Lapce - Actually Fast Editor That Won't Kill Your RAM

Why I Switched from VS Code (Spoiler:

Memory Usage)

Look, I was running VS Code with like 15 extensions and it was chewing through 2.3GB of RAM just to edit some fucking TypeScript. My M1 MacBook's fan started sounding like a jet engine every time I opened our 200MB React project. That's when someone on HN mentioned Lapce and I thought "what's the worst that could happen?"

Turns out Lapce actually works.

Uses 300MB for the same project that had VS Code choking on 2GB. The startup time? Sub-second on Mac. VS Code takes like 4 seconds with my extensions loaded, which is annoying when you restart your editor 20 times a day like I do.

The Remote SSH That Doesn't Suck

VS Code remote development drove me insane. Random disconnects during deployments, 30-second connection timeouts, the whole "extension host terminated unexpectedly" bullshit every other day. I had one incident where VS Code's remote SSH extension shit the bed right in the middle of a production hotfix at 2AM. Had to finish the deploy from my fucking phone using Termux while standing in my kitchen.

Lapce's remote development just works.

Connects fast, stays connected. I edit code on my DigitalOcean droplets like it's running locally. No more waiting for "Initializing server" every goddamn time.

Built-in LSP Actually Works

Here's the thing about Lapce

• LSP support is built-in.

No hunting for the right Type

Script extension, no configuring Python LSP servers. Install Lapce, open a TypeScript project, autocomplete just works. Same with Rust, Go, Python.

I had this one project with a 50MB JSON config file that would freeze VS Code solid for 10+ seconds every time I opened it. Lapce just opens it instantly like it's a normal text file. No beach ball, no lag, just works. The rope data structures from the Xi-editor project do their job.

What's Actually Broken

The v0.4.5 release from September 2024 fixed most of the deal-breaker bugs, but let me be real about what's still fucked:

Debugging barely exists.

I tried debugging a Node app and gave up after 10 minutes. Use VS Code for that shit.

Plugin ecosystem is microscopic

• 200 plugins total vs VS Code's universe of extensions. If you depend on specific VS Code extensions, don't even bother switching.

Windows startup is still slow as hell

• takes 5+ seconds sometimes, which defeats the whole point.

But for editing code fast without your laptop melting? It's solid. I've been using it for 8 months and haven't looked back.

The Speed Thing Is Real

Lapce uses Floem, which is basically Rust instead of Electron bloat. I can open our 80MB database schema file that makes VS Code freeze for 30 seconds. In Lapce it opens instantly.

But don't think it's magic. I tried opening a 500MB log file once and Lapce still shit itself. It's just better than Electron, not perfect.

Text Editing That Actually Works

Multi-cursor works fine until it doesn't. I had this weird bug in v0.4.3 where selecting multiple lines would duplicate text randomly. Like I'd select 3 lines and somehow end up with 6 identical lines. Restarting fixed it, but that shit's annoying when you're in the zone.

Vim mode is half-baked. Basic hjkl movement works, but don't expect complex vim commands. I tried :s/old/new/g and it just ignored me. If you're a vim power user, stick to VS Code with the vim extension.

LSP That Sometimes Dies

Built-in LSP is nice when it works. TypeScript autocomplete is fast, go-to-definition is instant. But I've had the LSP server crash mid-coding session multiple times. Error messages just disappear, then come back after restarting Lapce.

Had one incident where the Python LSP got stuck in an infinite loop and pegged my CPU at 100%. Activity monitor showed lapce-language-server-python going nuts. Had to force-quit Lapce and restart. VS Code's LSP never does that shit.

The Plugin Desert

200 plugins vs VS Code's universe. No Copilot, no advanced Git integration, no Docker support. I tried making a simple theme and the documentation was basically nonexistent.

The WASI plugin system is technically cool - plugins can't crash the editor. But good luck finding plugins that actually do anything useful.

Stuff That's Genuinely Broken

Version 0.4.3 broke my keybindings completely - nothing worked. Had to nuke my config and reset everything. Version 0.4.4 fixed them but broke terminal colors - everything was this ugly bright yellow for some reason. Looked like someone threw up highlighter all over my terminal.

On my Windows work machine, keyboard input just stops working randomly. You're typing and nothing happens. Have to click somewhere else and click back to fix it.

Menu popups don't close sometimes. I'll right-click and the context menu stays there forever until I restart Lapce. Minor but annoying as hell.

For basic code editing though? It's legitimately fast and uses way less memory. Just don't expect VS Code reliability.