CodeWhisperer
The AI Code Generator - Amazon CodeWhisperer is an AI-powered tool designed to assist developers by generating code suggestions within thei...
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What is CodeWhisperer?
Amazon CodeWhisperer is an AI-powered coding companion that generates real-time code suggestions ranging from single-line completions to full functions directly in your integrated development environment (IDE). Trained on billions of lines of code including Amazon's internal code and publicly available open-source code, it analyzes your comments written in natural language and existing code to provide contextual recommendations that help developers build software more quickly.
Key features include code generation across 15+ programming languages (Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, Go, Rust, Kotlin, Scala, Ruby, PHP, SQL, C, C++, and Shell), security scanning to detect vulnerabilities with automatic remediation suggestions, reference tracking to identify when recommendations may resemble training data, and seamless IDE integration with JetBrains, VS Code, Visual Studio, AWS Cloud9, and Eclipse. The service also supports command line completions and includes agentic capabilities for complex multistep tasks like unit testing, documentation, and code reviews.
CodeWhisperer is designed for individual developers, freelancers, students, and enterprise organizations. Individual developers can use it for free with an AWS Builder ID, while organizations benefit from the Professional tier with enterprise administration capabilities including organizational license management, policy management, and IAM Identity Center integration. It is particularly valuable for developers working with AWS services due to its deep AWS expertise.
CodeWhisperer pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Amazon CodeWhisperer offers two tiers. The Individual tier is completely free for individual developers, requiring only an AWS Builder ID (email-based sign-up). It includes unlimited code suggestions, reference tracking, 50 security scans per user per month, and access to Amazon Q conversational coding. The Professional tier costs $19 per user per month and adds enterprise features including organizational license management, organizational policy management, IAM Identity Center integration (SSO), 500 security scans per user per month, and access to Amazon Q code transformation for Java 17 upgrades. There are no upfront fees or long-term contracts, and billing is based on the number of users with access during each calendar month.
CodeWhisperer pros
- Free Individual tier for personal use with unlimited code suggestions
- Supports 15+ programming languages including Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, Go, Rust
- Integrates with popular IDEs: JetBrains, VS Code, Visual Studio, AWS Cloud9, Eclipse
- Built-in security scanning with automatic remediation suggestions
- Reference tracking detects code similar to training data for compliance
- Generates both single-line and full-function code suggestions in real time
- Trained on billions of lines including Amazon internal code
- Deep AWS service integration with expert AWS knowledge
- 50 security scans per user per month in free tier
- Command line completions for AWS CLI, Git, npm, Docker
- Agentic coding capabilities for complex multistep tasks
- Highest reported code acceptance rate among multiline suggestion assistants
- Organizational license management in Professional tier
- 50 agentic chat interactions per month in Free Tier
- Transform up to 1,000 lines of code per month in Free Tier
CodeWhisperer cons
- Best suited mainly for AWS development rather than general coding
- Free tier limited to 50 security scans per user per month
- Professional tier at $19 per user per month can be costly for large teams
- May occasionally generate incorrect or inefficient code suggestions
- Requires internet connectivity for optimal functionality
- Free tier lacks organizational license and policy management
- Some advanced features like code transformation only in Professional tier
- Language support for documentation in README files is limited
Frequently asked questions about CodeWhisperer
What is Amazon CodeWhisperer and how does it help developers?
Amazon CodeWhisperer is a machine learning-powered AI coding companion that improves developer productivity by generating real-time code recommendations based on your natural language comments and existing code in your IDE. It provides suggestions ranging from single-line completions to full functions, helping you build software more quickly without breaking your flow.
Which programming languages are supported by Amazon CodeWhisperer?
CodeWhisperer supports 15+ programming languages including Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, Go, Rust, Kotlin, Scala, Ruby, PHP, SQL, C, C++, and Shell Scripting. This broad language support makes it versatile for various development environments.
Which IDEs support Amazon CodeWhisperer?
CodeWhisperer integrates with popular IDEs including JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, AWS Cloud9, Eclipse (preview), and is also available in the command line for terminals locally and over SSH.
Is Amazon CodeWhisperer free or does it require a subscription?
CodeWhisperer has two tiers. The Individual tier is free for individual developers with unlimited code suggestions and 50 security scans per month. The Professional tier costs $19 per user per month and adds enterprise administration features like organizational license management and policy control.
What is the difference between CodeWhisperer Individual and Professional tiers?
The Individual tier is free with unlimited code suggestions, reference tracking, and 50 security scans per user per month. The Professional tier at $19/user/month adds organizational license management, organizational policy management, IAM Identity Center integration, and 500 security scans per user per month.
How does CodeWhisperer ensure code security?
CodeWhisperer includes built-in security scanning that analyzes your code to detect vulnerabilities and provides suggestions for remediation. It follows AWS's high security standards with data encryption and secure access management. The security scanning outperforms leading publicly benchmarkable tools on detection across most programming languages.
What is reference tracking in CodeWhisperer?
Reference tracking detects whether a code recommendation might be similar to particular training data from the open source. This helps developers understand when code may have come from public sources and ensures compliance with licensing requirements.
Can I customize CodeWhisperer recommendations for my organization's codebase?
Yes, you can securely connect CodeWhisperer to your private repositories to generate more relevant code recommendations specific to your company code. This helps the service understand your internal code bases faster and provide personalized suggestions.
What are CodeWhisperer's agentic capabilities?
The agentic coding experience can autonomously perform complex multistep tasks like unit testing, documentation, code reviews, implementing features, and refactoring. It intelligently reads and writes files, generates code diffs, runs shell commands, and incorporates your feedback with real-time updates. Amazon Q Developer agentic capabilities achieved the highest scores on SWE-Bench Leaderboard.
What is the relationship between CodeWhisperer and Amazon Q Developer?
All of CodeWhisperer's features are becoming part of Amazon Q Developer. Amazon Q Developer is the generative AI-powered assistant that includes CodeWhisperer's code generation capabilities plus additional features like chatting about your AWS resources and costs, diagnosing console errors, and code transformation. Users can migrate from CodeWhisperer to Amazon Q Developer in-place, retaining subscriptions and customizations.