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Buf installs statistics

By Buf (2 listings) · VS Code Marketplace · Programming Languages

Visual Studio Code support for Buf

View on VS Code Marketplace Fresh · Oct 19, 2026

Buf has 125,180 recorded installs on VS Code Marketplace.

It ranks #2079 of 2,501 tracked VS Code Marketplace listings by installs.

It is rated 4.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings.

PluginStats has 4 daily observations since Oct 16, 2026; the latest is from Oct 19, 2026.

Installs
125,180
Official API · Oct 19, 2026
7-day growth
—
Insufficient history
30-day growth
—
Insufficient history
90-day growth
—
Insufficient history
Rank
#2079
Among tracked VS Code Marketplace listings

Rating: 4.63 / 5 from 8 ratings

About Buf

Buf for Visual Studio Code

The [VS Code Buf extension][vs-code-marketplace] helps you work with [Protocol Buffers][protobuf] files in a much more intuitive way, adding semantic syntax highlighting, navigation, formatting, documentation and diagnostic hovers, and integrations with [Buf][buf] commands.

Features

• Code navigation and documentation hovers: Jump to or quickly glance a message or service's definition. • Autocompletion: Get code completion as you type through [IntelliSense][intellisense]. • Formatting: Formats .proto files on-save. • Syntax highlighting: Code styling that provides clarity on Protobuf keywords and identifiers. • Diagnostics: Get highlights and feedback on build and lint errors as you code.

This extension doesn't stop at editing: open the [Command Palette][command-palette] (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P) to quickly run common buf tasks such as buf generate. See the full list of commands for more.

Getting Started

This extension requires Visual Studio Code 1.95 or newer (or editors compatible with VS Code 1.95+ APIs).

1. [Install the latest version via the VS Code marketplace][vs-code-marketplace]. 2. Start editing .proto files!

This extension does not require you to have the Buf CLI already installed. By default, the extension uses the Buf CLI from your system $PATH. If buf isn't found on your $PATH, the extension automatically downloads and installs the latest version to its own storage directory. Use the buf.commandLine.path setting to specify a buf binary that isn't on your $PATH.

Commands

A full list of [Command Palette][command-palette] commands provided by this extension:

• Start Buf Language Server: starts the Buf Language Server. If the Buf Language Server is already running, it will stop and then start it. • Stop Buf Language Server: stops the Buf Language Server. If the Buf Language Server is not currently running, then it is a no-op. • Build: runs buf build with optional user input for the build output file. If the build output is specified by the user, it will be created at the root of each VS Code workspace. • Init: runs buf config init at the root of each VS Code workspace. This creates a buf.yaml file to help users get started with Buf modules and workspaces. • List available breaking change detection rules: runs buf config ls-breaking-rules at the root of each VS Code workspace and provides a list of available [breaking change detection rules][breaking-rules] in a VS Code editor window. • List available lint rules: runs buf config ls-lint-rules at the root of each VS Code workspace and provides a list of available [lint rules][lint-rules] in a VS Code editor window. • Prune module dependencies: runs buf dep prune at the root of each VS Code workspace and prunes unused dependencies from the buf.lock file(s). • Update module dependencies: runs buf dep update at the root of each VS Code workspace and updates the dependencies in the buf.lock file(s). • Generate: runs buf generate at the root of each VS Code workspace and generates code based on the buf.gen.yaml file(s). • Show Buf Output: shows the extension output channel.

Configuration

buf.commandLine.path

Path to a specific buf binary to use. Relative paths are resolved from the workspace root.

buf.debugLogs

Enable debug logging for the Buf language server. Logs appear in the Buf output channel (Buf: Show Buf Output). Defaults to false.

Format on save

The extension enables editor.formatOnSave for .proto files by default. To disable it, override this in your settings.json:

Community and Support

Feedback is welcome and appreciated! For feature requests, bugs, or questions, please [file an issue][issue].

If you're looking for help and/or discussion around Protobuf, best practices, etc., join us on [Slack][slack].

Legal

Offered under the [Apache 2 license][license].

