Introduction
Amazon recently announced the general release of Code Whisperer, an AI tool designed to function within IDEs like Visual Studio Code and JetBrains. The tool, which operates similarly to GitHub Copilot, has been in preview since June 2022, and now offers both a professional-level tier and a free tier for individuals.
The most significant difference between Code Whisperer and Copilot is that Amazon Code Whisperer features inbuilt security scanning that Copilot lacks. It also has a feature that can tell you the source of the generated suggestion from within their training dataset. Thus, maintaining complete transparency and It has a free tier for individual use.
When filling out your code, Code Whisperer’s built-in Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) vulnerability scanner can automatically detect and diagnose any known and documented vulnerabilities. This functionality is likely to be a standout feature, especially for security-minded developers.
Pricing
Code Whisperer’s integration with AWS services and tools like Lambda and S3 is expected to be highly optimized for the most commonly used AWS services and APIs. The professional tier is priced at $20 per month per user, while the free tier is ideal for those seeking a budget-friendly option. However, there is a code security scan limit in the free version of 50 calls or 50 security scans per user per month.
While GitHub Copilot charges $10 per month, it also offers a free option for org members. Code security scans are currently supported for Python, Java, and JavaScript only, which may be a drawback for developers using other languages.
Setting things up
To use Code Whisperer, users must install the AWS toolkit extension for VS Code, create a new project using npm init, and open the AWS tab within VS Code. The tool is already running and provides suggestions as you type, even automatically completing certain tasks for you.
Overall, Code Whisperer appears to be a compelling new addition to the AI-powered code completion space, especially for developers interested in security. Its integration with AWS services and optimization for the most commonly used AWS services and APIs could be particularly valuable for AWS developers. The availability of a free tier is also a significant advantage, as it allows developers to experiment with the tool without incurring any costs.
