What is the difference between "extensions" and "plugins" in IDEs?

Question

The terms "extensions" and "plugins" are often used interchangeably. I get that both add additional functionality, but I don't understand the main difference between them.

I read through a lot of articles, but I didn't understand the difference

Answer 1

The general meaning is the same: in the Eclipse world, the term plugins is more common, whereas in the Visual Studio Code world, the term extensions is more common.

Technically, in Eclipse, plugins can be the generic term for plugins and fragments (which are bundles in the OSGi world), and an Eclipse plugin can provide and/or use multiple extensions via so-called extension points (see e.g. the extension points of the Eclipse platform).

See also:

• Eclipse Marketplace (operated by the Eclipse Foundation)
• Visual Studio Marketplace (operated by Microsoft)
• Open VSX Registry - Extensions for VS Code Compatible Editors (operated by the Eclipse Foundation)