Description from the VS Code Marketplace listing.

  • buf
  • bufbuild
  • BufConfig
  • buf-config
  • format
  • json
  • lint
  • proto
  • proto3
  • protobuf
  • protocol buffers
  • ProtocolBuffers

Where Buf sits in the listing

Each band is one page of 20. Installs on a log scale. Placement is projected from installs, so it can differ from the marketplace's own sort order. Hover a dot to see the listing.

All VS Code Marketplace2,501 listings · 126 pages · page 104, #19 (overall #2079)
All VS Code Marketplace: every listing in installs order
PNG SVG
Programming Languages792 listings · 40 pages · page 34, #12 (overall #672)
Programming Languages: every listing in installs order
PNG SVG
Linters252 listings · 13 pages · page 11, #18 (overall #218)
Linters: every listing in installs order
PNG SVG
Formatters287 listings · 15 pages · page 13, #6 (overall #246)
Formatters: every listing in installs order
PNG SVG

Charts

Images: 30d · 1y · all time · 1600×900 dark

Adoption over time

Buf installs on VS Code Marketplace, last 90 days: 125,180 installs as of Oct 19, 2026.BufInstalls on VS Code Marketplace · Last 90 days125,180installs124.9K125K125K125.1K125.1K125.2K125.2KJul 21Aug 5Aug 20Sep 4Sep 19Oct 4Oct 19installsobservedarchived (Internet Archive)no observationsOct 16, 2026 – Oct 19, 2026 · 4 observations · Updated Oct…pluginstats.com
Buf installs on VS Code Marketplace, last 90 days: 125,180 installs as of Oct 19, 2026.
PNG SVG

7/30/90-day growth

Buf installs growth on VS Code Marketplace: 7-day growth unavailable, 30-day growth unavailable, 90-day growth unavailable.BufInstalls growth on VS Code Marketplace125,180installs now7-day growthinsufficient historyInsufficient history30-day growthinsufficient historyInsufficient history90-day growthinsufficient historyInsufficient historyGrowth vs. nearest observation to each baseline date · Updated Oct 19, 2026pluginstats.com
Buf installs growth on VS Code Marketplace: 7-day growth unavailable, 30-day growth unavailable, 90-day growth unavailable.
PNG SVG

Ranking history

Buf VS Code Marketplace ranking history: currently #2079 (by installs).BufVS Code Marketplace ranking · by installs · Last 90 days#2079current rank#2077#2078#2079#2080#2081#2082#2083Jul 21Aug 5Aug 20Sep 4Sep 19Oct 4Oct 19rankOct 16, 2026 – Oct 19, 2026 · 4 observations · Updated Oct 19, 2026pluginstats.com
Buf VS Code Marketplace ranking history: currently #2079 (by installs).
PNG SVG

Ratings over time

Buf ratings on VS Code Marketplace, last 90 days: 8 ratings as of Oct 19, 2026.BufRatings on VS Code Marketplace · Last 90 days8ratings7.27.47.67.888.28.48.68.8Jul 21Aug 5Aug 20Sep 4Sep 19Oct 4Oct 19ratingsobservedarchived (Internet Archive)no observationsOct 16, 2026 – Oct 19, 2026 · 4 observations · Updated Oct…pluginstats.com
Buf ratings on VS Code Marketplace, last 90 days: 8 ratings as of Oct 19, 2026.
PNG SVG

Filled points are observed values; hollow points come from Internet Archive snapshots of the listing page. Dashed segments span periods with no observations — values between points are not interpolated.

Recent observations

Full history (4)
Recent installs observations for Buf
Date (UTC)InstallsChange vs. previous
125,180+99
125,081+54
125,027+119
124,908—

Similar VS Code Marketplace Programming Languages plugins

Data source

Install counts, average rating, and rating counts come from the public Visual Studio Marketplace gallery API. Installs are cumulative and exclude updates.

Listing: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=bufbuild.vscode-buf. First seen Oct 16, 2026; last successful collection Oct 19, 2026. See the methodology.