Reviews

Code Editors

Sublime Text Logo
Image Source: (sublimetext.com)

One of the most important tools every front-end developer needs is an efficient code editor. The code editor is where you create and edit your source code. There are many different code editors on the market. Some of the most popular include Atom , Sublime Text , Notepad++ , and VIM. So, what is important when choosing a code editor? As you research code editors, look for a well-designed, efficient, and fast user interface. Several editors have these features, but one of the best and most popular is Sublime Text. One feature that contributes to the popularity of Sublime Text is its large number of keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts enable you to perform simultaneous editing and interactive changes to multiple selected areas at once. You can also access quick navigation to files, symbols, and lines. When you spend eight or more hours with your code editor each day, these shortcuts add up.

Chrome Development Tools

Chrome Dev Tools Logo
Image Source: (www.google.com/chrome/dev/)

Chrome Developer Tools is a definite must for your front-end toolkit. Chrome Developer Tools are a set of debugging tools built into the Chrome browser. You can view the performance analysis of your website while you edit HTML and CSS in real-time. Chrome Developer Tools are both available in Chrome and Safari. These tools will give you access to the internals of your web application. In addition, you can use the device mode to test how responsive the website will be as you’re building it. Finally, you can debug the JavaScript code within the sources panel, and the timeline identifies any runtime performance issues. Be sure to regularly check the Google Developers YouTube Channel to stay up to date.

Git and GitHub

Git Logo
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Git and GitHub are a must-tool in your repertoire of development tools. Git is a version control system that stores your markup and source code. As a web developer, you will make constant changes to your code, and Git will easily track these changes and reverse them if necessary. Git also makes it easy to work together with other development teams and manage several projects at once. GitHub is the cloud interface for Git. GitHub started up in 2008 and now has over 28 million global users. GitHub is the largest hosting platform of source code in the world. GitHub offers all the version control functionality of Git, including bug tracking, task management, and project wiki’s. Git and GitHub will make your life much easier. It pays to get familiar with both of these tools.

HTML & CSS Frameworks

Front-End Frameworks Logo
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Once you start building front-end applications regularly, you start to notice the same patterns emerging. Front-end frameworks, also known as CSS frameworks, can significantly cut down the amount of code and time needs to build your project. Front-end frameworks contain pre-written code organized in files and folders. Instead of writing the same lines of code over and over from scratch, the developer can pick out ready-made elements from the framework. Some of the most popular front-end frameworks include Bootstrap , Foundation , Skeleton , and UIkit. Bootstrap is a free and open-source CSS framework. Bootstrap contains HTML and CSS-based design templates for forms, buttons, tables, navigation, typography, and more.

jQuery Library

jQuery Logo
Image Source: (jquery.com)

Even though developers consider JavaScript as a central front-end language, it is not without its problems. JavaScript contained browser inconsistencies, a somewhat complicated and unapproachable syntax, which meant that functionality often suffered. All this changed in 2006 with the introduction of jQuery. JQuery is a cross-platform JavaScript library that simplifies the front-end process. JQuery takes tasks that require several lines of JavaScript code and condenses them into methods that you can call up with just a single line of code. JQuery streamlines your work with JavaScript. Even though JQuery is an older library, it is very much alive and well. It’s still a highly relevant front-end tool with around 300,000 downloads each day. About 90% of the top 500,000 websites still use jQuery. So, JQuery is worth including in your front-end toolbox.

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React JavaScript Framework

React Logo
Image Source: (reactjs.org)

The React front-end tool is very popular these days. React is an open-source library developed by Facebook. React is a component-based JavaScript library that builds interactive user interfaces. Every element within the react library is a separate component. React components are like building blocks that can make up your entire web application. When a developer changes a React component, it will not affect the rest of the application. In large applications, where data changes frequently, React components are an advantage. As data is added or updated, React will automatically update only components whose state changed. There is no need for the browser to reload the whole application. React can be difficult for beginners. A beginner can expect a steep learning curve. However, once you have the hang of it, it will save you development time. Furthermore, React follows Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) principles and encourages you to separate things into more usable components.

