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Language Server Protocol (LSP)

Edit pageLast modified: 24 February 2025

The Language Server Protocol (LSP) is an open-standard protocol developed by Microsoft. It enables communication between development tools and Language Servers. Language Servers can provide language-specific features such as code completion, documentation, and formatting, which is far easier than implementing language support from scratch. It also reduces the need for constant maintenance and tracking of changes in relevant languages and tools, making it easier to bring consistent language support to various development environments.

However, the canonical Custom Language Support provided by IntelliJ Platform still offers a wider range of integration with IDE features than handling and presenting data provided by a Language Server. Therefore, the LSP approach shouldn't be considered as a replacement for the existing language API, but rather as an added value.

Gain insights into the Language Server Protocol (LSP) and its capabilities while exploring the implementation journey of the Contextive plugin, designed to document and utilize domain terminology within codebases. Chris Simon shares the challenges faced and offers practical tips for aspiring LSP developers.