Get started with the FaunaDB extension for Visual Studio Code

The FaunaDB extension for VS Code allows you to browse you FaunaDB databases, indexes, collections, documents, and user-defined functions within VS Code. You can also edit FaunaDB documents, and run Fauna Query Language queries within VS Code.

Visual Studio Code, or VS Code, is Microsoft’s free code editor, which is optimized for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications. VS Code is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It includes built-in debugging support, Git integration, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and customization via extensions.

This section covers the following topics:

Requirements

Installation

This section describes how to install the FaunaDB extension for VS Code.

  1. Run VS Code.

  2. Select View  Extensions.

  3. Type faunadb into the "Search Extensions in Marketplace" field.

  4. Click the Install button for the "FaunaDB" entry in the results.

    If prompted to do so, restart VS Code.

Configuration

This section describes how to configure the FaunaDB extension for VS Code.

Acquire a FaunaDB key

Accessing a FaunaDB database involves an authentication token called an "admin key". See Keys for more information. Perform the following steps to acquire an admin key:

  1. Log in to FaunaDB Console.

  2. Click on an existing database, the one that the FaunaDB extension for VS Code should access. Or create a new database.

  3. Click the Security link in the left sidebar.

  4. Click the New Key button.

  5. Select the database that the key should access.

  6. Ensure that the Role field is set to Admin.

  7. Optional: Set the Key Name field to VS Code.

  8. Click Save.

  9. The key’s "secret" is displayed. Make sure that you copy the key at this point, and store it in a safe place: the key is only displayed once. If you lose it, the key would have to be revoked, and a new key would have to be created.

Add the key to VS Code

Now that you have an admin key to access a FaunaDB database, the FaunaDB extension for VS Code needs to be configured.

  1. In VS Code, Select Code  Preferences  Settings.

  2. In the Settings tab, click Extensions, and then FaunaDB.

  3. Paste the secret, that you acquired in the previous section, into the Secret Key field.

  4. Restart VS Code.

You should now see the Fauna logo in the left sidebar.

The key is a credential that provides full access to your database. Do not commit it to your .vscode configuration.

Features

With the extension installed, click on the Fauna logo in the left sidebar. Then you can use the following features:

Browse the database

Browsing a database with the FaunaDB extension for VS Code

The FaunaDB extension for VS Code displays a sidebar on the left that lists the child databases, collections, documents, indexes, and functions that exist in the database associated with the configured key.

When you click on a document, index, or function, the FaunaDB extension for VS Code opens a new tab to show that resource’s definition.

Browsing is read-only at this time. See Run a query for a work-around.

Create a query document

The FaunaDB extension for VS Code can be used to create a "query" document, that contains the FQL functions comprising a query. Choose one of the following approaches:

  1. Using the command palette:

    1. Open the command palette with a keyboard shortcut: Command+Shift+P (Mac OS), or Control+Shift+P (Windows and Linux).

    2. Type FaunaDB: Create Query and press Return.

    A new editing tab opens, containing the example query Paginate(Collections()).

    Creating a query file

  2. Create a "query" file with the .fql extension:

    1. Create a new file by typing Command+N (Mac OS) or Control+N (Windows and Linux).

    2. Save the file with a .fql extension.

Run a query

The FaunaDB extension for VS Code} can be used to run a Fauna Query Language query, based on the contents of a "query document":

  1. Open the command palette with a keyboard shortcut: Command+Shift+P (Mac OS), or Control+Shift+P (Windows and Linux).

  2. Type FaunaDB: Run Query and press Return.

The query is executed, and an output pane appears to display the result of the query.

Running a query file

You can use the query file to create, update, or delete any resources within the associated database.

Conclusion

This section has described how to install the FaunaDB extension for VS Code, how to acquire an admin key, and how to configure the FaunaDB extension for VS Code with the key. The section has also described how to browse the associated database, how to create a query file, and how to execute a query.

Next steps

Was this article helpful?

We're sorry to hear that.
Tell us how we can improve! documentation@fauna.com

Thank you for your feedback!