Introducing Project IDX: An AI-assisted, Full-Stack App Development Environment

I am excited to share Project IDX - Google’s new browser-based code environment. It has AI assistance for code-generation, code-completion, and explaining code built-in. It also supports modern JavaScript frameworks.

IDX is based on VSCode, and the vision is a full fidelity local environment with AI smarts, quick starting points for apps using popular frameworks, a Linux-based VM in a data center near you, and quick deploys to Firebase Hosting and (soon) Android + iOS simulators in-browser.

Get to Work Quickly, from Anywhere

Project IDX allows developers to work from anywhere, on any device, with the full fidelity of local development. Every workspace has the full capabilities of a Linux-based VM, paired with universal access hosted in the cloud.

Import Your Existing App or Start Something New

With IDX, you can import existing projects from GitHub or create new ones with templates for popular frameworks like Angular, React, Next.js, Svelte, Vue, Flutter, and languages such as JavaScript, Dart, Python, Go, and more.

Preview Your App Across Platforms

IDX includes a built-in web preview and, coming soon, a fully-configured Android emulator and an embedded iOS simulator, all available directly in the browser.

IDX AI Features

The IDX AI features are at the heart of this innovative project, providing smart code completion, an assistive chatbot, and contextual code actions.

Summarizing Code

Imagine selecting a section of a component in a large React (Next.js) application, and IDX AI can summarize what it does for you.

Generating Code Comments

Select a block of code, and IDX AI will generate code comments for you, making your code more readable and maintainable.

Generating Code for Specific Problems

Ask IDX AI for help with a problem like “Help me add a text field for entering a promotion code to the cart,” and it will generate the code for you, wiring it up to the rest of your component beyond just the text field code itself.

Publish to the Web with Firebase Hosting

Deploying your app is made easier with Firebase Hosting integration, allowing you to deploy a shareable preview of your web app or deploy to production with just a few clicks.

Let’s Build Project IDX Together

The IDX team is just at the beginning of this experimental journey to improve the end-to-end development workflow, and we need your help to make this vision a reality. Join the waitlist today and be part of this journey.

If you’re interested in learning more, Roman has also been sharing a look behind the scenes of IDX and will share more in the future.

Shout outs to Jeanine Banks, Roman Nurik, Kirupa Chinnathambi, Erin M. Kidwell, Ashwin Raghav, Prakhar Srivastav, David East, and the rest of the IDX team for their amazing work. Chrome is excited to continue partnering with them.