What is GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to enhance the developer experience. It provides real-time code suggestions, debugging assistance, and contextualized support throughout the software development lifecycle. Integrated with popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains, and Neovim, Copilot helps developers write code faster and more efficiently by generating suggestions based on the context of their work. It is trained on publicly available code and natural language text, making it a versatile tool for developers across various programming languages.

Top Features

• Real-time Code Suggestions: Offers context-aware code completions as you type.
  
• Multi-file Editing: Updates multiple files simultaneously based on your instructions.
  
• AI-Powered Chat: Provides answers, generates tests, and creates documentation with a single click.
  
• Customizable Models: Supports models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o, and more for tailored coding tasks.
  
• Debugging Assistance: Identifies and fixes bugs before human review.
  
• Extensions: Integrates with third-party tools for enhanced functionality.
  
• Terminal Support: Offers AI assistance directly in the CLI.
  
• Code Referencing: Detects and suppresses suggestions matching public code to mitigate copyright risks.
  

Pricing

• Free Plan: $0/month, includes up to 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests.
  
• Pro Plan: $10/month, offers unlimited completions and chat requests, free for students, teachers, and open-source maintainers.
  
• Business Plan: $19/user/month, designed for teams with advanced workflow needs.
  
• Enterprise Plan: $39/user/month, includes custom models, deep codebase integration, and enterprise-grade security.
  

FAQs

What is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that provides real-time code suggestions, debugging, and contextualized support across various IDEs and platforms.

Who is eligible for the Free Plan?
Individual developers can access the Free Plan, but users with Copilot Business or Enterprise seats are not eligible.

What languages and IDEs does Copilot support?
Copilot supports all languages found in public repositories and integrates with Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, and more.

Does Copilot copy/paste code?
No, Copilot generates suggestions probabilistically based on context, not by copying code.

What are the differences between Business, Enterprise, and Individual plans?
Business and Enterprise plans offer organizational license management, policy controls, and IP indemnity, while Individual plans are tailored for personal use.

How does Copilot handle privacy and data retention?
Copilot processes user engagement data, prompts, and suggestions, retaining data for up to two years or 28 days, depending on usage.

Can Copilot introduce insecure code?
While Copilot has filters to block insecure patterns, users should always review suggestions and apply security best practices.

Is Copilot intended to replace developers?
No, Copilot is designed to assist developers, not replace them, and requires oversight and review of its suggestions.

Does Copilot support non-English languages?
Copilot works best with English prompts and may provide lower-quality suggestions for non-English inputs.

What data is Copilot trained on?
Copilot is trained on publicly available code and natural language text, including code from GitHub repositories.