are handled differently. You’ll need to install extensions specifically for Zed, which are managed separately from your imported settings.

Zed comes with several themes, including light and dark modes, and supports popular keymaps. You can choose from setups similar to VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Sublime Text, Atom, Emacs, and Cursor. Vim users will appreciate the option to activate a “Vim mode,” enabling modal editing. The setup pane can be revisited anytime, so you can tweak your preferences as you go.

The Look and Feel of Zed

One of Zed’s biggest selling points is that it’s a native application. Unlike VS Code, which relies on Electron and web views, Zed uses GPU-accelerated code for rendering. This means everything runs smoothly, even when working with large files that can be several megabytes. The interface feels snappy and responsive, with no lag or jank.

The layout is familiar: files open in tabs, and there are panels on the sides for navigation, version control, terminals, debugging, and more. You can toggle these panels on and off and reposition them to suit your workflow. The top bar shows project info, and clicking it reveals a quick menu to switch between open Zed instances. Menus are accessed via a hamburger icon or F10, making navigation straightforward. However, some settings migrated from other editors might not map perfectly, so you might need to reconfigure a few things.

AI Features and Collaboration

Zed includes its own AI assistant called Zeta, which offers code suggestions as you type. It’s enabled by default, but like many AI tools, it’s a mix of hits and misses. During testing, Zeta provided useful snippets for boilerplate code, but it sometimes struggled with indentation and context, especially in Python. You can toggle AI predictions on or off, and the system collects training data only if your project has an open-source license file.

Use of Zeta’s predictions is free for the first 2,000, and afterward, a subscription is needed. You can also connect Zed to other AI agents, like Claude Code, via a dedicated panel. If you prefer to work without AI, it’s easy to disable all features with a single switch.

Real-time Collaboration and Extensions

Collaboration is built into Zed without needing extra plugins. Sign in with GitHub, and you can create or join shared workspaces called “channels.” These channels can host shared documents, projects, and even voice chat, similar to Slack or Discord. Currently, this feature is in alpha and free to use, but there’s a chance it might become a paid feature later. There’s no official way to self-host collaboration yet.

Extensions are another way Zed extends its capabilities. Even in early development, it already has several available, including syntax highlighting for niche Python packages. Some functionalities, like core Python support, are built-in. Upgrades tend to update both Zed and its extensions simultaneously, and there’s no way to toggle them per project—extensions must be uninstalled to disable. A feature request is in the works to improve this.

Overall, Zed offers a smooth, fast experience with a clean look. It’s more lightweight than web-based editors and is designed to be both powerful and easy to use. Most of its core features and extensions are free, with premium AI and collaboration features possibly becoming paid options down the line.

For developers looking to try something new, Zed is definitely worth a test drive. Its native performance and integrated features make it a compelling choice, especially as it continues to evolve.

Inspired by

• https://www.infoworld.com/article/4091082/hands-on-with-zed-the-ide-built-for-ai.html

Sources

• gmpg.org
• zed.dev
• huggingface.co
• zed.dev
• zed.dev