Amazon CodeWhisperer Review 2024: What It Is, How to Use It & Is It Worth It?

CodeWhisperer is a tool that's all about making your life as a developer easier and more efficient. It's like having a coding buddy who's always there to give you a hand, whether you're writing boilerplate code, working with unfamiliar languages, or trying to spot security vulnerabilities. And the best part? This buddy is powered by AI and has been trained on billions of lines of code, so it's got a pretty good handle on what it's doing.

One of the standout features of CodeWhisperer is its ability to generate code suggestions in real time. This isn't just about spitting out a few snippets here and there - it can suggest full functions based on your comments and existing code. This can be a real time-saver, especially when you're working with unfamiliar APIs. Plus, it's not just about speeding up the coding process - it's also about improving the quality of your code. CodeWhisperer can flag or filter code suggestions that resemble open-source training data, giving you the associated open-source project's repository URL and license for easy review and attribution.

While CodeWhisperer is a powerful tool, it does have its limitations. For one, it's only as good as the code it's been trained on. If you're working in a niche area or using a less common language, you might find that the suggestions aren't as helpful as you'd like. Additionally, while the tool is free for individual use, the per user professional pricing could make it costly for larger teams or businesses.

Speaking of cost, let's talk about pricing. CodeWhisperer operates on a freemium model. It's free for individual use, which includes unlimited code suggestions, reference tracking, and 50 security scans per user per month. This is a pretty generous offering, especially considering the power of the tool. For professionals with higher demands, the professional package costs $19 per user per month.

In conclusion, CodeWhisperer is a powerful tool for developers that can help speed up the coding process and improve code quality. It's not without its limitations, but the generous free tier makes it well worth checking out.