These settings and extensions are ideal for beginners working with basic Node programs in VS Code.

extensions.json

{
  "recommendations": [
    "aaron-bond.better-comments",
    "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "mgmcdermott.vscode-language-babel",
    "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker",
    "usernamehw.errorlens",
    "vivaxy.vscode-conventional-commits"
  ]
}

settings.json

{
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "addMissingImports": "explicit",
    "source.fixAll": "explicit",
    "source.organizeImports": "explicit"
  },
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.wordWrap": "wordWrapColumn",
  "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange",
  "javascript.autoClosingTags": true,
  "javascript.inlayHints.parameterNames.enabled": "all",
  "javascript.inlayHints.variableTypes.enabled": true,
  "javascript.updateImportsOnFileMove.enabled": "always"
}