Web development has significantly evolved in just a few short years. This progress gives developers the ability to using highly tested libraries to enhance their workflow and also enjoy unlimited possibilities when working on responsive design. With the constantly improving version control systems, developers can now build things that were seemingly impossible. From web plugins and browser add-ons to code streamlining processors, creating awesome web apps is possible.
WHAT IS FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPMENT
Front-end web development is the process of transforming data into a visual interface using CSS, JavaScript, and HTML to allow users to use and view the data. The best front-end web developers have gone through frontend web development Bootcamp to enhance their skills and build more experience.
Identifying the best tools to get the job done can be confusing because they are varieties of web development tools and more being added regularly. We have created an unbiased list of the seven most essential front-end web development tools.
IONIC 2
This might come as a surprise because several people aren’t aware that Ionic 2 is not meant for the development of cross-platform mobile applications. Ionic 2 is also a great software for front-end web development. It can set up native and optimized web applications.
Here are some advantages of using Ionic 2 front-end web development tool:
- It is an open-source tool and completely free.
- Coded in Angular.
- In-built push notifications.
- Several available plugins.
- One codebase server multiple platforms.
- Good support from Slack and Stack OverFlow community.
Currently, Ionic 2 is a well-accepted multiple-platform development tool used as a startup to some of the top companies worldwide. Using Ionic2, you can create excellent applications in one codebase on any platform with the web.
SUBLIME TEXT
This is another multi-platform source code editor and a front-end development tool that can handle several markup languages and programming languages.
Sublime Text features a super-efficient, well designed, and very fast user interface. You might argue that there are several tools with similar functionalities, but Sublime Text is the best and most popular of them all.
Here are some advantages of the app:
- It is compatible with several TextMate language grammars.
- Developers are allowed to set precise project preferences.
- It gives the python-based plugin API.
- Simultaneous editing allows turning identical interactive changes to several areas.
Its multiple varieties of keyboard shortcuts are the secrete behind the success of this tool. These shortcuts give it the ability to carry out simultaneous editing as well as swift navigation to symbols, files, and lines. Developers who spend hours editing texts would surely appreciate the functionalities of Sublime Text.
NPM
This tool is a Node Package Manager for JavaScript. It assists in finding packages of codes that a reusable and assembling them in powerful new ways. This is one of the most used tools by front-end developers. It is used as a command-line utility for communicating with the repository that helps in the package. NPM is so popular that it has 17,172 stars on GitHub. Here are some cool features of NPM:
- Control private and public code with the same workflow
- Control access and publish to the namespace
- Promote discovery and reuse of code within teams
- Over 470,000 free code packages to discover and reuse in the registry
METEOR
This is a full-stack JavaScript framework. Meteor is filled with a collection of packages and libraries, which makes it an excellent front-end development tool. This tool was created using concepts from other libraries and frameworks, and it has 41,453 stars on GitHub. Some cool features of this tool:
- Efficient in developing applications
- Variety of in-built features that contain front-end libraries and NODE.js server
- Project development time is significantly sped up
- It offers Minimongo and MongoDB databases which are written in JavaScript
- Ability to refresh only the needed DOM elements using its live reloading feature.
JQUERY
For years, JavaScript has been considered by developers as an important front-end language. Although it has been riddled with some issues such as browser inconsistencies, complicating for people without experience from frontend web development Bootcamp, and reduced functionality due to its inaccessible syntax.
JQuery was introduced in 2006 as a small, fast, and cross-platform JavaScript library to ease the process of front-end development. This tool enables developers to add plugins, create animations, and navigate documents.
JQuery is successful that by 2015, it was the most used JavaScript library, and out of the top 10 million sites, 65% had it installed.
ANGULAR
For years now, this has been one of the best front-end development tools. Since its release, it has had several version updates and has improved and risen to become popular in the web development industry. It has 54,829 stars on GitHub, and a vast community of developers to provide support. To effectively use this tool, you need a frontend web development Bootcamp.
Some advantages of using Angular:
- Excellent solution for single page dynamic applications
- Fast development process
- A large amount of client-side code
- Advanced testing features
- Demands less code
BACKBONE
This is a lightweight JavaScript library that gives structure to client-side codes. It makes it easier to control and decouple concerns in apps, leaving you with a more maintainable long-term code.
Top developers use backbone.js to build single-page apps (SPAs). This tool has a lot of plugins and extensions, and a friendly community of developers. Top companies such as LinkedIn, Walmart, Soundcloud, and Disqus used Backbone to develop their applications.
Advantages of using Backbone:
- Allows developers to create client-side mobile and web applications
- Backbone makes code systematic, simple and organized; it is the backbone for any project
- It controls the data model (the user data and displays it on the server-side)
- Allows creating one-page applications
- It has libraries used to differentiate user interface and business logic
Web development tools aren’t limited to only web developers but can also be used by individuals who have some coding knowledge through frontend web development Bootcamp. Some of these tools have very friendly interfaces, and their concepts are easy to understand, and they are very effective for web development.
Each website and web application have its peculiar requirements, and using the right development tool would get the job properly done.
These web development tools can make your website/web app:
- Customizable
- Easy to use
- Scalable
- Portable