TextMate Grammars vs Language Server Protocol

Developers should learn TextMate Grammars when creating or customizing syntax highlighting for programming languages, markup languages, or configuration files in supported editors meets developers should learn and use lsp when building or integrating development tools, as it simplifies adding rich language support to editors without writing custom integrations for each language-editor pair. Here's our take.

TextMate Grammars

Nice Pick

Developers should learn TextMate Grammars when creating or customizing syntax highlighting for programming languages, markup languages, or configuration files in supported editors

Pros

• This is particularly useful for working with niche or custom languages, improving readability in codebases, or contributing to editor extensions
• Related to: visual-studio-code, sublime-text

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Language Server Protocol

Developers should learn and use LSP when building or integrating development tools, as it simplifies adding rich language support to editors without writing custom integrations for each language-editor pair

Pros

• It's essential for creating cross-editor plugins, enhancing productivity with consistent features across different environments, and is widely adopted in modern IDEs like VS Code, IntelliJ, and Vim
• Related to: visual-studio-code, intellij-idea

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. TextMate Grammars is a tool while Language Server Protocol is a protocol. We picked TextMate Grammars based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

TextMate Grammars wins

Based on overall popularity. TextMate Grammars is more widely used, but Language Server Protocol excels in its own space.