What is Amazon Codewhisperer & How to Use It?

Amazon recently released Amazon CodeWhisperer to the public. It is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) real-time AI code generator developed to help software developers write code faster, and identify and fix errors in their code. 

It is a cloud-based service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to provide recommendations and insights on code optimization. 

In this article, we will delve deeper into what Amazon CodeWhisperer is, how it works, its benefits, and how it can be used to improve the software development process.

What is Amazon CodeWhisperer?

Amazon CodeWhisperer is a tool designed to help software developers to write better-quality code. It provides recommendations on how to optimize code for performance, security, and maintainability. CodeWhisperer uses AI and ML algorithms to analyze code and provide suggestions to improve it. CodeWhisperer is integrated with other AWS services, such as AWS CodeCommit, AWS CodeBuild, and AWS CodePipeline, to provide a seamless software development experience.

How Can CodeWhisperer Help Developers?

CodeWhisperer can help developers identify issues in their code early in the development process, leading to better quality code, increased productivity, and reduced costs. With CodeWhisperer, developers can automate the code review process, customize the types of recommendations provided, and integrate the service into their own development workflows using its API. 

CodeWhisperer is part of AWS's suite of developer tools that help developers build, test, and deploy applications on the AWS cloud thereby boosting the overall developer productivity.

How Amazon CodeWhisperer Works?

Amazon CodeWhisperer works by analyzing code repositories in AWS CodeCommit. It uses ML algorithms to analyze code and provide recommendations on how to optimize it. 

CodeWhisperer can detect issues such as inefficient code, potential security vulnerabilities, and coding best practices violations. CodeWhisperer can also be used in different ways, depending on the specific needs of the developer or organization. 

Developers can use the CodeWhisperer console to analyze code manually or set up automated scans to continuously analyze code for potential issues. CodeWhisperer can also be integrated with other developer tools, such as AWS CodePipeline, to automate the code review process.

CodeWhisperer provides recommendations to developers in the form of comments in the code or through the CodeWhisperer console. The recommendations are categorized into different types, such as security, performance, and best practices. Developers can prioritize which recommendations to address based on their specific needs.

How to Use Amazon CodeWhisperer?

To use AWS CodeWhisperer, developers need to have an AWS account and access to AWS CodeCommit. CodeWhisperer can be accessed through the AWS Management Console.

To analyze code manually, developers can navigate to the CodeWhisperer console and select the code repository to analyze. CodeWhisperer will then provide recommendations on how to optimize the code.

Get Started with CodeWhisperer with 3 Easy Steps

In just a matter of minutes, you can begin utilizing Amazon CodeWhisperer as an individual developer. And for software teams, CodeWhisperer can be used via AWS access login where the company, in this case, has a financial relationship with AWS.

Step 1: Install Plugin for AWS Toolkit

To begin, install the latest plugin for the AWS Toolkit within your integrated development environment (IDE). Compatible IDEs include Visual Studio (VS) Code and JetBrains IDEs, such as IntelliJ, PyCharm, CLion, GoLand, WebStorm, Rider, PhpStorm, RubyMine, and DataGrip. CodeWhisperer is already integrated with AWS Cloud9 and the AWS Lambda console. You can view available plugins in the VS Code Extensions Marketplace and JetBrains Marketplace.

Step 2: Navigate to AWS Extension Panel

Once installed, navigate to the AWS extension panel within your IDE and select the Start button under Developer Tools > CodeWhisperer.

Step 3: Sign In

A pop-up window will appear, in which you should select the Sign in with Builder ID option. Use your email address to sign up and sign in with your AWS Builder ID.

[ Read Related: Use CodeWhisperer to Build a Browser Extension ]

Post Setup

Automated Scans:

To set up automated scans, developers can configure CodeWhisperer to automatically analyze code every time changes are made to the repository. This can be done by creating a CodeWhisperer rule in AWS CodePipeline. The rule can be configured to trigger CodeWhisperer every time changes are made to the code repository. CodeWhisperer will then analyze the code and provide recommendations on how to optimize it.

Types of recommendations:

Developers can also customize the types of recommendations that CodeWhisperer provides by configuring CodeWhisperer rules. Rules can be set up to focus on specific areas such as performance, security, or coding best practices. Developers can prioritize which recommendations to address based on their specific needs.

CodeWhisperer API:

CodeWhisperer also provides an API that developers can use to integrate CodeWhisperer into their own development workflows. Developers can use the API to retrieve CodeWhisperer recommendations and integrate them into their own tools and workflows.

4 Key Benefits of Using Amazon CodeWhisperer

There are several benefits of using Amazon CodeWhisperer.But here are 4 key benefits of Amazon CodeWhisperer.

1. Improved code quality

CodeWhisperer helps developers to write better quality code by providing recommendations on how to optimize code for performance, security, and maintainability. By addressing the recommendations provided by CodeWhisperer, developers can improve the overall quality of their code.

2. Increased productivity

CodeWhisperer can help developers to be more productive by automating the code review process. This allows developers to focus on writing code rather than reviewing it manually. By automating the code review process, CodeWhisperer can also help to reduce the time it takes to identify and fix issues in code.

3. Cost-effective

Using CodeWhisperer can be a cost-effective way to improve the quality of code. By identifying and addressing issues in code early in the development process, developers can avoid costly fixes later on. Additionally, by automating the code review process, CodeWhisperer can help to reduce the time and resources needed to review code manually.

4. Security

CodeWhisperer can help to improve the security of code by identifying potential security vulnerabilities. By addressing these vulnerabilities early in the development process, developers can help to prevent security breaches and reduce the risk of data loss or theft.

Why Should You Try Amazon CodeWhisperer?

Amazon CodeWhisperer is a powerful tool that helps developers to write better-quality code. By using AI and ML algorithms, CodeWhisperer provides recommendations on how to optimize code for performance, security, and maintainability. By automating the code review process, CodeWhisperer can help developers to be more productive and reduce the time and resources needed to review code manually.

CodeWhisperer is part of AWS's suite of developer tools that help developers to build, test, and deploy applications on the AWS cloud. By integrating CodeWhisperer with other AWS services, such as AWS CodeCommit, AWS CodeBuild, and AWS CodePipeline, developers can create a seamless software development experience.

In conclusion, Amazon CodeWhisperer is a valuable tool for any software development team looking to improve the quality of their code. By using CodeWhisperer, developers can identify and address issues in code early in the development process, leading to better quality code, increased productivity, and reduced costs.

TLDR;

• Getting Started with CodeWhisperer

• CodeWhisperer Pricing

• Setting up CodeWhisperer with SSO

• Setting up CodeWhisperer with VS Code

• Setting up CodeWhisperer with JetBrains

FAQs

1. What Kind of Code Suggestions Does Amazon CodeWhisperer Generate?

Amazon CodeWhisperer generates code suggestions based on your existing codes and comments.

2. What is the Primary Use Case for Amazon CodeWhisperer?

The primary use case for using Amazon CodeWhisperer is to generate real-time code based on user instructions or descriptions provided through comments.