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Jigar Shah
Jigar Shah

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9 Popular JavaScript Development Tools and IDEs to Choose From

JavaScript evolves from a simple programming language into a powerful force influencing web development. It offers CSS and HTML integration to build solid front-end applications. On the other end, Integrated Development Environments (IDE) is preferred over code editors by developers, given their inherent capacity to debug code and support for Application Lifecycle Management (ALM).

The partnership of state-of-art development tools and IDEs serves as a catalyst in this era of digital innovation. Thereby enabling web developers to conquer complexity, unleash creativity, and give life to their Java-Script-powered creations. Although there are many JavaScript development tools available, picking the best one has grown challenging. This article will give you a glimpse of different JavaScript development tools and IDEs to help you select the best fit for your programming needs.

Highly Recommended JavaScript IDEs for Web Developers

As we step into the innovative world of JavaScript frameworks, let’s explore the best development tools and IDEs that enable programmers to maximize the potential of their web projects. For web developers looking for the best coding experience, a robust and feature-rich IDE is a vital tool. Here are a couple of JavaScript IDEs that come to be excellent choices and promise to up your web development game.

1) Atom
Atom is an open-source text editor created by GitHub. It includes a huge library of community-built packages and themes and is extremely customizable. It offers a lightweight and adaptable environment for JavaScript development, thanks to its comprehensive support for the language, which includes autocompletion, intelligent code navigation, and built-in Git integration.
Features for Developers:

  • Built-in package management and smart auto-completion
  • Several panes and real-time debugging
  • Find and replace tools to find, preview, replace text input in a file or wide the project

2) Visual Studio
Microsoft is the mastermind behind developing Visual Studio, a hugely well-liked cross-platform code editor used by millions of developers pan the planet. It is used to build GUIs, web-online-mobile applications, consoles, along with cloud and web services. Developers can write both managed and native code using this IDE. It utilizes a variety of Microsoft software development platforms, including Microsoft Silverlight, Windows API, and Windows Store.
Features for Developers:

  • Multiple-language support including C#, VB, Python, C++, and JavaScript
  • Debugging functionalities for with capacity to interface running apps and add breakpoints
  • Syntax highlighting backed by the code editor
  • IntelliSense for automatic code completion
  • Code editor driven Bookmarks for rapid navigation
  • Multiple extensions and designer tools from Windows form designer to web designer

3) Eclipse
Eclipse is an open-source IDE typically used by full-stack JavaScript developers for code development. It offers for the accurate operation of JavaScript development tools which is also one of its finest features. Yet, you will have to set up a few specific JS plugins to employ it.
Features for Developers:

  • Runs under the GNU class path
  • Exceptional performance, robustness, and stability
  • Automated error reporting
  • Version, libraries, and multi-language support

4) WebStorm
Web Storm by JetBrains is developed specifically for web development and provides rich JavaScript functionality. It is the finest IDE for futuristic JavaScript development for mobile, server-side, and client-side applications.
Features for Developers:

  • Refactoring and inbuilt debugger
  • Smart code completion and code evaluation
  • Error identification and error report
  • Built-in Node.js application to back competitor IDEs
  • Spy JS

Development tools for JavaScript developers are the guide and chisel at their disposal, leading them through the extensive terrain of web development, and enabling them to carve exceptional digital experiences.

5) Sublime Text
The popular text editor Sublime Text is renowned for being quick and easy to use. It is an adaptable and cost-free IDE for Linux, Mac, and Windows. It favors numerous markup and programming languages, a few of which are JavaScript, HTML, Python, C, and CSS.
Features for Developers:

  • Split editing and comprehensive plugin support
  • Multiple selections and quick project switch
  • Slick and uncluttered interface
  • Go to definition and go to symbol functionalities
  • Code auto-completion for macros and snippets
  • Improved pane management and command palette

6) Brackets
Adobe created the open-source text editor Brackets specifically for web development. This IDE enables programming in many different languages, including Ruby, Java, Perl, Python, and offers live CSS, HTML, and JavaScript scripting. It is an open-source project that includes several excellent visual tools and preprocessor capabilities that make designing in the browser simple.
Features for Developers:

  • Inline editing and live preview
  • Split view and simple-to-use UI
  • Theseus integration
  • Useful extensions like code-folding, smart highlighting, auto prefixer, and markdown preview
  • Live Highlight with LESS and SCSS files

7) AWS Cloud9
AWS Cloud9 is a propriety integrated development environment that is exclusively accessible to people with an AWS subscription. It underpins application development in Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, Go, C, and C++. It also proves to be a wonderful platform for JavaScript programming.
Features for Developers:

  • Built-in terminal to run npm and common Unix commands
  • Code completion and concurrent editing
  • Real-time language analysis with syntax highlighting
  • Variable-name refactoring and debugging
  • Features-extensions via plugins and tabbed file management

8) IntelliJ IDEA
Another JetBrains product, IntelliJ IDEA, is a feature-rich IDE with extensive JavaScript support. It has both the free and premium version with different sets of development tools in each. Along with Java, it supports PHP, Ruby, HTML, Python, and other languages. One of the strongest features of IntelliJ IDEA is its capacity to automatically provide helpful tools that are pertinent to the context.
Features for Developers:

  • Favors multiple build systems, Google App Engine, GWT, Grails
  • Advanced code completion and code coverage
  • Test runner UI and Git integration
  • Smart text editors for HTML, Java, and CSS
  • Inbuilt static code analyzers and UML designer

9) NetBeans
NetBeans is an adaptable IDE that meets the requirements of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript developers. It is a robust ecosystem of extensions and plugins that enable developers to alter and expand the functionality of the IDE. It is accessible in English, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Portuguese languages, in addition to supporting a variety of programming languages.
Features for Developers:

  • Jira-integration and Bugzilla-integration for issue tracking
  • Team-server integration for sites using Kenai infrastructure
  • Source code highlighting and code refactoring
  • Line indentation and modifiable workspace

Conclusion
A web developers’ productivity and coding experience are substantially impacted by their choice of JavaScript development tools and IDEs. Sophisticated source code editors and IDEs can keep track of all the syntax and rules for a variety of programming languages.
Though there are other development tools like Komodo IDE and jQuery, the JavaScript development community holds high regard for the ones described in this article. It is critical to select a tool that complements your unique requirements and coding style because each of these tools offers distinctive features and capabilities.
Find the tool or IDE that best meets your JavaScript development needs by experimenting with various options and learning about their features. Or connect with a leading JavaScript development company to find which one suits your needs the most.

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