> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gcore.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Local development for FastEdge

FastEdge applications can be scaffolded, built, and tested entirely outside the [Gcore Customer Portal](https://portal.gcore.com), before anything reaches the edge. Three tools cover different parts of that workflow: an AI plugin that automates the full cycle through natural language, an editor extension with a visual debugger, and a headless test framework built for CI.

## Tool comparison

Each tool targets a different point in the development cycle, and the choice depends on how much of the workflow needs to run through an editor versus a script:

| Tool                    | Best for                                                                                                | Requires                        |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| AI-assisted development | Scaffolding, building, and deploying through natural-language requests in Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor | Docker, an API token            |
| FastEdge extension      | Interactive debugging with a request builder inside VS Code                                             | VS Code, the language toolchain |
| Test framework          | Headless test suites in CI, or the same debugger without an editor                                      | Node.js                         |

[AI-assisted development](/fastedge/local-development/ai-assisted-development) plugs [gcore-fastedge](https://github.com/G-Core/FastEdge-plugin) into Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor, so a plain-language request scaffolds, builds, and deploys an application through the bundled [MCP server](https://github.com/G-Core/FastEdge-mcp-server).

The [FastEdge extension](/fastedge/local-development/vscode-extension) compiles and runs an application locally inside VS Code, with a bundled debugger and request panel for inspecting responses without leaving the editor.

[Test framework](/fastedge/local-development/test-framework) runs the same compiled binaries in Node.js: headless suites for CI, or the same browser debugger the VS Code extension bundles.

Source code and issues for gcore-fastedge and FastEdge-mcp-server are in the same GitHub organization as [FastEdge-vscode](https://github.com/G-Core/FastEdge-vscode) and [FastEdge-test](https://github.com/G-Core/FastEdge-test).