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After you've finished developing your extension, you can install it on other machines, share it with your team, or publish it on the Visual Studio Marketplace. This section covers everything you need to publish and maintain your extension: working with VSIX packages, publishing, localizing, signing, and updating.
Working with VSIX packages
Visual Studio extensions are distributed as VSIX packages — .vsix files that contain your extension's binaries, metadata, and supporting files. Both VisualStudio.Extensibility and VSSDK extensions use the same VSIX package format.
For new projects in Visual Studio 18.11 or later, use the Modern VSIX Project Template. If you're using an earlier development environment or maintaining an existing packaging project, see VSIX packaging for older projects. Choose one project workflow; you don't need to follow both guides to package your extension.
A VSIX package is built automatically when you compile your extension project in Release mode. The resulting .vsix file is located in your project's output folder (for example, bin\Release).
You can use the VSIX format to package extension components, assemblies, and supporting files. The VSIX format uses file-based deployment and follows the Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) standard.
Publish your extension to Visual Studio Marketplace
You can distribute your extension by simply sharing the .vsix file, but the best way to reach a large audience is to publish to the Visual Studio Marketplace ↗. Extensions on the Marketplace are available to all Visual Studio users through the Extension Manager (Extensions > Manage Extensions).
For a step-by-step walkthrough, see Publish to the Marketplace. You can also automate publishing using the VsixPublisher.exe command-line tool.
Private galleries
As you develop extensions for your organization, you can share them by hosting a private gallery on your intranet. Private galleries use Atom (RSS) feeds that Visual Studio can discover through the Extension Manager.
For more information, see Private galleries.
Localize your extension
If you're planning to release your extension in different locales, you should localize it. VisualStudio.Extensibility extensions use string-resources.json files for localizing command display names, tooltips, and other metadata.
For details, see Localize extensions.
Sign your extension
Adding a digital signature to a VSIX package secures your extension and prevents tampering. During install, the VSIX installer displays the signature and a link to the certificate.
For details, see Sign VSIX packages.
Update and version your extension
After you've published your extension, you'll need to update it over time. The Extension Manager detects updates automatically when a newer version is available on the Marketplace or a private gallery.
For details, see Publish to the Marketplace.
Related content
| Article | Description |
|---|---|
| Publish to the Marketplace | Step-by-step guide for publishing to the Marketplace. |
| Publish via command line | Automate publishing with VsixPublisher.exe. |
| Sign VSIX packages | Digitally sign your extension for security. |
| Localize extensions | Provide localized metadata for international users. |
| Private galleries | Distribute extensions within your organization. |