Continue.dev: Open-Source AI Coding Assistant Deep Dive | AIDevStart

Continue.dev: Open-Source AI Coding Assistant Deep Dive

Target Word Count: 2500+

SEO Keywords: Continue.dev, open-source AI assistant, VS Code AI, local AI coding

Article Structure

1. Introduction (250 words)

Rise of open-source AI development tools
What is Continue.dev?
Key differentiators: open-source, privacy, local LLM support
Article scope: features, setup, advanced usage

2. Continue.dev Architecture (300 words)

Extension-based architecture for VS Code and JetBrains
Local LLM integration (Ollama, LM Studio)
Cloud LLM support (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
Context management system
Plugin system and extensibility

3. Core Features (450 words)

AI chat interface
Code completion
Multi-file editing
Context-aware suggestions
File system awareness
Terminal integration
Custom prompt templates
Code explanation
Refactoring assistance
Test generation

4. Installation and Setup (350 words)

Installing in VS Code
Installing in JetBrains IDEs
Local LLM setup (Ollama, LM Studio)
Cloud LLM configuration
Customizing settings
First-time configuration

5. Local LLM Integration (400 words)

Benefits of local LLMs (privacy, cost, speed)
Supported local models (CodeLlama, DeepSeek, etc.)
Ollama integration setup
LM Studio integration setup
Performance optimization
Hardware requirements
Model selection guide

6. Advanced Configuration (400 words)

Custom prompt engineering
Context window management
File inclusion/exclusion patterns
Model switching strategies
System prompts customization
API key management
Multi-model setups

7. Plugin System and Extensions (300 words)

Available plugins
Creating custom plugins
Community plugins
Plugin development guide
Integration with other tools

8. Comparison with Other Tools (350 words)

Continue.dev vs Cursor
Continue.dev vs GitHub Copilot
Continue.dev vs Codeium
Feature comparison matrix
Use case recommendations

9. Real-World Workflows (400 words)

Feature development workflow
Debugging workflow
Code review workflow
Documentation workflow
Refactoring workflow
Learning and exploration workflow

10. Team and Enterprise Usage (300 words)

Team setup and configuration
Shared settings and prompts
Privacy and security considerations
Cost optimization strategies
Onboarding new team members

11. Performance Optimization (250 words)

Reducing latency
Managing context
Caching strategies
Hardware recommendations
Network optimization

12. Troubleshooting Common Issues (250 words)

Connection problems
Model loading issues
Context overflow
Performance bottlenecks
Extension conflicts

13. Community and Support (200 words)

GitHub repository
Discord community
Documentation resources
Contributing guidelines

14. Future Developments (150 words)

Upcoming features
Roadmap
Community contributions

15. Conclusion (150 words)

Key takeaways
When to use Continue.dev
Next steps

Code Examples

Configuration files
Custom prompts
Plugin examples
Integration scripts

External References

Continue.dev documentation
GitHub repository
Community tutorials

Internal Linking

Link to "Cursor AI vs GitHub Copilot" (Article #1)
Link to "Multi-File AI Editing" (Article #4)
Link to "AI Code Review Automation" (Article #5)