Can't find C/C++ extension in VS Code

Question

I'm trying to install the C/C++ extension for Visual Studio Code, but I can't find it in the extensions list. I'm running Arch Linux, but the extension website says it's crossplatform.

I also tried running ext install ms-vscode.cpptools to no avail.

Any idea why it might be missing/how to get it?

edit: I downloaded the .vsix extension bundle, and manually installed it and it seems to work. Any idea why it was missing in the extensions list?

Answer 1

Why this happens

This is caused because VS Code is released in two flavors. The base version, known as Code OSS has an open-source license, and the other, known as Visual Studio Code, includes some proprietary Microsoft code, and so it's released under a proprietary license.

Arch Linux's package repository, which only provides open-source software, uses the Code OSS flavor, which is not permitted to access the VS Marketplace due to restrictions placed by Microsoft (see the Arch Wiki)

Solution

Option 1 (recommended): Go to the Marketplace, search for the extension, then click "Version history" and download the latest version. You can then install the .vsix file on VS Code as shown below

Option 2 (based on this comment): Install the proprietary version instead by downloading the tar from the VS Code download page, then install it by running pacman -U code-stable-x64-xxxxxxxxxx.tar.gz, replacing the file name with yours of course.

Answer 2

Arch Linux disables the VS Marketplace in its version, because it thinks it's not allowed to use it. The marketplace you are seeing is a different one.

The way around this problem is to get VS Code directly from the manufacturer (On Arch, just unpack the tar.gz and run bin/code)