If you see yourself one day building the software and websites that power an organization, then you might be a web developer in the making. And with the growth of multimedia applications and interactive content, the web has evolved a lot. Now, we have hundreds of tools at our disposal to build cutting edge online experiences.
For your convenience, we’ve put together a list of some of the best web development tools available. Some of these tools have a vast range of applications, be it swift ideation, rendering, visualization, designing of interactive websites, aiding in the designing phase, or more.
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The Best Web Development Tools
These tools, without a doubt, will help you improve the overall aesthetic feel and quality of your projects and even improve your web-development acumen. We’ve written this list in no particular order, but we’ve thoroughly researched the best tools for web developers.
- Sketch: Sketch is a fabulous vector-based design tool that makes sure you don’t have to worry about image resolution or densities while you create mockups, sketches, and developmental frames. It’s been giving established players like Photoshop a run for their money, as Sketch is much better optimized for mobile and web-based app design.
Unlike more complicated interfaces that can deter newbies, Sketch has a very intuitive layout. It also has remarkable visual cues that help you speed up your web projects. Sketch has also proven to be superb at graphic rendering. Its advanced features allow you to create an unlimited number of artboards. - Adobe Illustrator: Adobe Illustrator CC has become an industry-standard over the years. It offers quality vector drawing and editing for web developmental design professionals. Backed by its amazing compatibility, it allows you to fabricate designs that can be used anywhere; be it websites, applications, logos, games, or hoardings.
Another advantage is that Adobe Illustrator CC has a library of royalty-free stock images, graphics, vectors, video footage, and illustrations that you can use. It also interfaces seamlessly with video and animation apps like Premiere Pro, Animate CC, and After Effects. You can also easily share your work among your team through various desktop and mobile-based Adobe apps. - Chrome DevTools: Google Chrome has quite thoughtfully provided you with a set of tools to work with, that are conveniently built into the browser. It has the capability to change and view the style of a page. It also has the functionality to view and change the Document Object Model, debug and run JavaScript, troubleshoot, read messages, optimize the speed of the website, edit on the go, and more. It's free of cost and can be used by large or small businesses.
- Angular.JS: AngularJS is a great tool to help you further your HTML vocabulary. It’s one of the best platforms to develop dynamic documents; which alleviates the problems of HTML as it’s mostly good for static documents. It has a versatile toolkit that allows you to craft the basic framework for app development.
It also synchronizes well with other libraries. It enables you to work on the behavioral aspects of your project in a clean, readable format. Also, since the basic foundations of AngularJS are the good old JavaScript objects, this makes it easy to recycle, maintain, and test code. The cherry on top is the fact that AngularJS is an open-source, free tool. - Typescript: This is another great open-source, free language that allows you to compile Typescript code to run through any JavaScript-based engine in your browser. This will empower you to use the continuously evolving iterations of JavaScript. It’ll also help you craft the interfaces between software components. No matter what host, operating system, or browser you prefer, Typescript supports almost all of them. Typescript also helps one with insights into the behavior of JavaScript.
- GitHub: GitHub is one of the most popular software development tools available on the market with affordable pricing starting at $7. It meshes perfectly with the tools you’re already using and integrates seamlessly into your workflow. GitHub allows you to manage projects with ease, create a custom review process for the code, and helps you experiment with new programming languages.
- Bootstrap: Bootstrap is one of the best tools for any web developer. This toolkit allows development work with CSS, JS, and HTML. It’s been used to develop top-of-the-line mobile-first projects for the web that are responsive and powerful. Its open-source, front-end component library has extensive pre-fabricated components and powerful plug-ins built on JQuery.
- Grunt: Grunt is a great JS task runner tool that comes in handy when you implement automation of any sort. It takes over the mindlessly repetitive work of testing, minification, and compilation to ensure you use the least amount of effort possible. It also allows you to make your Grunt plugins; it has a library of its own plug-ins which are a breeze to install.
- Proto.io: Proto.io is a powerful tool used to create high-quality, interactive app prototypes for mobile. It's well known for allowing designers to create and apply transitions, touch events, and designs for prototypes. The best part is that you can use it right on your iPhone. This is a great feature when it comes to troubleshooting any technical issues.
It has an intuitive drag-and-drop UI that helps you prototype complex interaction without any knowledge of coding. Another convenient feature is that you can print your prototypes as well. - Balsamiq: Balsamiq is a UI tool that recreates the experience of sketching or penning the design for your websites on a notepad or whiteboard. It’s available for both Mac and Windows users. You can buy its cloud version based on a monthly or yearly subscription.
It’s a breeze to use, as you can quickly start sketching without the tedious task of learning how to use the platform. It also comes with the convenience of a prefabricated UI component library that can be a treasure trove for designers.
Final Thoughts on Web Development Tools
We hope this list will come in handy when you’re deciding how to tackle your next development project. But becoming a great programmer is about more than just learning to use the right tools. To progress in your career, you have to know all about agile development methodologies, and understand how to collaborate with a team. Our Software Engineering bootcamp is designed for anyone who’s looking to start a new future in web development. Our program introduces the core concepts and practical techniques that’ll help you kickstart your career.
You’ll learn all the essentials from HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery. You’ll also learn Responsive Web Design and AngularJS. Remote attendance connects students to a live classroom presentation, so you can be a part of a team from anywhere.
All programming courses include hands-on exercises facilitated by a set of expert instructors. This boosts retention and confidence and makes sure that you’re competent in the skills.
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