The Good Tech Companies - Developer Productivity with GitHub Copilot & AI Tools by Aditya Mishra
Episode Date: April 15, 2025This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/developer-productivity-with-github-copilot-and-ai-tools-by-aditya-mishra. Runner-up in R Sys...tems BlogBook, Aditya Mishra explores how GitHub Copilot supports developer productivity, code quality, and skill development. Check more stories related to programming at: https://hackernoon.com/c/programming. You can also check exclusive content about #github-copilot, #ai-coding-assistant, #r-systems, #r-systems-blogbook, #copilot-unit-testing, #ai-pair-programming, #github-copilot-features, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @rsystems. Learn more about this writer by checking @rsystems's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. As a runner-up in R Systems BlogBook, Aditya Mishra unpacks GitHub Copilot’s impact on coding workflows—from AI-powered suggestions to code quality, testing, and learning.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology.
Developer productivity with GitHub Copilot and AI tools by Aditya Mishra, by R Systems.
GitHub Copilot, utilizing OpenAI's codecs, is an AI-powered tool seamlessly integrated into your
code editor. It goes beyond traditional autocomplete by offering real-time suggestions for code,
functions, snippets, and even entire blocks based on your inputs.
Trained on millions of open-source repositories, Copilot acts as a smart, context-aware assistant that accelerates coding, minimizes bugs, and enhances the overall development experience.
Copilot is a great pair programming general AI tool which allows developers to work efficiently and solve complex programs quickly. It is an easy to use AI tool
which is configured in Visual Studio by default. If a user has a valid license
then user can use it to reduce the workload with the help of Copilot. There
are mainly two ways to give the prompt to the Copilot. One, by commenting. If a
developer comment and give the prompt then Copilot will provide the solution for it.
2. By using Copilot Chat window. Copilot has a great in build features where a developer can see the code explanations, create test cases, optimizing code, fix the errors, add documentations and get the help. To do so users just need to to type in Copilot chat window. N below are the few best features of Copilot where it is explained why this is Avery useful tool context aware suggestions.
Copilot goes beyond simple prediction. It comprehends the context of your code.
By analyzing variables, functions, and imported libraries, it offers highly relevant suggestions. This streamlines the coding process,
making it more intuitive and reducing the need
for developers to frequently search
for syntax or function names.
Enriched productivity.
Copilot accelerates the development process
by providing relevant code suggestions, auto completions,
allowing developers to focus more
on solving complex problems.
It provides code suggestions,
which is relevant to the coding framework.
E.G. Here, we can see that, we have just given a prompt to generate a code for uploading a document
in temp folder and Copilot suggested a code within a seconds end property defining. A developer can
create properties or DDOs within seconds with the help of Copilot because Copilot can sense
what properties could be required based on class name.
Documentation. Copilot helps us in documenting the code like methods, properties etc. correctly.
Here in below example, a developer can document all the properties with the help of Copilot with the.doc command in Copilot chat window, improved code quality. With intelligent suggestions based
on best practices, Copilot helps reduce errors and improves the overall quality of the codebase, ensuring adherence to coding standards.
It suggests middleware setups and secure practices to protect sensitive data. E, G, here we can see that, there is an error in our code because this method doesn't.
T exists in our code. Now, I have given a prompt to Copilot to fix it.
Post giving a command, we can see here, Copilot has suggested a code within seconds to create the missing method following all coding standards like documentation and all.
Now developer can accept or cancel the suggested code based on their requirement.
Unit testing. Generates unit tests for controllers, services, or business logic.
Suggests test cases based on methods being tested, supporting tools like XUnit or Nunnit.
E.G. Here we can see that with the test command, Copilot has created the unit test cases within a second.
We can select the code or we can give the file reference and line number for which test cases are required to be created post clicking on enter. Copilot suggests a test cases which are required for specific cases
code optimization. Copilot helps developers in optimizing the code so that it should
identify repetitive code and suggests reusable methods or patterns. In below example, we can
see that by giving the command optimize, Copilot has suggested the optimized code with
explanation that what has been done for the optimization and how it will be beneficial
for a developer. Learning and skill development, Copilot serves as more than just an assistant,
it's a valuable learning resource. For novice developers or those venturing into new programming
languages, IT offers a great opportunity to explore libraries, tools, and techniques.
IT offers a great opportunity to explore libraries, tools, and techniques. It can provide examples to illustrate specific functionalities and help you write idiomatic code in languages you're less familiar with.
Final thoughts. GitHub Copilot and similar iDriven tools are transforming the landscape of software development by boosting productivity,
reducing errors, and enhancing code quality. These innovative solutions empower developers to code more efficiently, collaborate seamlessly, and
discover new techniques throughout the process. However, they do come with their
own set of challenges, which require careful consideration and thoughtful
implementation. By combining the capabilities of AI tools with their own
expertise, developers can achieve remarkable efficiency and create high quality software at an accelerated pace. Whether you're an aspiring developer starting
your journey or a seasoned engineer tackling complex projects, GitHub Copilot and other
AI technologies are invaluable resources in today's dynamic development environment.
Thank you for listening to this Hacker Noon story, read by Artificial Intelligence. Visit
HackerNoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.