{"id":3122,"date":"2019-11-14T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/?p=3122"},"modified":"2019-11-12T02:21:52","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T02:21:52","slug":"11-essential-front-end-web-development-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/code\/11-essential-front-end-web-development-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Essential Front-End Web Development Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Since you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019ve probably already realized that <strong>front-end web development<\/strong> can be an <strong>exciting<\/strong>, <strong>in-demand<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>high-paying<\/strong> career. And maybe you already know the\u00a0fundamental skills\u00a0you need to get started as a developer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what\u2019s next? It\u2019s all about the <strong>tools<\/strong>! Getting to know the tools of the trade can make your job easier and keep you on top of the skills you need to\u00a0land a developer job\u00a0or work better with your current team or clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, we break it down for you and explain the tools essential to your success as a developer. Plus, we recommend our favorites so you can add the latest and greatest to your front-end toolbox. (<strong>Bonus<\/strong>: Most of our picks are completely <strong>free <\/strong>so you can level up without paying up!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is our complete list of tools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Atom<\/li><li>Git<\/li><li>HTML5 Boilerplate<\/li><li>Google Fonts<\/li><li>Bootstrap<\/li><li>Less<\/li><li>jQuery<\/li><li>Vue.js<\/li><li>Chrome Dev Tools<\/li><li>W3C Markup Validation Service<\/li><li>CodePen<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Code Editors<\/li><li>Version Control Systems<\/li><li>Front-End Boilerplates<\/li><li>Front-End Assets<\/li><li>Front-End Frameworks<\/li><li>CSS Preprocessors<\/li><li>JavaScript Libraries<\/li><li>JavaScript Frameworks<\/li><li>Developer Tools<\/li><li>Code Validators<\/li><li>Online Coding Platforms<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Front-End Development Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"code=editors\">Code Editors:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a <strong>developer<\/strong>, you spend most of your day in your <strong>code editor<\/strong> because it\u2019s the place you actually write the code for your sites. All editors provide the plain text format needed for your code to be interpreted as a <strong>website<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our favorite editor, <strong>Atom<\/strong>, streamlines your work by letting you customize it with thousands of add-on features, functions, and themes so the tool you use most looks and works exactly the way you want. And, because Atom was built by the same company that created <strong>Git <\/strong>and <strong>GitHub <\/strong>(more about <strong>Git <\/strong>in the next section), you can also access these vital tools directly from Atom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sublime Text<\/strong> is another much-loved editor known for its &#8220;GotoAnything&#8221; feature, which lets you move quickly through your code, multiselect to save keystrokes, and highlight to easily spot similar sections of code. <strong>Visual Studio Code<\/strong>, a relatively new but powerful editor, features <strong>IntelliSense <\/strong>for smart auto-completion of your code, a built-in debugger for fewer mistakes, and Live Code for working with other developers in the same editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/atom.io\/\">Atom<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Other Top Code Editors<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sublimetext.com\/\">Sublime Text<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/code.visualstudio.com\/\">Visual Studio Code<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"version\">Version Control Systems:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you\u2019re\u00a0freelancing, but especially if you\u2019re part of a team, you need a reliable version control system to keep track of all the changes you make to your code over time. Trust us, at some point you\u2019ll need to check or even revert to an earlier version of your code base!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Git <\/strong>is our top choice for version control systems. It\u2019s by far the most well-supported and frequently-chosen system nowadays. <strong>Skillcrush\u2019s <\/strong>very own <strong>Git <\/strong>expert Ann explains: \u201c<em>Git is a decentralized version control system which allows everyone on your team to work with the same files in the same project simultaneously without worrying that you might be overwriting someone\u2019s work. It gives developers more freedom to work whenever and wherever since everyone has a local copy of the code.<\/em>\u201d Just what every developer needs! (Wondering about <strong>GitHub<\/strong>? It\u2019s a place where you can store your Git files to share and collaborate with other developers \u2013 even better!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, if you\u2019re considering working with an enterprise-level company that uses a centralized version control system, you can opt for our runner-up: <strong>Apache Subversion<\/strong>. Subversion, often abbreviated to <strong>SVN<\/strong>, stores code on one central server, which means it can be simpler to understand than <strong>Git <\/strong>but server problems could potentially cause speed and access problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/git-scm.com\/\">Git<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top Version Control System<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/subversion.apache.org\/\">Apache Subversion (SVN)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"boilerplates\">Front-End Boilerplates:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While each site you create as a front-end developer is unique, you don\u2019t have to do all your coding from scratch. <strong>Boilerplates <\/strong>are code templates you can use to kick off your development process. These sets of <strong>HTML<\/strong>, <strong>CSS<\/strong>, and <strong>JavaScript <\/strong>files help you spend less time doing the routine work of setting up your site files while feeling confident that your site follows modern best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our number one choice for a front-end boilerplate is the HTML5 <strong>Boilerplate<\/strong>. It\u2019s the most used template in the front end world and the result of the work of hundreds of developers who continue