Stop Using Visual Studio 2013 with Node.js Project
Table of Contents
Introduction
I think I need to stop using Visual Studio with Node.js projects. I was using Sublime Text with my Node.js project with no problems — running Node.js commands and opening Sublime for my project took only a second.
The Problem
However, when I open my Node.js project with Visual Studio, I can hear my computer dying. Once I open Visual Studio 2013, it uses around 20–30% of my CPU and 2 GB of memory. I could also hear my computer making strange sounds from the fan.
I think the main issue with Visual Studio and Node.js is that Visual Studio uses a lot of macros to load the project files, which might cause the problem as the application is constantly checking something.
This issue should be fixed if you're using Visual Studio 2017 or later.
Conclusion
If you're working with Node.js projects, consider using a lightweight editor like Sublime Text or VS Code instead of Visual Studio 2013. The heavy resource usage from Visual Studio makes it impractical for Node.js development. Later versions of Visual Studio (2017+) have improved this experience.