Building faster with Github Copilot

The AI revolution is upon us, and I've been on a journey of discovery. This article will share some of my thoughts and findings from research and hands-on experimentation, with a particular sight on my experiences using GitHub Copilot.

Some context about Github Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps developers write code faster by suggesting code completions and even entire functions as they type. It's like having an AI pair programmer working alongside you

• How it works: Copilot analyzes your code, comments, and even the names of variables to predict the code you might want to write next.
• What it does: It suggests code completions, generates entire functions, and can even help you refactor existing code.
• Benefits: Increased coding speed, reduced repetitive tasks, and the opportunity to explore new coding techniques.

Good news! Back in December 2024, Github Copilot announced a new free tier for GitHub Copilot in VS Code by giving everyone access to 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month, simply by signing in with their Github account. If you want to find more about this, check this link.

How do I build faster with Github Copilot?

While developing Frontend projects, Copilot assisted me by:

• Creating common configuration files such as .gitignore, README.md, .env, DockerFile and others.
  

• Creating custom components for specialized functionalities, such as a rich text renderer for specific content types.
  

• Generating Fetch Logic: When integrating APIs and creating the application’s core functionality, Copilot can create fetch functions or Axios request, complete with error handling.

• Code Simplification: When refactoring, Copilot might suggest cleaner, more efficient code snippets.
  

• Learning: You can also ask questions about things that you don’t fully understand or you are not sure about it, and Copilot will give you an explanation with examples. Analyzing the suggestions provided by Copilot can be a valuable learning experience. It can help you understand different approaches to solving a problem and improve your own coding skills.
  

Will NPM remain relevant?

While developing dynamic content blocks in Strapi CMS for a Next.js project, I encountered a compatibility issue. The chosen rich text renderer library lacked support for React v19, which my Next.js project relied on. To avoid significant time investment on a workaround, I leveraged GitHub Copilot to build the required functionality. While this solution satisfied my needs and it gave me the chance to understand how easy it is to find a solution quickly, it prompted me to consider the potential long-term implications of relying heavily on AI-generated code instead of established libraries.

I believe that despite the rise of AI-powered tools like GitHub Copilot, NPM will remain relevant because it offers well-tested, optimized libraries that save time and handle edge cases better than AI-generated code. Libraries provide reusability, community support, and security updates that AI can’t match (or at least, not yet 😅). Copilot can complement NPM by helping developers integrate libraries efficiently, rather than replacing them.

Conclusion

GitHub Copilot is more than just an assistant; it’s a powerful friend in your development journey. By automating repetitive tasks, generating boilerplate code, and offering intelligent suggestions, it enables frontend developers to channel their energy into crafting innovative solutions and exceptional user experiences.

As for my question regarding NPM remaining relevant, I believe that while AI may reduce reliance on smaller utilities, robust libraries and frameworks will continue to be essential for complex, scalable projects.

Until next time 👋,

Stefania

P.S. Don’t forget to like, comment, and share with others if you found this helpful!

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🫶 My Favorite Articles This Week:

• The hottest programming language in 2025 by Fran Soto -Love the way this article tackles a real challenge in software development - "being able to translate thoughts to code".
• Building React Components: Turning UI Designs Into React Components by Petar Ivanov - I found this article essential especially for those who are just embarking on a web development journey. It’s an essential skill to know how to efficiently split the design into components, which can set the base for growth and scalability.
• How Do AirTags Work  by Neo Kim - Neo Kim’s articles about system design and how it gets implemented in products that we all use, are my favorite ones. I believe it offers the best way to understand system design implementation and how products such as AirTags, Shopify and many others rely on it.
• Ship anything with success (a full framework) by Tiger Abrodi - This article presents the software development process as a comprehensive framework, where coding is only one aspect and other principles are playing a more significant role.

🚀 Latest discoveries

CodeRabbit - I’ve integrated CodeRabbit in one of my side projects and I have to say that I love it so far. It is a great code review tool powered by AI which provides valuable insights and suggestions for improving your code. I find it very useful especially while I’m working solo an a project.

Warp Terminal - This terminal is just something else! I love its design and the fact that I feel like I can do everything with it.

👋 Get in touch

You can find me on LinkedIn where I share updates about what’s next on Stef’s Dev Notes, as well as information about various tech events and other topics.

You can learn more about Frontend Development, JavaScript, Typescript, React, Next and Node.js in my newsletter: Stef’s Dev Notes.