Front-end development is an essential aspect of having a presence online. Websites are meaningless without front-end development, and users cannot have a good experience without it.
However, there is a constant need for front-end developers to keep up with the changing needs of users. Therefore, there are various tools that they can use to make it easier for them to remain up to date.
To know more about the top tools in front-end development in 2022, read this list.
1. Atom
Atom is a free application by GitHub where developers can edit open-source text and source codes. It is embedded in GitControl and written in JavaScript. It is available for the Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
As a feature-rich text editor, Atom supports various programming languages:
- JavaScript
- Python
- C/C++
- Go
- Haskel.
Atom comes with different themes, functions, adaptable plugins, and languages for you to use.
There are many vital features of the Atom. For example, it has Git and GitHub version control, a built-in package manager, and an intelligent auto-completion tool. You can also use the software in multiple panes and perform cross-platform editing.
The application has a find and replace feature and four UI and syntax themes pre-installed.
Source: https://atom.io/packages/screenshot
Download link: https://atom.io/
2. Foundation
The Zurb Foundation is an open-source front-end framework. It is free and provides a responsive grid and HTML and CSS UI components, code snippets, and templates. It is an open-source project previously maintained by ZURB and, since 2019, has been supported by volunteers.
The responsive framework uses Sass/SCSS and includes the most common patterns to prototype a responsive site. In addition, you can easily style and extend Foundation components through Sass mixins.
After its 2.0 update, the Foundation has also supported responsive design. It enables the web design to adjust dynamically, depending on the device used. Its 4.0 version also prioritized mobile usage after developing web pages for larger screens.
The Foundation is available on GitHub and is open source.
Some key features of the Zurb Foundation are:
- Grid system and responsive design.
- Provides a CSS stylesheet.
- Reusable components
- Uses medium grid and custom semantic breakpoints.
- AJAX-compatible plugins
- Includes a variety of modular and flexible components.
Download Link: https://get.foundation/sites/docs/installation.html
3. Sublime Text
Sublime Text is a source code editor and shareware cross-platform. It can support multiple programming and markup languages and has extended functionality using community-built plugins. In addition, Sublime Text features a Python API to facilitate the plugins.
The software is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux to help you manage text editing processes for markups, codes, and prose. In addition, it lets you control various syntax definitions and highlighters with the help of various built-in features.
Key features in Sublime Text include:
- Goto Anything allows quick file, symbol, or line navigation.
- Command palette utilizes adaptive matching to expedite keyboard invocation of arbitrary commands.
- Simultaneous editing
- Project-specific preferences.
- Python-based plugin API.
- Highly customizable through JSON settings files.
- Cross-platform with supportive plugins for cross-platform.
- Compatible with multiple languages’ grammar from TextMate.
Source: https://www.sublimetext.com/screenshots/3.0/linux@2x.png
Download link: https://www.sublimetext.com/download
4. Git Extensions
“Git Extensions” is a control system in a distributed version. It enables a user to manage collections of source files and make various modifications to them.
The History shows what changes were made, and users can also make changes through a central repository. The principal repository, also known as the remote repository, implements GIT commands via GUI to intuitively maintain the version control system.
Some of Git Extensions’ key features are:
- Managing repository
- Generating SSH Keys as a One-Time Activity.
- Windows Explorer Integration for Git.
- Visual Studio plugin
- Feature-rich user interface
Source: https://github.com/gitextensions/gitextensions/issues/3984
Download link: https://sourceforge.net/projects/gitextensions/
5. Visual Code Studio
Visual Studio Code, also known as VS Code, is a Microsoft-made source-code editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can use VS Code with many programming languages, like Go, Node.js, JavaScript, C++, and Python.
You can find essential support for most programming languages in VS Code, like code folding, bracket matching, configurable snippets, and syntax highlighting. VS Code also uses the same editor component as that in Azure DevOps.
The key features of VS Code that you should know about are:
- Emmet Abbreviations
- Integrated Command Line Interface
- ESLint helps spot errors in your code and fix them as you write.
- Prettier (opinionated code-formatter)
- Multi-cursor shortcuts
- Text wrap
- JavaScript execution and debugging
- Source: https://github.com/atelierbram/Atelier-VSCode-Themes
Download link: https://code.visualstudio.com/download
6. npm
“npm” stands for Node Package Manager (npm is correctly written in lowercase). It is the most significant software registry in the world. It contains over 800,000 code packages, and open-source developers use this tool to share software.
Three things make up npm:
- The website or where you can browse various JavaScript plugins, read docs, and find other info on npm for beginners.
- The CLI is also known as the npm client. It is a tool installed on a developer’s machine that allows publishing, installing, and updating packages.
- The npm registry is the database or storage centre of information and codes for the packages.
To use npm, there are two steps. First, install Node.js, and then the npm client. Once you install the Node, default installation settings will prompt the client to install. It makes it easier for you to do both steps simultaneously.
The key features of npm are:
- JavaScript plugin updates.
- Managing local dependencies of the project’s tools.
- Download standalone tools that you can use immediately.
- Managing a variety of code and code dependencies.
Download link: https://www.npmjs.com/package/download-url
7. Sass
One of the most commonly used CSS preprocessors by developers is Sass. It compiles style sheets into CSS, and you can use different rules, variables, mixins, and functions in CSS compatible syntax.
Sass can organize big stylesheets, and sharing designs across projects is more manageable. In addition, it features two syntaxes where one can load on the other (SCSS and Sass).
The SCSS syntax is a CSS superset. It means that all valid CSS is valid as SCSS. Meanwhile, Sass, or indented syntax, is compatible with SCSS features but utilizes indentation rather than semicolons or curly braces.
- Simplified variables and operations.
- At-Rules
- Stylesheet support interpolation.
