{"slug": "how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama", "title": "How to Use Qwen 3 with VS Code (FREE) | Complete Setup with Ollama", "summary": "A developer from TheCodeStreet demonstrates how to set up Alibaba's open-source Qwen 3 large language model with Ollama for local use in VS Code, offering a free alternative to GitHub Copilot. The tutorial covers installation, configuration, and prompting strategies, emphasizing that breaking projects into smaller steps improves output quality.", "body_md": "Have you ever wanted an AI coding assistant inside **VS Code** without paying for GitHub Copilot or other monthly subscriptions?\n\nThe good news is—you can.\n\nUsing **Qwen 3** and **Ollama**, you can run a powerful coding model directly on your computer and use it inside VS Code.\n\nNo API costs.\n\nNo cloud dependency.\n\nYour code stays on your machine.\n\n🎥 YouTube Video:\n\nHow to Use Qwen 3 with VS Code (FREE) | Complete Setup with Ollama\n\nBy the end of this tutorial you'll know how to:\n\nQwen 3 is Alibaba's latest family of open-source large language models.\n\nIt performs well for:\n\nSince it can run locally using Ollama, you don't need to rely on cloud APIs for everyday coding assistance.\n\nOllama lets you run Large Language Models directly on your computer.\n\nBenefits include:\n\nDownload Ollama from:\n\nVerify installation:\n\n```\nollama --version\n```\n\nRun:\n\n```\nollama pull qwen3.6:latest\n```\n\nVerify:\n\n```\nollama list\n```\n\nYou should now see the Qwen 3 model installed locally.\n\nConfigure OpenCode to use your Ollama server.\n\nTypical endpoint:\n\n```\nhttp://localhost:11434\n```\n\nor\n\n```\nhttp://localhost:11434/v1\n```\n\ndepending on your configuration.\n\nInstead of asking:\n\nBuild an entire React application\n\nStart with something simple.\n\nExample:\n\n```\nCreate a reusable React Button component using functional components and CSS Modules.\n```\n\nSmall prompts generally produce better results with local models.\n\nInstead:\n\nBreak the project into smaller components.\n\nUse a coding-capable Qwen model whenever possible.\n\nLocal models work best when you:\n\nAfter experimenting with Qwen 3, I realized that the biggest limitation wasn't the model itself—it was my prompting strategy.\n\nOnce I started building projects step by step instead of expecting an entire application in one response, the quality improved significantly.\n\nThis article is Part 1 of the series.\n\nIn Part 2 we'll build a complete **GitHub Profile Finder** using:\n\n…all with step-by-step prompts.\n\n[https://ollama.com/library/qwen3](https://ollama.com/library/qwen3)\n\n[https://code.visualstudio.com/](https://code.visualstudio.com/)\n\nRunning Qwen 3 locally inside VS Code is a great option if you want a private, free AI coding assistant.\n\nWhether you're learning React, JavaScript, or working on professional software projects, local AI models have become capable enough to be part of your daily development workflow.\n\nIf you found this article helpful, consider following **TheCodeStreet** for more tutorials on:\n\nHappy Coding! 🚀", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/thecodestreet/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama-29f8", "published_at": "2026-08-04 17:31:59+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-04 17:48:56.110325+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["large-language-models", "developer-tools"], "entities": ["Qwen 3", "Alibaba", "Ollama", "VS Code", "GitHub Copilot", "TheCodeStreet"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-use-qwen-3-with-vs-code-free-complete-setup-with-ollama.jsonld"}}