7 Web Dev Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed
Ever felt like, going down the rabbit hole of web development tools? A million opportunities look back, all promises to change your workflow.
Don’t worry; you’re not alone.
Choosing the appropriate tools might be like picking a perfect superhero cape: you want something great that also suits your coding style.
But do not worry, fellow developers! Today, we’ll look at some of the web development world’s hidden gems.
These are the tools that don’t get much attention, but will quietly take your coding game from “meh” to “mind-blowing.”
So, grab your keyboard (your favorite coding socks, no judgment here) and ready to experience the time-saving, frustration-busting power of these 7 bad boys:
1. WhatFont
Have you ever saw a killer font on a website and wanted to know what it was known as? Stop looking at your screen and open your design tool! WhatFont is the font-finding tool.
Simply drag the extension over any text on a webpage so it displays the font name and family.
You can now copy that beautiful design without the need for digital research.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Find fonts on any page with just one click.
- Find related fonts to get more design inspiration.
- Save your favorite fonts so that you can quickly find them later.
Pro Tip: Use WhatFont alongside with a color picker extension for capturing the whole design pattern of a website you love. Inspiration is never out of style!
2. GitKraken
Git might be scary for new web developers. But don’t worry anymore! GitKraken improves handling versions by offering a user-friendly interface for managing your codebase.
Think about it training wheels for Git skill.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Visualize your Git history with dynamic branching tools.
- Merge conflicts can be handled quickly and easily, without the need for command line skills.
- Collaborate easily with your team using shared repositories.
Pro Tip: GitKraken offers free Git tutorials and resources to help you better your version control skills.
3. JSON Schema
Ahh, JSON. The data format that supports most of the web.
However, creating correct JSON might be difficult at times because of syntax errors.
Add JSON Schema, your personal validation guardian.
This tool allows you to find out the structure of your JSON data, ensuring that everything is clean and organized before you publish it to the world.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Validate your JSON data to find errors before they lead to problems.
- Create documentation for your JSON schema to guarantee clear communication.
- Use online tools and libraries for integrating schema validation in your code.
Pro Tip: Combine JSON Schema with a code formatter to guarantee that your JSON code is clean, clear, and error-free.
4. BrowserStack
Have you ever thought how your website looks and works on different browsers and devices? Sure, you could spend hours setting online PCs or sifting through a stack of old phones, but there’s a better strategy.
BrowserStack lets you to test your website on a wide range of real browsers and devices, all from the comfort of your coding desk.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Test your website on a wide range of browsers and devices, from the the latest Chrome to the outdated web browser that your mom still uses.
- Run automated tests to find regressions and guarantee consistency in quality.
- Collaborate with your team to share testing results and find errors.
Pro Tip: BrowserStack links with common testing frameworks like as Selenium, making it simple to automate the testing process.
5. Insomnia
Building APIs can be an excellent way to engage in functionality.
But what about debugging the APIs? Not very much. Insomnia offers your own API playground, allowing you to easily create and test API queries.
Key Features & Benefits:
- An easy-to-use interface allows you to create, submit, and debug API calls.
- Organize your API requests into collections to boost workflow efficiency.
- Collaborate with your team by exchanging collections and test results.
Pro Tip: Use Insomnia’s environment variables features to handle various API configurations, saving you valuable time while moving between development, staging, and production environments.
6. Squoosh
Images are needed for best design, but they may also cause a significant amount of page weight.
Squoosh is your image optimization tool, offering plenty of options for reducing picture files without sacrificing quality.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Experiment using different compression strategies to find the optimal balance of quality and file size.
- To make better selections, compare the original and compressed images visually.
- Export optimized photos in many formats to guarantee ideal compatibility.
Pro Tip: Use Squoosh together with a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to guarantee that your optimized pictures load quickly for users all around the world.
7. Storybook
As your web application grows in size, controlling UI components may get hard.
Storybook is your tool, giving an own place for developing, testing, and documenting your UI components separately.
Key Features & Benefits:
- Create reusable UI components that include clear documentation and live previews.
- Test component behavior across different states and features.
- Maintain a consistent UI style guide as your project develops.
Pro tip: To improve your UI development process, integrate Storybook into your development cycle using tools like as Webpack.
Final Words
There you have it! These 7 websites are only a few of the many hidden gems out there in the huge web development world.
So, the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by tool options, remember that the best tools are usually the ones that quietly improves your life and code.
Now it is your time! What are some of your favorite lesser-known web development tools? Please share them in the comments section below!