- Preprocessing
Download link: https://sass-lang.com/install
8. CodePen
Front-end developers use CodePen for developing online environments. It allows them to test and showcase CSS, HTML, and JavaScript pens or code snippets.
What programmers like about CodePen is that you can see the results in real-time. It allows for quicker debugging times. You can also create and share code snippets with other developers from anywhere.
Through CodePen, a developer can build and design a website, run it, and perform tests to learn more about it. In addition, CodePen has a big community of programmers who are active in showing off their work and learning from others.
CodePen has several main features:
- Preprocessors can compile languages for simplified coding.
- External script support.
- Template creation
- Professor mode
- Collaboration mode
- Presentation mode
- It has a wide variety of design patterns.
Download link: https://codepen.io/st180/pen/xOoBmN
9. LESS
LESS, or Leaner Style Sheets, is a backwards-compatible language extension for CSS. If you are already familiar with CSS, then the learning curve for LESS is easy.
The software made some additions to CSS, like loops and variables, so that the work with CSS becomes simpler. As a result, LESS is also more manageable and reusable for websites. In addition, it is dynamic and allows for extended CSS capability.
You can compile the CSS and run it on either the client or server-side using LESS. It takes influences from Sass and, at the same time, influenced a more modern Sass syntax, SCSS.
Some key benefits of LESS are:
- Clean code structure due to nesting.
- Faster updates
- Cross-browser compatibility.
- Easy and fast coding
- Facilitates to define of various styles that can be reused.
- Can sort out code redundancy.
- Has an @improt rule to handle external files.
- Merging property
Download link: https://lesscss.org/
10. Meteor
A JavaScript platform, Meteor is used to develop web and mobile applications. It includes various technologies for building user-friendly applications, a build tool, and a specially-designed set of packages from the Node.js and JavaScript communities.
Meteor includes a bundled npm to use the command without the hassle of installation.
When creating a mobile app, Apache Cordova handles its Android and iOS mobile interfaces. You can see this feature using a basic web app. Thus, you should be aware of using hardware functions on the phone.
You can add anything you wish from the back end to the front end. Whether it’s Express, React, Angular, or Vue, you can install it on top of Meteor.
- Key features of the Meteor include:
- Allows development in one language (JavaScript) in all environments.
- Embraces the ecosystem, allowing programmers to utilize JavaScript in the most efficient ways.
- Uses data on the wire
- Full-stack reactivity
Download link: https://www.meteor.com/developers/install
11. ChromeDev Tools
Before you finalize a website, you must know how it works first. Thus, one of the essential tools of front-end development is developer tools.
Google Chrome is a top-choice developer tool and the leading desktop browser. The Chrome developer tool is accessible in both Google Chrome and Safari.
On Windows, you can open the ChromeDev tools by pressing Ctrl + Shift + C. On a Mac, press Command + Option + I. You can also open the ChromeDev tools by right-clicking on any website element and clicking “Inspect”. Some features of the ChromeDev tools include:
- Inspection and changing of CSS elements.
- Viewing, searching, and editing nodes in the console.
- Finding and analyzing unused CSS code and JavaScript.
- It has an issue tab that helps find various issues on a website.
- Running commands and other actions.
- ·Mobile design optimization.
12. BootStrap
A front-end framework is also essential when building a website. A front-end framework is a file and asset package vital to your web design.
Among the top choices for front-end framework development is BootStrap. It allows developers to improve responsive CSS, HTML, or JavaScript websites.
BootStrap has the following key features:
- Responsive grid systems.
- HTML and CSS design templates for various website elements.
- Easy to use, even with only basic knowledge of HTML and CSS.
- Compatible with the latest versions of Safari, IE, Chrome, and Firefox.
- Powerful plugins for Jquery.
- Download link: https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.0/getting-started/download/
13. ESLint
ESLint is a tool for detecting and reporting ECMAScript/JavaScript code issues. It is pluggable as well as a configurable static code analysis tool.
When ESLint identifies a problem, it automatically fixes it. It also helps minimize bugs to help with more consistent coding.
Many programmers believe that linting is an essential aspect of web development. Furthermore, many of them suggest linting early for new developers. ESLint has many vital features that you can benefit from, whether you are a new or experienced programmer.
Essential features of ESLint include:
- Easy migration
- Strong documentation
- Autofixation errors
- Pluggable rules
- Freedom in creating linting rules
14. React JS
React JS is an open-source front-end JavaScript library. Programmers use ReactJS to build user interfaces based on UI components. It’s free to use and is maintained by Meta.
You can use React as a basis for developing single-page mobile applications or applications rendered on servers. However, React, focuses more on state management and causing to the Document Object Model (DOM). Thus, applications made on React need to use more libraries for routing.
Notable features of ReactJS are:
- Declarative programming paradigm
- Reusable components that can be rendered to a particular DOM element using the React DOM library.
- Use of a virtual DOM through reconciliation
Download link: https://eslint.org/
15. Jasmine
Jasmine is an open-source testing tool for JavaScript. It is behaviour-driven and can run on any JavaScript platform. Jasmine does not rely on JavaScript frameworks and doesn’t need DPM. It has utilities that you can use to run automated tests for synchronous and asynchronous code.
Jasmine also comes with a built-in test runner. This test runner can run browser tests by including a SpecRunner.html or using it as a test runner for a command line for multiple languages.
Here are some key features of Jasmine:
- Low overhead and no external dependencies.
- It offers a variety of options for testing your code.
- Available for Node and browser.
- Can be used with other languages like Python.
- Has easy to understand the syntax.
- Has rich API
- Can use natural language to describe tests and results.
Front-end development tools are essential for programmers. It is also necessary for these tools to keep up with developers’ needs to focus on creating more innovative websites. One should also explore UI Design Tools that UI/UX Designers Love.
By: admin