Atom Editor

What is Atom Editor?

Atom is a free, open-source text editor developed by GitHub that was designed from the ground up to be deeply customizable while remaining approachable for developers of all skill levels. Launched in 2014 and affectionately nicknamed “A hackable text editor for the 21st Century,” Atom pioneered the concept of a web-technology-based desktop editor, built on Electron (which was originally developed specifically for Atom). This innovative approach allowed web developers to customize their editor using familiar technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

What made Atom revolutionary was its perfect balance between out-of-the-box functionality and extensibility. Unlike traditional text editors that required complex plugin development, Atom’s package system allowed developers to create and share customizations using web technologies they already knew. The editor featured a built-in package manager with thousands of community-created packages and themes, enabling users to transform Atom into a specialized development environment for virtually any programming language or workflow. Its real-time collaboration feature, Teletype, was ahead of its time in enabling remote pair programming.

Important Note: GitHub officially archived and sunset Atom on December 15, 2022. While the editor is no longer actively developed, Atom’s legacy lives on in several ways: its underlying Electron framework powers countless desktop applications including VS Code and Slack; its ideas influenced modern editors; and community forks like Pulsar continue development. Many former Atom users have migrated to Visual Studio Code, which offers similar functionality with active development. Despite its sunset status, understanding Atom remains valuable for appreciating the evolution of modern code editors and for users of community-maintained forks.

Key Features

• Built-in Package Manager: Integrated package manager (apm) allowed searching, installing, and updating packages and themes directly from the editor with one-click installation.
• Hackable Core: Built with web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), making it easy for web developers to customize every aspect of the editor’s appearance and behavior.
• Smart Autocompletion: Intelligent code completion that understood context and provided relevant suggestions for multiple programming languages.
• File System Browser: Built-in tree view for navigating project files and folders with quick file opening and project-wide search capabilities.
• Multiple Panes: Split the interface horizontally or vertically to view and edit multiple files simultaneously with flexible pane management.
• Find and Replace: Powerful search functionality with regex support, project-wide find and replace, and preview of changes before applying.
• Teletype Collaboration: Real-time collaboration allowing developers to share their workspace and code together in real-time from different locations.
• Git Integration: GitHub integration provided visual status indicators for modified files, easy staging, and branch information directly in the editor.
• Cross-Platform: Consistent experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux with platform-appropriate styling and keyboard shortcuts.
• Customizable Themes: Thousands of syntax and UI themes available, plus easy creation of custom themes using CSS/Less.

What’s New

While GitHub archived Atom in December 2022, the community has kept its spirit alive through fork projects. Here’s the current state of the Atom ecosystem:

• Pulsar Editor: Community fork that continues Atom development with regular updates, security patches, and modernization efforts.
• Updated Dependencies: Pulsar maintains updated Electron versions addressing security vulnerabilities that affected the original Atom.
• Package Compatibility: Most existing Atom packages work with Pulsar, preserving the extensive ecosystem users built.
• Tree-sitter Integration: Improved syntax highlighting through modern tree-sitter grammar support in community forks.
• Performance Improvements: Community forks focus on addressing Atom’s historical performance issues with large files.
• Modern Language Support: Updated language grammars and LSP integration for current programming language versions.
• macOS Improvements: Better Apple Silicon support and macOS-specific fixes in community-maintained versions.
• Legacy Preservation: Archived Atom packages remain available for reference and migration purposes.

System Requirements

Windows

• Operating System: Windows 7 or later (64-bit recommended)
• Processor: Any modern processor
• RAM: 2 GB minimum (4 GB recommended)
• Storage: 500 MB available space
• Note: Original Atom no longer receives security updates

macOS

• Operating System: macOS 10.10 or later
• Processor: Intel or Apple Silicon (via Rosetta 2)
• RAM: 2 GB minimum (4 GB recommended)
• Storage: 500 MB available space

Linux

• Distribution: Ubuntu 14.04+, Fedora, Debian, or compatible
• Desktop: GTK 2 or GTK 3
• RAM: 2 GB minimum
• Storage: 500 MB available space

How to Install Atom Editor

Windows Installation (Legacy or Pulsar Fork)

1. For Pulsar: Visit pulsar-edit.dev and download Windows installer
2. For archived Atom: Visit github.com/atom/atom/releases (not recommended)
3. Run the downloaded installer
4. Follow installation prompts
5. Launch from Start menu or desktop

# For Pulsar (Community Fork - Recommended)
# Download from pulsar-edit.dev

# Using Chocolatey (for archived Atom)
choco install atom

# Using Scoop
scoop bucket add extras
scoop install atom

# Verify installation
atom --version
# or for Pulsar
pulsar --version

macOS Installation

1. Download DMG from pulsar-edit.dev (recommended) or atom.io (archived)
2. Open the DMG file
3. Drag to Applications folder
4. Launch from Applications
5. Approve security dialog if needed

# For Pulsar (Recommended)
brew install --cask pulsar

# For archived Atom (not recommended)
brew install --cask atom

# Launch
open -a Pulsar
# or
open -a Atom

Linux Installation

# For Pulsar (Recommended)
# Download AppImage from pulsar-edit.dev
chmod +x Pulsar-*.AppImage
./Pulsar-*.AppImage

# Using apt (for archived Atom)
wget -qO - https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/gpgkey | sudo apt-key add -
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/any/ any main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/atom.list'
sudo apt update
sudo apt install atom