AngularJS JavaScript Framework

AngularJS Logo
Image Source: (angularjs.org)

AngularJS is another popular front-end JavaScript framework. AngularJS is an open-source project developed and maintained by Google. AngularJS uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern to separate presentation, data, and logic components. The framework utilizes some custom HTML attributes and extends the traditional HTML for presenting dynamic content through two-way data binding. The dynamic content allows for automatic synchronization of models and views. The AngularJS framework decouples DOM manipulation from application logic. The framework also decouples the client-side of an application from the server-side. In addition to the MVC pattern, AngularJS is modular and supports semantic tagging and dependency injection. The AngularJS framework provides a structure for designing the UI, writing business logic, to user testing.

CSS Preprocessor

CSS Preprocessor
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The final tool to round out your front-end development needs will include a CSS Preprocessor. Since the code should be (DRY) Don’t Repeat Yourself, the CSS Preprocessor will help accomplish this task. The CSS Preprocessor is a time-saving tool that will help you write maintainable, future-proof code, all while reducing the amount of CSS you have to write, keeping to the DRY principles. One of the most common CSS Preprocessor scripting tools is Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets (SASS). SASS is an open-source project. SASS is a little bit tricky to get to learn initially. SASS is a combination of variables, nesting, and mix-ins that will render CSS markup when compiled, meaning your stylesheets will be more readable, and importantly, DRY. In summary, a CSS Preprocessor makes writing CSS easier and less repetitive.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Logo
Image Source: (www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements)

Photoshop is considered an essential web development tool for editing photos, images, and videos. Developers use Photoshop to design websites and mobile apps. Adobe Photoshop supports the following features.

  • Automatically colorize your photos
  • Add motion to static images
  • Fine-tune face tilt
  • Adjust facial features
  • Picture editing made easy
  • Smooth skin automatically
  • Create fun filters and effects
  • Reduce camera shake
  • Create modern duotones
  • Perfect your landscapes
  • Move, scale, & duplicate objects
  • Erase distractions
  • Replace backgrounds
  • Turn part of a picture into a sketch
  • Add a pop of color to B&W pictures
  • Combine multiple shots into one photo
  • Add creative style with patterns
  • Create multi-photo text
  • Create cool double exposures
  • Add style with text & border overlays
  • Inspire with quote graphics
  • Built-in prints & gifts service
  • Beautiful photo collages
  • Organize automatically
  • Find photos faster with auto-tagging
  • Find photos with Auto Curate

Audacity Audio Editor

Audacity Audio Editor Logo
Image Source: (www.audacityteam.org)

Audacity is a free, open-source, cross-platform audio editor. Audacity is available for use on all the major computer operating systems. It was developed in 1999 and was released for download in 2000 as version 0.8. Audacity is used for recording audio and supports audio post-processing. Audio effects include support for fading in and out, trimming, and normalization. The latest version of Audacity supports the following features:

  • Record live audio through a microphone or mixer
  • Digitize recordings from other media
  • Import, export, edit, and combine sound files in different file formats
  • Supports 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit sound quality
  • Sample rates and formats converted using high-quality resampling and dithering
  • Supports for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST, and Audio Unit effect plugins
  • Effects modified in a text editor
  • Supports user-defined plugins
  • Allows for easy editing with cut, copy, paste, and delete
  • Tracks and selections support manipulation by keyboard and shortcuts
  • Supports sound spectrogram view for visualizing and selecting frequencies
  • Provides a plot spectrum window for detailed frequency analysis

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10 Great Web Development Tools

Item Name Category Price Link
1 Atom, Sublime Text, Notepad++, Vim Code Editors Free Learn More
2 Chrome Web Development Tools Built-in Browser Dev Environment Free Learn More
3 Git and GitHub Internet Hosting, Source Code repository & Version Control Free Learn More
4 Bootstrap, Foundation, Skeleton & UIkit HTML & CSS Frameworks Free Learn More
5 jQuery JavaScript Library Free Learn More
6 React JavaScript Framework Free Learn More
7 AngularJS JavaScript Framework Free Learn More
8 SASS CSS Preprocessor Free Learn More
9 Adobe Photoshop Photo, Image & Video Editor Free Trial + Paid Package Learn More
10 Audacity Sound Editor Free Learn More