5 Excellent Tools Every Successful Web Developer Should Have

Web development is a rapidly growing industry worldwide. There is a constant need for skilled professionals to deliver efficient web applications. No wonder many people choose it as their future career.

To be productive and gain specific skills, one should choose the best tools for their work. When you are just starting your career as a web developer, focusing on reliable and powerful solutions is crucial. There is a huge variety of code editors, frameworks, and Git repositories, which can be intimidating.

The best idea is to start with fundamentals. Together with Jooble experts, we’ve narrowed down the top 5 tools every web developer should use.

The 5 Essential Tools for a Web Developer

Tools are applications or software solutions that help to work productively. Of course, they can be divided into several categories, such as:

• Code/text editors
• Git Clients
• Frameworks
• API and testing tools
• Collaboration tools
• Productivity apps
• Design solutions

Some of them have to do with the actual coding and other related tasks. This guide will focus specifically on those that allow efficient web development.

1. Proper Code and Text Editor

The first thing any developer needs is a great code editor to work in. It will be your main application for work, as every programmer needs to write a lot of code.

There are many suitable variants out there. And it is hard to choose only one, as every professional has their preferences.

Sublime Text is one of the most popular among specialists. It offers fast performance, great design, and lots of keyboard shortcuts. Other benefits include simultaneous editing, quick file navigation, and an auto-completion feature.

It is an outstanding, quick, and reliable editor that automates many redundant tasks. But there are other stunning options as well, namely:

• Notepad++
• Atom
• Vim
• Visual Studio Code

2. Web Application Framework

A framework is a software library explicitly created for easier and faster web development. Usually, web developers work with 1-3 frameworks constantly because changing them to another takes some time and learning. The choice depends on the type of solutions you are building, your primary coding language, and the features you might need.

There is no one-fits-all framework out there. But one can try a couple of them out and settle on the suitable ones.

When it comes to Python frameworks, one of the most popular is Django. For instance, Instagram, Uber, and Reddit use it. So it is pretty functional and works perfectly for projects of all scales. It offers amazing server-side processing speed and optimization of development. The idea is to help programmers create web apps with less manual coding.

Angular.JS is among the best JavaScript frameworks. Google created it, and it also rolled out regular updates. It is a cross-platform tool with a good number of third-party elements. Due to its open-source nature, it has a great community.

JavaScript libraries offer pre-written sections of the code for common functions programmers need. So by using it, one can drastically cut down the development time.

Other great and efficient frameworks are:

• Ruby on Rails
• React
• Vue
• ASP.NET
• Meteor

Working on your skills in a particular library is also useful for your resume, as employers often look for specialists experienced in a specific one.

3. CSS Frameworks

They are also known as front-end frameworks. They are also libraries with pre-written pieces of code for common and standard applications. Some frameworks mentioned before can also work for front-end development (like React or Angular).

Bootstrap is one of the top CSS frameworks out there. It is an open-source library with a particular focus on mobile-friendly interfaces. With this tool, you’ll be able to quickly create highly-responsive web applications.

Some other amazing CSS frameworks are:

• Mui
• Materialize
• Semantic UI
• Foundation
• Chrome DevTools
• Svelte

4. Git Clients/Version Control Systems

These are solutions that help to track the changes in the project. They are commonly used when several programmers work on the same project. Such software allows seeing who made changes and what those are.

But it is also handy when working alone when you need to re-visit your updates or get back to the previous version of the code.

GitHub is one of the top solutions when it comes to version control. You can roll your project out and track any changes you’ve made. To make the usage more comfortable, one can download GitHub Desktop.

One might also use GitKraken or SourceTree, two other reliable options.

5. API Tools

API is a fundamental part of web development. You can access any particular data or feature within the app. It is quite important for testing and debugging an app.

Postman is an excellent choice in this regard. It ensures faster development, easy fixing of bugs, and productive collaboration for a team. Other great solutions of this kind are REST-assured, HoppScotch, and Lambda Test.

Bottom Line

If you are just starting your web development career, these tools will come in handy. They help to make the process easier, faster, and more efficient.