# Using Flatpak (for Pulsar)
flatpak install flathub dev.pulsar_edit.Pulsar

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Highly Customizable: Web technology foundation made customization accessible to anyone familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Rich Package Ecosystem: Thousands of packages and themes created by the community extended functionality for virtually any use case.
• Beautiful Interface: Clean, modern design with excellent typography and thoughtful visual design throughout.
• Git Integration: Native GitHub integration provided seamless version control workflow for Git users.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Identical experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux meant no relearning when switching systems.
• Free and Open Source: Completely free with MIT license and open development process encouraged community contributions.
• Community Forks: Projects like Pulsar continue development, keeping the Atom experience alive for dedicated users.

Cons

• Officially Discontinued: GitHub archived Atom in December 2022, meaning no official updates or security patches.
• Performance Issues: Electron-based architecture caused slowness with large files and high memory consumption.
• Slow Startup: Loading times were noticeably longer than native editors, especially with many packages installed.
• Resource Heavy: Consumed significant RAM even for simple editing tasks due to Chromium engine overhead.
• Security Concerns: Archived status means known vulnerabilities may not be patched in the original version.

Atom Editor vs Alternatives

Who Should Use Atom Editor?

Atom/Pulsar is potentially suitable for:

• Existing Atom Users: Developers who have customized Atom extensively and want to maintain their workflow through community forks like Pulsar.
• Web Technology Enthusiasts: Those who appreciate the ability to customize their editor using familiar web development skills.
• Open Source Advocates: Developers who prefer fully open-source tools and want to support community-maintained projects.
• Legacy Project Maintenance: Teams maintaining projects with Atom-specific configurations or workflows.
• Customization Enthusiasts: Users who value deep customizability and don’t mind using community-maintained software.
• Educational Contexts: Students learning about Electron applications and web-based desktop development.

Atom/Pulsar is not recommended for:

• New Users: Those starting fresh should choose actively maintained editors like VS Code which offers similar features with ongoing support.
• Enterprise Environments: Organizations requiring security updates and vendor support should use actively developed alternatives.
• Performance-Critical Work: Developers working with large files or needing fast startup should consider Sublime Text or native editors.
• Security-Conscious Users: Those requiring regular security patches should use actively maintained software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Atom still being developed?

The original Atom by GitHub was officially archived on December 15, 2022, and is no longer receiving updates or security patches from GitHub. However, the community has created forks, most notably Pulsar (pulsar-edit.dev), which continues active development. Pulsar maintains compatibility with most Atom packages while adding new features and security updates. If you want to continue using an Atom-like experience, Pulsar is the recommended choice.

Should I migrate from Atom to another editor?

For most users, yes. Visual Studio Code offers a very similar experience to Atom with active development, excellent extension ecosystem, and better performance. Many Atom packages have VS Code equivalents, and your workflow can be largely replicated. If you prefer to stay in the Atom ecosystem, consider migrating to Pulsar, the community fork that continues Atom’s development with security updates and new features.

What happened to all the Atom packages?

The Atom package registry (atom.io/packages) was archived along with the editor, but packages remain accessible. Community projects have created alternative package repositories. Pulsar maintains its own package backend that includes most popular Atom packages. Many package developers have also published their work to GitHub, allowing continued access even after the official registry sunset.

How does Pulsar compare to the original Atom?

Pulsar is designed to be a direct continuation of Atom, maintaining compatibility with existing Atom packages, themes, and configurations. The Pulsar team focuses on updating dependencies (especially Electron for security), fixing bugs, and gradually improving performance. For most users, Pulsar should feel identical to Atom while receiving ongoing maintenance and updates that the archived Atom no longer gets.

Why did GitHub discontinue Atom?

GitHub announced that maintaining Atom alongside their investment in VS Code and GitHub Codespaces was no longer sustainable. Since Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018, and Microsoft develops VS Code, resources were consolidated. The decision allowed GitHub to focus on cloud-based development experiences while VS Code continued serving desktop editing needs. Atom’s influence lives on through Electron and concepts adopted by other editors.

Final Verdict

Atom represented a watershed moment in text editor history, proving that web technologies could power desktop applications and that deep customizability could coexist with approachable design. Its influence extends far beyond its own codebase: Electron now powers countless applications, and its package ecosystem model inspired similar approaches in other editors. For its contributions to developer tooling, Atom deserves recognition as a pioneering project.

However, with GitHub’s official archival of the project, recommending Atom to new users is difficult. The lack of security updates in the original version poses risks, and the ecosystem of packages and themes will naturally decay without active maintenance. For those who loved Atom, the Pulsar fork provides a path forward, maintaining the experience while adding necessary updates and improvements.

For most developers today, Visual Studio Code represents the natural evolution of what Atom started. It offers similar customizability, a larger extension ecosystem, better performance, and active development backed by Microsoft. Those beginning their development journey or looking to migrate should seriously consider VS Code. However, for Atom loyalists unwilling to leave their carefully crafted configurations behind, Pulsar keeps the dream alive with community-driven development and a commitment to preserving what made Atom special.