Language Server Protocol

LSP is a JSON-RPC-based protocol that standardizes the communication between a code editor (client) and a language-specific process (server), decoupling language intelligence from the development tool.

The Language Server Protocol (LSP) is an open, JSON-RPC-based specification originally developed by Microsoft to solve the M*N complexity problem: supporting M editors for N programming languages. It establishes a common, efficient communication path between a development tool (the client, e.g., VS Code, Vim, Eclipse) and a dedicated language server process. This standardization means a single language server implementation can provide rich 'language smarts'—like code completion, diagnostics, 'go to definition,' and refactoring—to any compliant editor. The protocol, currently at version 3.17, allows language providers to focus on core logic, dramatically accelerating the adoption of advanced coding features across the entire tooling ecosystem.

https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/