Munish Kumar sharmaEvery developer has faced this. You clone a project. Open it in VS Code. And then… pause. “How do I...
Every developer has faced this.
You clone a project.
Open it in VS Code.
And then… pause.
“How do I run this?”
You skim the README.
Try one command.
It fails.
Try another.
npm run dev
npm start
flask run
python manage.py runserver
uvicorn main:app --reload
Different projects.
Different frameworks.
Same confusion.
After switching between JavaScript and Python projects for a while, I realized the problem wasn’t skill.
It was friction.
The Hidden Cost of Context Switching
Modern dev work isn’t hard because frameworks are bad.
It’s hard because every framework chooses its own startup ritual.
React (Vite) → npm run dev
Next.js → npm run dev
Angular → npm start
Flask → flask run
Django → python manage.py runserver
FastAPI → uvicorn main:app --reload
If you work across stacks, your brain becomes a lookup table for commands.
That’s wasted mental energy.
Computers are better at pattern detection than humans —
so why are humans doing this work?
The Idea: Let the Editor Handle It
Instead of memorizing commands, I asked:
What if VS Code could detect the project and run it automatically?
That question became my first VS Code extension: WebRun.
The idea is simple:
Open a project
Click ▶️
The correct dev server starts
No configuration.
No cloud services.
No tracking.
Just automation for something developers repeat every day.
How It Works (No AI, No Magic)
WebRun doesn’t guess.
It looks for signals, the same ones developers rely on subconsciously.
Dependencies and scripts clearly indicate:
Vite
Next.js
CRA
NestJS
Express / Fastify
Files like:
vite.config.js
next.config.js
angular.json
Frameworks announce themselves if you listen.
manage.py → Django
requirements.txt + app.py → Flask
main.py → FastAPI
Common full-stack layouts:
frontend / backend
client / server
web / api
If both are detected, WebRun starts two servers in parallel.
What WebRun Supports
Right now, WebRun supports:
Frontend: React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Astro
Backend (Node): Express, Fastify, NestJS
Backend (Python): Flask, Django, FastAPI
Static HTML/CSS/JS
Full-stack projects
All triggered with one click inside VS Code.
Lessons from Shipping My First Extension
Building was the easy part.
Shipping taught me everything else.
A perfect tool with zero users doesn’t exist.
If people can’t understand it quickly, they uninstall.
Every setting you expose is a chance for drop-off.
Clear scope + MIT license = healthy contributions.
WebRun does one job:
run the project
That focus made shipping possible.
Open Source & Links
WebRun is completely open source and MIT licensed.
VS Code Marketplace:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=codewithmishu.webrun
GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/CodeWithMishu/WebRun
Feedback, issues, and contributions are welcome.
Final Thoughts
WebRun isn’t trying to replace the terminal.
It’s trying to remove unnecessary thinking from daily workflows.
If developers repeat something every day,
computers should automate it.
If you’re building developer tools:
Ship early
Learn in public
Iterate based on real usage
That mindset is how WebRun came to life.