VectorIDE Specification

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VectorIDE

Code Confidently.

VectorIDE is an open-source, cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) built to combine the best features of modern code editors and enterprise IDEs into a single, high-performance platform. Designed with a privacy-first philosophy, VectorIDE delivers intelligent development tools, end-to-end encrypted collaboration, and an extensible architecture without vendor lock-in.

Vision

VectorIDE is designed to provide developers with a complete software development environment that is:

Fast and lightweight
Cross-platform
Secure by default
Extensible through plugins
AI-assisted without compromising privacy
Built for individuals, teams, and enterprises
Completely open source under AGPL-3.0+

Its goal is to eliminate the need to switch between multiple editors and IDEs by providing a unified development platform that scales from hobby projects to enterprise applications.

Core Features

Modern Code Editor

Intelligent syntax highlighting
Semantic code coloring
Multiple cursor editing
Code folding
Minimap
Split editors
Sticky headers
Inline diagnostics
Automatic indentation
Smart formatting
Code snippets
Bracket pair colorization
Rainbow indentation guides
Symbol navigation
Breadcrumb navigation
Large file optimization

Intelligent Code Completion

Context-aware autocomplete
Language Server Protocol (LSP) support
AI-assisted suggestions
Inline code completion
Function signature help
Automatic imports
Smart refactoring suggestions
Documentation on hover

Multi-Language Support

Designed to support virtually any programming language including:

C
C++
C#
Rust
Go
Python
Java
Kotlin
JavaScript
TypeScript
PHP
Ruby
Swift
Dart
Lua
HTML
CSS
SQL
Bash
PowerShell
YAML
JSON
Markdown

Additional languages can be added through plugins.

Project Management

Multi-root workspaces
Nested projects
Workspace profiles
Project templates
Dependency visualization
Project explorer
Search across projects
Symbol indexing
Workspace snapshots

Integrated Terminal

Multiple terminals
Split terminals
Persistent sessions
Custom shells
Environment profiles
Terminal history
SSH integration
Remote terminal support

Integrated Debugging

Breakpoints
Conditional breakpoints
Watch expressions
Variable inspection
Memory viewer
Call stack navigation
Thread viewer
Performance profiling
Remote debugging

Git & Version Control

Built-in Git client
Visual diff viewer
Interactive staging
Branch management
Merge conflict resolution
Commit history
Blame viewer
Pull request integration
Git hooks
Optional encrypted Git workflows

End-to-End Encrypted Collaboration

VectorIDE provides secure collaborative development while maintaining complete privacy.

End-to-end encrypted collaboration
Shared coding sessions
Secure pair programming
Multi-user editing
Workspace encryption
Client-side encryption
Zero-knowledge architecture
Encrypted session keys
Secure project sharing

Servers never have access to decrypted source code.

AI Assistant (Privacy Safe)

Local AI

Default behavior includes:

Runs entirely on-device
Code explanation
Refactoring assistance
Documentation generation
Test generation
Error explanation
Commit message generation
Code summarization

No project data leaves the user’s computer.

Optional Secure Remote AI

Optional cloud-assisted features include:

Secure prompt handling
Encrypted communication
No training on user code by default
Workspace isolation
Permission-controlled AI access

Plugin System

Extensible plugin architecture supporting:

Languages
Themes
Debuggers
Build systems
Package managers
AI providers
Custom panels
Code generators
Productivity tools
DevOps integrations

Plugin security includes:

Sandboxed execution
Permission-based capabilities
Optional signed plugins
Isolated plugin runtime

Workspace Features

Workspace layouts
Saved sessions
Window management
Dockable panels
Custom dashboards
Workspace variables
Shared team workspaces
Encrypted workspace synchronization

Search & Navigation

Global search
Regex search
Replace across project
Symbol search
File search
Recent files
Go to definition
Find references
Peek definition
Call hierarchy

Build & Task System

Build configurations
Custom tasks
Build pipelines
Task automation
Background tasks
Build output viewer
Compiler integration
Package manager integration

Testing Tools

Test explorer
Unit test runner
Integration testing
Code coverage
Test debugging
Continuous testing
Test filtering
Benchmark execution

Performance

Fast startup
Low memory usage
Large repository optimization
Incremental indexing
Lazy loading
Background compilation
Efficient caching
Hardware acceleration where available

Security

Client-side encryption
Zero-knowledge collaboration
Secure credential storage
Secret detection
Signed update verification
Secure plugin sandbox
Permission management
Optional multi-factor authentication

Cross Platform

Supported operating systems:

Windows
macOS
Linux

Future targets:

BSD
Web (limited functionality)
ARM devices

Accessibility

Keyboard-first navigation
Screen reader support
High contrast themes
Custom font support
Adjustable scaling
Reduced motion support
Fully configurable shortcuts

Customization

Themes
Icon packs
Fonts
Layouts
Keyboard shortcuts
UI density
Startup behavior
Workspace presets

Enterprise Features

Self-hosted collaboration
Team workspaces
Secure deployment
Organization management
Audit logging
Workspace permissions
Enterprise authentication
Offline deployments

Future Roadmap

Visual UI designer
Database explorer
API testing tools
Integrated container management
Kubernetes support
Remote development
Live collaborative debugging
Mobile companion application
Marketplace for verified plugins
Distributed build system
Integrated documentation authoring
Native package publishing
AI workflow automation

Specification Branding License (SBL)

Standard

Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
Copyleft enforced for network deployments
Required attribution:
- Roxanne Ardary
- https://www.roxanneardary.com/

Optional

Specification Branding License (SBL)
- Attribution-free commercial deployment
- Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
- https://roxanneardary.com/vectoride/

License & Notice Requirements

VectorIDE is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).
By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.

Please note the following:

All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to: Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
VectorIDE specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
The project’s notice.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments. Any update that adds new contributors or modifies attribution should also update notice.md.
When submitting a pull request, ensure that any new files maintain the attribution headers where applicable.
Network-deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.

For full legal details, please refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the project’s notice.md file.

Notice – VectorIDE

Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.

Contributors

This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.

Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – March 10, 2026
Created the repository for VectorIDE. Developed the core IDE platform with cross-platform support, advanced code editing features, and end-to-end encryption.
[Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]

License – VectorIDE

This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

Key Points:

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.

For the full license text, see GNU AGPL-3.0 License.

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