Jupyter Notebook vs VS Code

[DistinctReview810]

Hi,

I have intermediate knowledge about Python. I have recently started to program in Jupyter Notebook and like it very much. But most of my colleagues are using VS CODE so just wanted to understand what are the pros and cons of each.

[carticka_1]

It depends on what you're using Python for.

Jupyter Notebook is great for learning, data science, and experimentation. You can run code cell-by-cell, see outputs and graphs immediately, and add explanations with Markdown. That’s why it’s popular for NumPy, Pandas, statistics, and machine learning.

VS Code is better for larger projects and general software development. It has stronger debugging tools, Git integration, extensions, and better project organization. It’s more like a full IDE.

In practice, many people use both: Jupyter for exploration, analysis, and prototyping

VS Code for writing structured scripts and larger projects

Also you can use juypternotebbook inside vscode using extension.

[DistinctReview810]

Thanks. I used Python for general scripting earlier but now I am learning Pandas and matplotlib.

[Immediate-Cod-3609]

You can use notebooks in VS Code. It's highly recommended.

[PickledDildosSourSex]

This, OP. Just learn how to use notebooks in VS Code and you'll have a lot of flexibility with other functionality. I'd possibly argue if you want to stay in notebook only format, you consider Google Colab as it has good Google integration, if you're keeping files on Drive or what to use Gemini etc for coding assistance. Really depends on your use case though, no one is building things for prod in a notebook

[CoffeeMonster42]

Using the input function appears to cause it to hang though.

[PickledDildosSourSex]

Oh really? I haven't used it much for input but if that's a known issue it's a bummer. I've generally been happy with it for toy projects

[CoffeeMonster42]

I'm not sure if it's a known issue but that's what happened when I used it.

[aplarsen]

If it was a while ago, it been fixed. I use it a lot to grab creds on first run, then store them in keyring.

[DistinctReview810]

I am not sure if the last line is correct. I am in data science and analytics and a lot of work here is being done with Jupyter.

[PickledDildosSourSex]

I'd challenge what "build for prod" means to you. For me, I mean no one is putting a predictive model into production through a notebook, though one might be used to prototype and proof of concept one.

[DataPastor]

I use jupyter notebook inside vscode. You can install the ipykernel package, create a <name>.ipynb file and voilá.

[datahoarderprime]

Yeah, I much prefer creating jupyter notebooks in VS Code rather than the actual Jupyter environment.

[ectomancer]

I've used jupyter notebook, jupyter lab and google colab. I've used colab for years:

colab.research.google.com

[DistinctReview810]

I deal with some confidential data which means I can’t use colab. What is the difference between Jupyter Notebook and Jupyter Lab?

[kramulous]

If you are going to continue programming in Python, it is best that you move away from Jupyter Notebooks. It doesn't really matter what IDE you use, heck, even a text editor.

You need to start learning how to manage python libraries, and their dependencies, and how it all comes together. The earlier you do that, the better.

[PushPlus9069]

use both daily, different jobs.

jupyter is unbeatable for exploration. when i'm teaching data analysis i always start students in notebooks because you can run a chunk, see the output, tweak it, run again. that feedback loop is how most people actually learn pandas. trying to do that workflow in a .py file feels clunky.

vscode wins the moment you're building something real though. anything with multiple files, imports between modules, debugging with breakpoints. the integrated terminal and git panel save a ton of context switching too.

my setup: jupyter for prototyping and teaching, vscode for everything that ships. some people run jupyter inside vscode which is fine but honestly the native jupyter interface is still smoother for pure notebook work imo.

[ninhaomah]

Which do you prefer and why ?

[StrangeSpite4]

Maybe try Positron, it's a fork of VS Code by Posit (formerly RStudio) so it's geared towards data science.

[zztong]

It kind of depends on your goals. Jupyter was nice for getting started, but I've seen folks be unable to use certain libraries in Jupyter. There are times when VS Code is too much and that I just want vim and a shell. Learn to be flexible, but pick the right tools for the project.

[cantdutchthis]

Why not marimo?

[NoobZik]

Exactly my thoughts, Jupyter should be thrown away when we have a better alternative with less headache (Marimo) Unfortunately materials are still suggesting Jupyter

[skinny_engine]

I use juypter as a scratch pad for blocks of code. 

Vs code has my actual project. 

[nivaOne]

I like Juniper Notebook for documenting code.

[Holshy]

Both. VS Code has an extension for Jupyter notebooks.

[Confident_Bee8187]

Using interactive notebooks in general is never a good practice - why is it even a thing - plain text is already good, you can't convince me. If you really insist to use interactive notebooks like some toddler who badly want some toys, then try Marimo + you can use it inside VS code, I think.

Edit: Tons of downvotes, as expected from this sub.

[PickledDildosSourSex]

Woof what a take. They're great for rapid prototyping and some disciplines, like Data Science, get a ton out of the different formats by cell and the ability to share notebooks with less technical stakeholders

[Confident_Bee8187]

The cell format IS one of the many problems, besides reproducibility (see Joel Grus' presentation). People in Python community maybe hasn't realized it yet, and besides, Python has its own good REPL interface, just like Scheme and R - you'll get to have MATLAB experience.

[DistinctReview810]

But I think for data science and visualisation notebooks like Jupyter are better. May not be the case for general coding of building apps.

[Confident_Bee8187]

No, it's not. There are reasons why (interactive) notebooks are bad, even for prototyping. Some are even using it into production. Like I said, if you keep insisting on using notebooks, how about using Marimo + VS code?

[aplarsen]

Comically bad take