Amazon Q Developer
Also known as: Q Developer, Amazon Q, AWS Q, CodeWhisperer
Amazon Q Developer is AWS's AI coding assistant and the successor to Amazon CodeWhisperer. It offers code completion, multi-file agentic tasks, security scanning, and deep integration with AWS services. Recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Code Assistants for the second consecutive year.
Agent Information
- Provider
- Amazon Web Services
- Supported IDEs
- VSCode, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, Visual Studio
Feature Support Matrix
| Feature | Support Level | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | ||
| Automatic Context Awareness | ✅ Full Support | Amazon Q Developer automatically analyzes the current file, open files, and project structure to provide contextually re... |
| Filesystem Access | ✅ Full Support | In agent mode, Amazon Q Developer can autonomously create, modify, and delete files across the workspace to implement fe... |
| MCP Server Support | ✅ Full Support | Amazon Q Developer supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, enabling integration with external tools and data sour... |
| Editor Integration | ||
| Broad IDE Integration | ✅ Full Support | Supports VS Code, the full JetBrains family (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, etc.), Eclipse, and Visual Studio... |
| Model Support | ||
| Claude 4 Support | ❌ No Support | Amazon Q Developer uses Amazon's proprietary models, not Anthropic's Claude models. There is no support for Claude Sonne... |
| Claude 3 Support | ❌ No Support | Amazon Q Developer uses Amazon's proprietary models. It does not support Claude 3 or any Anthropic model family. |
| Context Window Management | ⚠️ Partial | Context window is focused on the current file and nearby project files. In agent mode, it scans the broader workspace. T... |
| Debugging | ||
| Console Error Integration | ❌ No Support | Amazon Q Developer does not include integrated browser or web preview functionality. It works within the IDE context and... |
| Interactive Element Selection | ❌ No Support | Amazon Q Developer does not support interactive UI element selection or visual editing. It operates purely within the co... |
| Live Web Preview | ❌ No Support | Amazon Q Developer does not include a built-in web preview panel. It focuses on code editing and AWS service integration... |
| Configuration | ||
| Dedicated Instruction File | ⚠️ Partial | Amazon Q Developer supports custom instructions at the workspace level via settings, but does not have a dedicated file-... |
| Fine-Grained Instruction Control | ⚠️ Partial | Amazon Q Developer allows some customization via administrator settings and workspace preferences, but lacks a glob-patt... |
| Supports Scoped Instructions | ⚠️ Partial | Amazon Q Developer supports workspace-level and administrator-level instruction scopes, but does not provide file- or di... |
| Planning | ||
| Planner Strategy | ✅ Full Support | Amazon Q Developer's agent mode breaks down complex tasks into a step-by-step plan, shows the plan to the user for appro... |
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Q Developer is the direct successor to Amazon CodeWhisperer, which was retired. Q Developer includes all CodeWhisperer capabilities (inline code suggestions, security scanning) plus new agentic features, natural language chat, and deeper AWS service integration.
Amazon Q Developer uses Amazon's own proprietary models trained specifically on code and AWS documentation. It does not use OpenAI or Anthropic models directly, though it leverages Amazon Bedrock's infrastructure.
Amazon Q Developer supports VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.), Eclipse, and Visual Studio. It also integrates with the AWS Console and AWS CLI.
Amazon Q Developer offers a free Individual tier with limited monthly completions and chat interactions. The Pro tier costs $19/user/month and includes higher usage limits, additional security scanning features, and team management capabilities.
Amazon Q Developer has native awareness of AWS services, allowing it to suggest AWS SDK calls, generate CloudFormation templates, explain IAM policies, diagnose cost anomalies, and assist with AWS CLI commands. It can also chat about your deployed AWS resources directly.
Yes. Amazon Q Developer's agent mode can autonomously implement features across multiple files, write tests, and make infrastructure changes. It breaks complex tasks into steps and executes them with user approval.
Yes. Amazon Q Developer includes built-in security scanning powered by the same engine as Amazon CodeGuru. It can detect vulnerabilities like SQL injection, hardcoded credentials, and insecure cryptography, and suggest fixes inline.
Amazon Q Developer does not use your code to train its models by default. Enterprise customers can enable additional data isolation. It is SOC 2 compliant and integrates with AWS IAM for access control.
Yes. While Amazon Q Developer's AWS integration is a key differentiator, it works as a general-purpose coding assistant for any project. It supports all major programming languages and frameworks regardless of cloud provider.
Yes. Amazon Q Developer includes a Code Transformation feature that can automatically upgrade Java applications (e.g., Java 8/11 to Java 17/21) or migrate .NET applications, handling dependency updates and code changes automatically.