Introduction
Editing HTML and CSS code can be done with nothing but a simple text editor. However, if you’d like to take your programming skills (and output) to the next level, it’s worth looking into an integrated development environment or IDE.
A bare-bones IDE will allow you to code, edit, test, and debug. However, an advanced IDE, like the ones listed here, will offer many features that will enhance your programming experiences like automation, visualization, and customization.
Best Web Development IDE
Here is the list of best web development IDE:
1. Visual Studio Code
Deemed the best JavaScript IDE for Windows, Mac, and Linux by TMS Outsource and voted the most popular in a 2018 survey by the State of JS, Visual Studio Code is a powerful source code editor that comes with a range of tools for JavaScript development. The IDE comes with built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js. It also has plenty of extensions for other languages (such as C++, C#, Python, and PHP). Developed by Windows, Visual Studio Code is great for new programmers as it explains everything from HTML tags to syntax and error handling.
Features include:
- Syntax highlighting
- Autocomplete with IntelliSense based on variable types
- Function definitions
- Imported modules
- The ability to debug code from the
- Custom hotkeys
- Templates and boilerplates
- Integrating with GitHub
- Intellisense, which provides smart completions based on variable types
- Customizable themes
2. Atom by GitHub
Atom is a fantastic IDE for JavaScript programming. Because it’s created by GitHub, it means that there is a thriving community to turn to if you run into any issues. It works with Mac, Windows, and Linux and ships with a package manager for installing new packages. The app is highly customizable, but can also be used well without configuring or customizing anything.
Features include:
- Find, preview, and replace text as you type in a file across all projects
- Easily browse and open files and projects in one window
- Teletype tool - enables collaboration with other developers from within the editor
- Very customizable/hackable
- Package manager
3. Sublime Text 3
Sublime Text 3 is a flexible, free IDE for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It supports a number of different programming and markup languages, including Python, C, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The interface is known to be clutter-free and fast.
Features include:
- Code autocompletion - snippets and macros
- Can be tweaked to boost productivity
- Enhanced pane management
- Go to definition
- Go to symbol
- Multiple selections
- Command palette
- Split editing
- Instant project switch
- Customizable key bindings, menus, snippets, and more
4. PyCharm
PyCharm is a decent free IDE for web development in a number of languages, including Python, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Node.js, and more. The IDE is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux and has a paid sister software you can purchase if you’d like something more reliable. According to some users, the free version of PyCharm can be buggy, especially the autocomplete feature.
Features include:
- Easy integration with Git, Mercurial, and SVN
- Customizable interface with VIM emulation
- JavaScript, Python, and Django debuggers,
- Supports Google App Engine
5. IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA is a Java-centric IDE that is designed to maximize productivity. One of the best features of this IDE is its ability to automatically add handy tools that are relevant to the context. As well as supporting Java languages, it supports HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby, and more. It’s free but has a paid counterpart with a fuller suite of development tools.
Features include:
- Test runner UI
- Code coverage
- Git integration
- Supports multiple build systems
- Extensive database editor and UML designer
- Supports Google App Engine, Grails, GWT
- Deployment and debugging tools for most application servers
- Intelligent text editors for HTML, CSS, and Java
- Integrated version control
- Automates repetitive programming tasks
- Advanced code completion
- Built-in static code analyzers
6. PHPStorm
PHPStorm is a great coding environment for those who work with PHP frameworks like WordPress, Drupal, Magento, and others. It has an interface that is both great to look at and easy-to-use. It’s compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux and supports a number of different front-end programming languages like HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and more. The IDE can be customized with themes and extensions to enhance your programming experience.
Features include
- Visual debugger
- Automatic code completion
- Error highlighting
- Remote deployment
- Databases/SQL
- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript editor
- Command-line tools
- Smart code navigator
- Refactoring and debugging tools
- Docker
- REST Client
- Composer
- Unit testing
7. Webstorm
Webstorm is a slick IDE that’s feature-rich and user-friendly. It’s designed to produce state-of-the-art web apps and supports languages like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, React, and more. The IDE is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Features include:
- Intelligent code completion
- Multi-line todos
- Automatic refactoring
- Debugger
- Syntax error detection
- Unit testing
- Integration with VCS
- Cross-platform features
- Powerful navigation
- Parameter hints
- Seamless tool integration
- Git integration
8. NetBeans
NetBeans is a free, easy-to-use IDE that works well with JavaScript, HTML, PHP, C, and C++. As well as supporting a number of different programming languages, it also is available in English, Brazillian Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. NetBeans isn’t ideal for those just starting programming, as the package can be tricky to set up.
