Top 6 Linux Editors

Visual Studio Code

A free, cross-platform code editor with built-in Git, extensions marketplace and IntelliSense.

Installation (Desktop)

wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc \
| gpg --dearmor > packages.microsoft.gpg
sudo install -o root -g root -m 644 packages.microsoft.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] \
https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install code

Installation (Server)

# VS Code requires a GUI on servers; use code-server instead
curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh
# then start: code-server --bind-addr 0.0.0.0:8080

Server vs Desktop

Full VS Code runs only with a GUI—unsuitable for purely CLI servers. On headless machines, use code-server or the Remote SSH extension from your desktop VS Code.

Pros

  • Massive extension ecosystem
  • AI-assisted coding (Copilot)
  • Integrated terminal & Git

Cons

  • Heavy on low-end hardware
  • Occasional high memory usage

Shortcuts & Tricks

Ctrl+P               # quick file open
Ctrl+Shift+P         # command palette
Ctrl+`               # toggle integrated terminal

Sublime Text

A fast, lightweight GUI editor with distraction-free mode and powerful plugin API.

Installation

wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt install apt-transport-https
echo "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install sublime-text

Server vs Desktop

Sublime Text is GUI-only—cannot run on headless servers. Best for desktop use.

Pros

  • Blazing performance
  • Goto Anything navigation
  • Multi-selection editing

Cons

  • Paid license after evaluation
  • Smaller plugin ecosystem than VS Code

Shortcuts & Tricks

Ctrl+P               # Goto Anything
Ctrl+D               # expand selection to next match
Ctrl+Shift+L         # split selection into lines

Atom

“Hackable” open-source editor from GitHub, with Teletype collaboration and package manager.

Installation

sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget
wget -qO - https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/gpgkey | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/any/ any main"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install atom

Server vs Desktop

Atom is GUI-only and not suitable for headless servers—use CLI editors on servers.

Pros

  • Highly customizable via packages
  • Built-in Git & GitHub integration
  • Open source, cross-platform

Cons

  • Slower, higher RAM use
  • Development pace has slowed

Shortcuts & Tricks

Ctrl+Shift+P         # command palette
Ctrl+Shift+T         # reopen last closed tab
Ctrl+Shift+M         # toggle Markdown preview

Vim

Modal, keyboard-centric editor loved for its efficiency and ubiquity on servers.

Modes

  • Normal mode (navigation & commands): press Esc to enter.
  • Insert mode (text entry): press i to enter, Esc to return to Normal.
  • Visual mode (select text): press v to enter, Esc to return to Normal.

Deleting lines (“dd”)

In Normal mode, dd deletes the entire current line:

dd    # delete line under cursor

Saving & Exiting

All of these commands are typed in Normal mode (after pressing Esc):

:w    # write (save) file
:wq   # write and quit
:q    # quit (fails if unsaved)
:q!   # quit without saving
:w!   # force write (overwrite)

Examples & Tricks

ggVG      # select all text
u         # undo last change
Ctrl+r    # redo
5dd       # delete 5 lines
3yy       # yank (copy) 3 lines

Emacs

Extensible “self-documenting” editor with built-in Lisp interpreter and ecosystem.

Installation

sudo apt update
sudo apt install emacs     # GUI & CLI
sudo apt install emacs-nox # CLI only

Server vs Desktop

On servers install emacs-nox for CLI; on desktops use full emacs for GUI features.

Pros

  • Infinite extensibility (Org mode, Magit)
  • Powerful Emacs Lisp scripting
  • Fully keyboard-driven

Cons

  • Large memory footprint
  • Requires learning Emacs Lisp for deep customization

Shortcuts & Tricks

C-x C-s             # save file
C-x b               # switch buffer
M-x                 # execute command by name

GNU nano

A simple, user-friendly terminal text editor installed by default on most distros.

Installation

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nano

Server vs Desktop

Nano runs equally well on servers and desktops in a terminal session—no GUI required.

Pros

  • Very low learning curve
  • Immediate on-screen help bar
  • Available on virtually every system

Cons

  • Fewer advanced features than Vim/Emacs
  • No modal editing—slower for power users
  • Limited plugin support

Shortcuts & Tricks

Ctrl+O  # Write (save) file
Ctrl+X  # Exit nano
Ctrl+K  # Cut current line
Ctrl+U  # Paste previously cut text
Ctrl+W  # Search for text
Ctrl+\\  # Replace text
Ctrl+J  # Justify (format) paragraph
Ctrl+T  # Invoke spell checker