As the world becomes more and more dependent on computers, websites, and the internet, the need for web developers to create and build sites that actually work has grown as well. People need sites that are mobile-friendly, search engine optimized, easy to navigate, and visually appealing in order to continue using the web as they have before. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in web development or if you’re already doing it full-time, here are some of the most essential tools you’ll want to know about and use frequently in your line of work.
1| Visual Studio Code
Code is a new, free tool from Microsoft that aims to bring web development into a 21st-century workflow. It is open-source and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. Visual Studio Code offers a fast way to edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files using well-known editors such as Notepad++ or Sublime Text for users who are used to those applications. Code supports Web standards with its IntelliSense feature that helps you write code quickly without endless Googling for errors. The built-in debugger allows you to set breakpoints on specific lines of code so you can see how your application works while you’re writing it and spot problems before they happen in production. It has become my go-to editor on all platforms.
2| WebStorm
A JavaScript IDE was built to provide a productive environment for modern JavaScript development. Using WebStorm, you can debug an application running in Node.js, regardless of where it is hosted: on a remote server or as part of a distributed deployment. You can run and debug Node.js applications locally, even if you are not using Node in your project yet! In addition to Node.js and browser extensions, WebStorm provides support for popular frameworks and libraries like React, Angular 2+, Ember 2+, Meteor, TypeScript, Vue.js, Dart, etc.. The one-click installation for these tools allows you to get started with them quickly right from within WebStorm.
3| Google Chrome DevTools
Developer tools are a suite of web authoring and debugging tools available in Google Chrome. These tools enable web developers to debug application code, identify performance bottlenecks, and view element hierarchies in their web pages. There are two types of developer tools available in Chrome: those that run within Chrome’s user interface (UI), and those that run as a standalone desktop application separate from Chrome. The Developer Tools help developers analyze and debug any issues related to websites. It features a JavaScript debugger, an interactive console with command line access, a color picker, an asset viewer, network analysis functionality including performance timing details, and lots more! It also makes it easy for developers to share code snippets online without having to worry about copying them out of different browsers or switching between applications.
4| GitHub
GitHub, is a web-based repository hosting service, which offers all of the distributed version control and source code management functionality of Git as well as adding its own features. Unlike Git, which is strictly a command-line tool, GitHub provides a web-based graphical interface and desktop as well as mobile integration. A large community of developers use GitHub to host and review code; people use it to share code using two main workflows: fork from another developer (making your copy public), or send patches (suggestions) to another user’s repository. Code can be written in several programming languages, including Perl, Ruby, Python, Java or C++ (among others). There are also public repositories for Node.js and Go libraries.
5| BrowserStack
BrowserStack is a cloud-based service that allows developers to test their code across multiple browsers and operating systems. They also have mobile capabilities, so you can test your website on various devices as well. The free plan allows you to test any five browsers/OS combinations (and an unlimited number of times), which should be more than enough for most web development projects. If you want to upgrade to their paid plans, they’ll offer features like increased cloud space and access to a wider array of OSes and browsers—great if you have unique needs or a particularly tricky project.
6| W3Schools
If you’re new to web development or just looking for a place to learn everything there is to know about HTML and CSS, W3Schools is a great place to start. Here, you can find tons of tutorials on every aspect of coding. The website also has forums where you can get answers to any questions that might come up as you work through your projects. You can even look at demo pages and see what different code does by clicking on it. If you want a comprehensive resource that offers every tool out there, W3Schools is your go-to resource.
7| Web Application Frameworks
A web application framework is a generic term for software frameworks used to develop applications on HTTP. This is commonly done using AJAX, and many web application frameworks are built to cater specifically to AJAX development. Frameworks can be divided into two categories: server-side and client-side. Client-side frameworks are dependent on browser capabilities while server-side frameworks run on servers independently of browsers, however, both client and server-side are concerned with how components communicate with each other over an HTTP protocol and often utilize HTTP cookies to maintain state between components in a web application. An example of such a framework is Ruby on Rails which creates an easy way for developers to build complex websites that allow CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.
8| JavaScript Libraries
Building on JavaScript libraries is one of the most common patterns in web development. It’s basically adding to an existing framework to make life easier. These are some great examples of what’s available out there. Just click on a library to check out more info and even demos! Most are also completely free, so they’re definitely worth exploring if you have any projects in mind. If you know of others that should be added here, please leave them in a comment!
| Conclusion
It’s difficult to pinpoint just a few tools and resources because there are so many available, but if you’re at all serious about web development, you can find useful materials for free online. Whether it’s a public code repository like GitHub or any number of tutorials from industry leaders like Google and Microsoft, building your own website now isn’t nearly as hard as it was in previous years. If you are looking for a web developer there are many reputed web development companies that may help in developing new web applications. So make sure you check out some of these resources when getting started. Your website will be grateful!