to update this open-source project that makes it easy to set up websites that are both fast and adaptive to all devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can guess from the name, our other choice, <strong>Reset CSS<\/strong>, only includes <strong>CSS boilerplate<\/strong> code, which is handy if you only need to set up the styling for your site. But it also ensures that your site looks consistent, regardless of the browser it\u2019s viewed with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/html5boilerplate.com\/\">HTML5 Boilerplate<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top Front-End Boilerplate<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/meyerweb.com\/eric\/tools\/css\/reset\/\">Reset CSS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"assets\">Front-End Assets:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve made a solid start setting up the code for your site, you\u2019ll want to be sure it\u2019s savvy-looking too. By selecting some stunning front-end assets like fonts, icons, photos, and graphics, you can transform any site from boring to beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are literally thousands of front-end assets available so there\u2019s always something to fit the look and feel of anything you build. We\u2019ve found that some of the best assets (like what <strong>we recommend<\/strong>) work with multiple screen sizes, so you can make sure your sites are responsive to any screen size \u2014 from mobile phones to desktop monitors \u2014 a must-have <strong>skill<\/strong> for <strong>top front-end developers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Fonts<\/strong> is our favorite front-end asset for the incredible selection it provides for your site typography. And <strong>Font Awesome<\/strong> is, well, awesome for the vast array of icons it offers (1,000+ for free and 7,000+ on the paid plan). Similarly, <strong>Unsplash <\/strong>boasts more than 800,000 high-resolution stock photos you can use, all at <strong>no charge<\/strong> and with <strong>no copyright hassles<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>:  <a href=\"https:\/\/fonts.google.com\/\">Google Fonts<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Other Top Front-End Assets<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fontawesome.com\/\">Font Awesome<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/unsplash.com\/\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"frameworks\">Front-End Frameworks:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of looking good, front-end frameworks are another must-have for front-end developers! Front-end frameworks are packages of files for styling and laying out your websites. Frameworks are made up of ready-made navigation menus, buttons, forms, typography, and other assets so you don\u2019t have to write all that code yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Front-end frameworks range from full-featured, complex frameworks that save you plenty of time and effort to simple, minimalistic frameworks you can customize to your heart\u2019s content. Our favorite, <strong>Bootstrap<\/strong>, is the most prominent framework and perfect for responsive websites. It\u2019s great for beginners because you can just download the files and include them in your HTML, as well as more advanced developers who can tweak the <strong>Bootstrap <\/strong>files to fit their needs exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others we like include <strong>Semantic UI,<\/strong> which features a large selection of themes to choose from, and <strong>Tailwind CSS<\/strong>, which lets you create unique designs without, as the company says, \u201c<em>any annoying opinionated styles you have to fight to override.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/getbootstrap.com\/\">Bootstrap<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Other Top Front-End Frameworks<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/semantic-ui.com\/\">Semantic UI<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tailwindcss.com\/\">Tailwind CSS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"preprocessors\">CSS Preprocessors:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CSS<\/strong> is a style sheet language used for styling your web pages. And you can make creating a beautiful site with CSS even simpler with preprocessors. A CSS preprocessor is basically a language that, after it\u2019s processed, gives you even more CSS features. A preprocessor also lets you write code that\u2019s easier to read, maintain, and share\u2014all vital for working on a developer team or even on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We recommend the CSS preprocessor &#8220;<strong>Less&#8221; <\/strong>because it\u2019s great for writing clean and organized code and is easy to set up and learn. Or you can try out &#8220;<strong>Sass<\/strong>&#8220;, which in some ways is more difficult to learn than <strong>&#8220;Less<\/strong>&#8220;, yet also more powerful. Both are widely used and have strong communities that keep them well-supported and developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"http:\/\/lesscss.org\/\">Less<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top CSS Preprocessor<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sass-lang.com\/\">Sass<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"libraries\">JavaScript Libraries:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>JavaScript is one of the most in-demand skills\u00a0for front-end developers these days so learning both the fundamentals of the language and how to use its libraries can put you at the top of the list for entry-level front-end developer jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>JavaScript libraries\u00a0are collections of code that make your sites interactive, provide better browser support, and add effects like animations, blog post tags, and auto-completing form fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for this kind of power for your sites and time-saving for your development work, <strong>jQuery <\/strong>is a great choice for a JavaScript library. It\u2019s easy to use with other libraries and includes a huge amount of plugins you can use to seamlessly incorporate the features and tools you\u2019ll be expected to build as a top developer. Or give <strong>ReactJS <\/strong>a try if you\u2019re looking to quickly build user interfaces (like menus, search bars, and buttons).