Ask any web development company, and they will rightly say that web development is an always evolving field. Over the last twenty years, there have been countless frameworks and libraries that have been used for web development but are now obsolete. They have been replaced by quicker, user-friendly, and effective tools.
You might remember one of your web developer friend or family member sitting in a room late at night tapping the buttons on the keyboard furiously. If you worked in a web development company, you would have experienced your colleagues working in similar conditions. This is the perfect scenario that represents web development not so long ago.
However, it is no longer accurate for describing web development in today’s time. Web development is no longer a work of a single coder but requires multiple teams working together towards a common objective. The tools have become more evolved and require collaboration between team members and across teams as well.
In this article, we will discuss the top eight web development tools in 2019 that every developer must use.However, first, we need to know the basics of web development. There are two types of web development tools – front end and back end.
Front-end means the part that is viewable to the end user on a browser, i.e. the part that you can see and interact with. On the other hand, back-end means the processes and that are undertaken to execute the requests that users on the front end make.
1. Microsoft Visual Studio
‘Code Faster’ and ‘Work Smarter’ are two phrases that Microsoft uses to define this cutting-edge software. Visual Studio is one of the most popular front and back-endweb development tools available today. It features ‘IntelliSense’, i.e. it suggests codes to the developers in case the developer gets stuck. It also provides users with suggestions on how to improve their code, as light bulb icons appear wherever there is an issue with the code.
It also features an ‘Error List’ which includes all the errors in your code. The feature allows developers to rectify the errors from one window. If you still doubt its usability in 2019, the recent statistics show that an increasing number of web-based applications are using Visual Studio.
2. Eclipse
It is another front and back-end web development tool which has a library of extensive plugins for customisation according to user preferences. Although primarily a Java application, it can create applications in PHP, C, C++ and other languages through plugins and extensions. It includes a ‘Web Tools Platform’which optimises web development through multiple tools.
3. Chrome Developer Tools
This is a front-end tool that allows for an easier and quicker process of removing errors in your code. Running into issues is guaranteed when creating a new page or solving an existing problem. The Chrome Developer Tools allow you to test your codes within the browser which saves a considerable amount of time and its user-friendliness is another reason to use this tool.
Another feature is the ‘Device Mode’ which allows developers to test how much responsive a website will be in a device. It is beneficial for optimising user experience before launching the app. Similarly, the ‘Timeline’ feature allows for tracking and recording activities when the application is being run.
4.  GitHub
Imagine working on your project and you make a costly mistake with no chance of reverting to the older version. Well, GitHub, a front-end tool, allows you to view any changes that you have made and revert to the earlier version in case of an issue. It also provides access control and features such as bug tracking, feature requests and much more.
SAP, NASA, Spotify, and Bloomberg are some of the few organisations that are known to use GitHub for their projects. GitHub reportedly has 28 million users and 57 million repositories. This remarkable achievement makes it the largest host of source code in the world.
5.  Go
It is a back-end tool developed by Google to bridge the gap between Python and C languages. Moreover, it drastically improves and speeds up the development process. Unlike other applications, it does not require a lot of memory to run. The small size of the Go processes allows hundreds or thousands of them to be executed at the same time.
Its performance is comparable to Java, even better in some aspects of web development. It edges Python when it comes to speed, performance, and user-friendliness. Google uses Go for its internal projects, while BBC and Uber are also known to use it.
6. Apache Net Beans
It a back-end tool that has a vast library of in-built modules that can be used for developing applications. It can be run on multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, Solaris etc. Apart from developing web applications in Java, it can also be used for PHP, C, C++ and many more. Apart from this, Net Beans allows you to refactor code using its wide range of tools.
7.  Bootstrap Studio
It is a powerful back-end tool that allows developers to create responsive websites and applications. The interface is a significant improvement as compared to most back-end tools and is based around the idea of simple drag and drop. It also features templates which users can edit and customise according to their requirements.
It also features a ‘Preview’ feature from which you can see how your application will look in a browser or any other device. You can also import websites that you have developed earlier using different tools.
8.  PhpStorm
It is another back-end tool that allows for smooth working with WordPress, Drupal, Magento and multiple other frameworks. It features a Version Control System and additional tools that allow for many routine tasks to be performed such as debugging, a source code editor and much more. It includes a PHP Code Sniffer which detects code smells instantaneously and warns the developer.
It also features a code tracker that tracks changes in the user’s code. Major organisations around the world use it for their internal and external business projects.
Conclusion
These are the 8 must have web developments tools for web developers in 2019. Using these tools increases your value and saves a considerable amount of time. However, web developers must keep an eye on trends and look out for any changes in the web development domain.