Features include:
- Line indentation
- Word and bracket matching
- Source code highlighting
- Code refactoring
- Coding tips, templates, and generators available
- Modifiable workspace
9. Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is a free and open-source counterpart to the paid Komodo IDE. It is a great programming environment for JavaScript which allows you to work with different frameworks and languages. The IDE works well across Mac, Windows, and Linux and is a great way to test the Komodo platform before committing to Komodo IDE.
Features include:
- Customizable UI (split view and multi-window editing)
- Python and PHP code profiling
- Code collaboration for multi-user editing
- Autocomplete
- Refactoring
- Many available add ons
10. RJ TextEd
Released as freeware, RJ TextEd is a full-featured text and source editor with Unicode support. It supports JavaScript, PHP, ASP, HTML, and CSS.
Features include:
- Auto-completion
- Code-folding
- Column mode
- Multi-edit and multi-select
- Document map
- Annotation bar
- Advanced sorting
- ASCII and binary files
- CSS and HTML wizards
- Highlighting colors in CSS/SASS/LESS.
- Advanced color hint that can convert between color formats.
- Dockable panels.
- FTP and SFTP client with synchronization.
- File explorer, text clips, code explorer, project manager.
- Convert between code pages, Unicode formats and text formats.
- Unicode and ANSI code page detection.
- Open/Save UTF-8 encoded files without a signature (BOM).
- Unicode file paths and file names.
- HTML validation, format, and repair.
- Tools available like syntax editor, color picker, charmap
11. Brackets
Created for web designers by web designers (FWDBWD?), Brackets is a powerful, but lightweight editor that comes with a set of great visual tools and preprocessor supports that allow for easy designing in the browser. The open-source project is free of charge and has a thriving community that is always there to lend a hand. The iDE offers live HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding and supports programming in Perl, Ruby, Java, Python, and many other languages.
Features include:
- Inline editors
- Live preview
- Split view
- Preprocessor Support
- Quick edit and Live Highlight with LESS and SCSS files
- Easy to use UI
- Integration with Theseus (an open-source JavaScript debugger)
- Fast automatic code completion feature
- Plenty of useful extensions available (e.g Autoprefixer, code-folding, markdown preview, smart highlighting, and snippets)
12. AWS Cloud9
Released in 2010, AWS Cloud9 is a proprietary IDE only available to those with an AWS account. AWS Cloud is great for developing JavaScript programs – it also supports development for C, C++, Go, Node.js, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby projects.
Features include:
- An inbuilt terminal that supports npm and basic Unix commands
- Code completion
- Real-time language analysis
- Simultaneous editing
- Variable/function name refactoring
- Syntax highlighting
- Functionality can be extended by using plugins
- Variety of themes to customize the look of the IDE
- Tabbed file management
- Debugger
13. Bluefish
Bluefish is a cross-platform, lightweight IDE that can be used with Windows, macOS, Solaris, and many Linux distros. It supports a variety of different programming languages, including HTML, CSS, Perl, SQL, Ruby, PHP, Python, and more.
Features include:
- Syntax highlighting
- Code auto-completion
- Auto-recovery
- Code folding
14. Code::Blocks
Code::Blocks is a lightweight, yet powerful cross-platform IDE which can be used in Windows, Solaris, and various Linux distros. It supports programming in C, C++, PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. The open-source IDE ships with multiple compilers, including GCC, Microsoft Visual C++, Digital Mars, amongst others.
Features include:
- Code refactoring
- Syntax highlighting
- Code folding
- Auto code completion
- Customizable – plugins and extension support available
15. Light Table
Light table is a “new” IDE. It has a reactive work surface which enables the creation and exploration of apps and programs. With Light Table, you can move things around, delete clutter, and move information to places you need it the most. The unique IDE runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Features include:
- Embedding anything
- Customizable
- PrintIn Watches
- Inline evaluation
- Plugin manager
- Language documentation pane
- Autocomplete
Conclusion
There are plenty of great IDEs out there for web development. Picking the right one for you comes down to selecting an IDE that works best with the programming languages you’re most comfortable with.
Want to learn web development? The Web Developer Bootcamp course by udemy can be a great asset for your learning journey.
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Vijay Singh
My name is Vijay Singh Khatri, and I enjoy meeting new people and finding ways to help them have an uplifting experience. I have had a variety of customer service opportunities, through which I was able to have fewer returned products and increased repeat customers, when compared with co-workers. Currently working with hackr.io View all posts by the Author
