Technology-reliant and internet-dependent, the 21st century has seen an emergence of numerous development tools to help with web development. Even in 2021, the amount of tools are growing. From coders to preprocessors to frameworks and more, here is a list of frontend tools to use:
Code Editing
The current top three code editors are:
- Atom (free)
- Visual Studio Code (free)
- Sublime Text ($80 for a personal license, valid for several years)
Preprocessing
Preprocessors are considered CSS add-ons to make web development easier. Some high-ranking preprocessors include:
- LESS (free)
- Sass ($35 per user with CodeKit, free with Scout-App)
- Jade (free)
Development Tools
Firefox Developer Edition (free), Puppeteer (free), and Chrome Developers Tools (also called Chrome DevTools) (free) are the most recommended developer tools to use.
Frameworks for JavaScript
Since JavaScript and the projects it’s used for are all uniquely different, each framework has a special trait. However, Node (free), React (free), and Angular (free) are currently considered the most in-demand JavaScript frameworks.
Version Control Systems (VCS)
These systems are very useful for helping developers tackle more complex operations than the basic addition, removal, and change commands. The most popular VCSs are:
- Apache Subversion (free)
- GIT (free)
- Mercurial (free)
Testers
Testing applications is a vital element for any web development project. It ensures everything in the system runs appropriately and identifies where it doesn’t. Some of the best testing tools include:
- Jest (free)
- Jasmine (free)
- ESLint (free)
Frameworks: Frontend
Used to make coding easier and simpler, frontend frameworks are designed to implement pre-programmed code with certain specific commands. These frameworks also are more visual than other development tools. Bootstrap (free), Bulma (free), and Semantic UI (free) are significant, reliable frameworks that have become popular.
Boilerplates: Frontend
Similar to frameworks, these tools contain templates for codes to increase the speed of the actual coding process. While HTML5 Boilerplate is the most popular, Vue Enterprise Boilerplate and CSS Reset are also noteworthy.
Task Managing
As it implies, task managers compile different tasks to make the development process even simpler and easier to manage as a whole project. Node Package Manager has turned out some of the most influential tools such as:
- GNU Make (free)
- Gulp (free, though it does accept donations)
- Grunt (free)
Summary
One of the best things about web development, and the IT industry as a whole, is that it’s constantly evolving. However, as you may have noticed, almost every one of these tools is completely free to use. Most require at least a basic understanding of coding, JavaScript of some kind, and all the minute elements of web development. Others are much more complex and may need extensive knowledge.
Regardless, the tools at your disposal are infinite. As more advancements are made in technology, tools like these are being updated to function smoothly alongside those advancements. This is part of what has kept the IT industry at the forefront of in-demand skills and positions for so long. Mastery of any of these tools is guaranteed, at the very least, to make the development of web applications much simpler for everyone.