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/jquery.com\/\">jQuery<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top JavaScript Library<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reactjs.org\/\">React JS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"js-frameworks\">JavaScript Frameworks:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like libraries,\u00a0JavaScript frameworks\u00a0can simplify your front-end development workflow. But frameworks differ from libraries in that frameworks provide the overall structure (or framework) for sites using JavaScript, while libraries focus on one or more specific aspects of a site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vue.js<\/strong> is the most popular framework nowadays and flexible enough that you can implement it on only certain sections of your sites if you like. Plus, it\u2019s easiest to start with if you\u2019re just getting into frameworks.<strong> AngularJS<\/strong>, on the other hand, has a bit of a learning curve at first but is powerful and popular with companies too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/vuejs.org\/\">Vue.js<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top JavaScript Framework<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/angularjs.org\/\">AngularJS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>Developer Tools:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you build your sites, often you\u2019ll want to make modifications and test how they look \u201clive\u201d in your browser before committing the changes. You can do all this with developer tools, often called DevTools for short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DevTools are a function built into modern web browsers that let you see the code behind each section of a site right in the browser with just a few clicks. (<strong>Hint<\/strong>: DevTools also let you peek at the code behind any website so they\u2019re also a great way to\u00a0learn a thing or two\u00a0from other developers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We recommend Chrome DevTools because Chrome is the industry leader and DevTools is well organized and easy to use. But it can be worth checking out this feature on different browsers in any case\u2014you might even find that you\u2019re a fan of other developer tools too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/web\/tools\/chrome-devtools\">Chrome Dev Tools<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Other Top Developer Tools<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/fi\/docs\/Tools\/Page_Inspector\">Firefox Page Inspector<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoft-edge\/devtools-guide\">Microsoft Edge Developer Tools<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/library\/archive\/documentation\/NetworkingInternetWeb\/Conceptual\/Web_Inspector_Tutorial\/EnableWebInspector\/EnableWebInspector.html\">Safari Web Inspector<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"validators\">Code Validators:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When your site is just about ready to launch, there\u2019s one last step needed with your code \u2014 you need to make sure it meets current standards and best practices for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Code validators do all this for you so you\u2019ll have the peace of mind knowing that your sites are fast to load, optimized for search engines, and accessible by all kinds of people on all kinds of browsers and devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>W3C\u2019s Markup Validation Service is provided by the World Wide Web Consortium, the international organization responsible for setting standards for the web, so it\u2019s the natural choice for code validation and our top pick. WAVE can also be a convenient choice because it\u2019s a browser extension you can use to validate your code in directly in Chrome or Firefox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/validator.w3.org\/\">W3C Markup Validation Service<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Another Top Code Validator<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wave.webaim.org\/extension\/\">WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"environments\">Online Coding Platforms:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A place to try out\u00a0the most important front-end skills\u00a0as you\u2019re developing them (pun intended!) can really speed up your learning, and online coding platforms are a great place for that kind of experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coding platforms are websites that allow you to write code in an online editor and see the results immediately right next to your code. These platforms are a fast and useful way for developers to experiment and learn from other developers in the same environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CodePen <\/strong>is the most diverse online coding platform in that you can write <strong>HTML<\/strong>, <strong>CSS<\/strong>, and <strong>JavaScript<\/strong>, and even try out those libraries and frameworks you were just reading about and  it features a strong community where you can share your work and see what others are trying out. Or, if you\u2019re focused on JavaScript, <strong>JSBin <\/strong>is another online coding platform made especially for that language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>We Recommend<\/strong>:<\/p><p><strong>1.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/codepen.io\/\">CodePen<\/a><br><strong>2.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/jsbin.com\/\">JSBin<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These are some essential tools for modern front-end development. Hopefully, this list helps you choose the tools that are right for you and, by adding them to your skillset, you\u2019ll both stay up-to-date as a developer and take the next big career step you\u2019ve been dreaming of!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>So, what&#8217;s your favourite coding tool? Let us in know in the comments section below and if you have any questions or issues regarding this article please feel free to ask us<\/em>, <em>we will be more than happy to assist you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019ve probably already realized that front-end web development can be an exciting, in-demand, and\u00a0high-paying career. And maybe you already know the\u00a0fundamental skills\u00a0you need to get started as a developer. So what\u2019s next? It\u2019s all about the tools! Getting to know the tools of the trade can make your job easier and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4,145,12,95],"tags":[25,146,87,48,174],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Essential-Web-Development-Tools.jpeg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7FQPL-Om","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3122"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3398,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions\/3398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azoora.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}