Getting started with IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code

The procedure to get started with IBM® Developer for z/OS® on VS Code is summarized as follows:

  1. Get the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

  2. Install the prerequisites (a Java™ 21 runtime environment as a minimum)

  3. Install the IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code from the Mainframe download site or from the VS Code Marketplace

  4. (Optional) Set up integrations, such as installing IBM RSE API Plug-in for Zowe CLI to interact with z/OS®

  5. (Optional) Connect to an RSE API server with license tokens or import activation kits to enable Advanced Capabilities

Privacy notice

This editor uses Microsoft VS Code's Telemetry solution, which collects anonymized telemetry data to help improve the product. While these insights are valuable, telemetry reporting can be disabled as described in Disable Telemetry Reporting. For more information about data handling, refer to IBM®'s General Privacy Statement. All telemetry data that is sent can be viewed in the Z Open Editor log file when the log level is set to Debug, as documented in Troubleshooting using log files.

This current release of IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code collects anonymous data for the following events:

  • Activation of this VS Code extension

  • Deactivation of this VS Code extension

  • Open, close and save files of a specific language such as COBOL, PL/I, HLASM, REXX, JCL

  • Resolution of include files and assembler macros: number of successes or failures

  • Using common language server operations such as code completion, references, definition, rename

  • Using advanced features such as resource tables, data elements view, graph browsers, and MCP tools

  • Start a user build

  • Respond to the feedback dialog

  • Activate trial or full unlock licenses

Such events are logged with the following information:

  • Event time

  • Operating system and version

  • Country or region

  • Anonymous user and session ID

  • The type of editor used (VS Code, Eclipse Theia, Red Hat Dev Spaces)

  • Version numbers of Microsoft VS Code and IBM Z Open Editor

  • The major Java version and vendor used by the language servers

  • The name of the Z programming language used

  • The name of the operation performed

  • The type of z/OS protocol used (z/OSMF vs RSE API)