IDE stands for the integrated development environment, and it is an application that combines multiple development tools. IDEs are extensively used in web development since they make it easier for developers to write, run, and debug web applications and websites. Also, an IDE allows web developers to handle large codebases and ensure fast development and deployment of projects.
This article will make you familiar with the best web development IDEs out there. However, before we go into discussing the list of the best web development IDEs, let us first understand what exactly an IDE is and how to choose the best one for your web development project.
So, here it goes.
What is IDE?
An IDE is a software program that combines various tools, such as a text editor, code libraries, a compiler, a debugger, and automation tools, that make the software development process effortless and seamless. An IDE primarily consists of a source code editor, a debugger, and build automation tools.
The basic tools required for developing any software application are namely text editor, compiler (or interpreter), and debugger. Without an integrated development environment, we need to manage all these development tools separately.
An IDE combines all these tools and lets you access them from a single GUI, making the process of software development smooth and easy. Many people have confusion between IDEs and source-code editors .
Programmers can write and edit the source code with a source code editor. It can be a standalone software application or a part of an IDE. Many source code editors provide the most basic features, like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, brace matching, and indentation.
Common Features of an IDE
A myriad of web development IDEs is available out there. Therefore, picking the right one might seem a challenging task. Before choosing an IDE for your project, it is essential to understand what features and tools it provides.
The following are some typical features that you can expect in any modern web development IDE:
- Syntax highlighting, auto-completion, quick fixes of errors in code, and brace matching.
- Plugins to extend functionalities of the IDE.
- Compatibility with major operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Support for multiple programming languages.
- A preview window that allows developers to view the output of a code.
Top 10 Web Development IDEs to Use in 2023
The following is our pick of the top ten web development IDEs, along with their detailed overview.
1. NetBeans
Developer: Apache Software Foundation
License: Apache License 2.0
NetBeans is an integrated development environment for Java. This IDE supports the development of all types of Java applications, namely Java SE, Java ME, web applications, EJB, and mobile applications. Nonetheless, you can use it to develop websites and web apps. It consists of a NetBeans profiler, GUI design tool, and NetBeans JavaScript editor.
The NetBeans Profiler is a tool that enables developers to find memory leaks and optimize the speed of Java applications. On the other hand, the GUI design tool, formerly known as Project Matisse, helps developers to design Swing GUIs by dragging and dropping GUI components.
Moreover, the NetBeans JavaScript editor lets developers write and edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. The web development IDE also offers various advanced editing features, such as code completion, syntax highlighting, and code refactoring. The integrated development environment is extremely useful for accomplishing various tasks, including:
- Generating AJAX callbacks from a template.
- Generating the JavaScript class skeleton.
- Running automatic browser compatibility checks.
NetBeans Pricing
It is free to use.
2. Eclipse
Developer: Eclipse Foundation
License: Eclipse Public License (EPL)
Eclipse is another open-source and free-to-use IDE for web development. Apart from Java, Eclipse also supports developing applications in other programming languages, including C, C++, PHP, Perl, Python, and R via plugins. It is a cross-platform IDE compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
The development environment in Eclipse has the Eclipse Java development tools (JDT) for Java and Scala, Eclipse PDT for PHP, Eclipse CDT for C and C++, and more. Eclipse IDE is a comprehensive development environment for Java developers that includes all essential tools, such as a Java IDE, a CVS client, Git client, WindowBuilder, Maven integration, XML editor, and Mylyn .
Some of the main code editing features of Eclipse include auto-correction, code formatting, and refactoring. In addition, Eclipse is an extensible platform. This is because we can install a collection of tools in the Eclipse desktop IDE, including GUI builders and tools for modeling, charting, testing, and reporting. With the Eclipse Marketplace Client, we can find and install new plugins. Also, you can create your own plugins using the Plug-in Development Environment (PDE).
Eclipse Pricing
Eclipse is free to use.
3. PhpStorm
Developer: JetBrains
License: Proprietary
PhpStorm is an IDE for PHP. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The web development IDE provides an editor that supports PHP, JavaScript, and HTML. Its code editor supports on-the-fly error checking, syntax highlighting, code completion, and extended code formatting configurations for PHP code. Following are some important features of PhpStorm:
- It provides code completion suggestions based on @var annotations, @property, and @method.
- The code completion feature finalizes methods, classes, variable names, and PHP keywords.
- It has a duplicate code detector.
- PHP Code Sniffer checks for code smells on the fly. A code smell in programming is any feature of a source code that leads to a deeper problem.
PhpStorm also supports easy-to-configure visual debuggers such as Xdebug and Zend Debugger. Also, it allows you to create PHPUnit tests and run them instantly from a directory, file, or class by using the context menu options.
PhpStorm Pricing
The web development IDE comes with two different pricing plans, one for organizations and another for individuals. In addition, it offers a free trial for 30 days.
For organizations, it charges $199 per year per user for the first year, $159 per year per user for the second year, and $119 per year per user from the third year onwards. For individual use, PhpStorm charges $89 per year per user for the first year, $71 per year per user for the second year, and $53 per year per user from the third year onwards.
4. RubyMine
Developer: JetBrains.
License: Proprietary.
RubyMine is an IDE for Ruby on Rails. It consists of various tightly integrated tools - including Rubocop, Bundler, and Rake - to offer comprehensive web development with RoR. The Bundler integration of RubyMine enables handling gem dependencies of applications right from the IDE.
Developers can quickly switch between different Ruby versions using a version manager, such as chruby and RVM. RubyMine has a smart code editor that enables you to write error-free code with intelligent inspections, live templates, and type-aware code completion. Other key highlights of RubyMine are:
- The code completion feature provides a list of matching variables, keywords, and methods while coding.
- Live templates or code snippets allow us to write less code when we use the same pattern and structure in our code. These enable to insert the frequently-used constructions into the code. Constructions can be loops, blocks, conditions, and so on. RubyMine provides several predefined templates for various languages, including JavaScript and Ruby.
- Code inspection and quick-fix features suggest quick fixes and resolve errors instantly.
The IDE for web development can integrate with popular testing frameworks, such as Minitest, Cucumber, and RSpec, to test RoR applications. The progress of all tests, which includes information about the duration and status of a test, is shown in a tree view. Also, it has a debugger with a GUI for RoR, CoffeeScript, and JS.
RubyMine Pricing
RubyMine is available for organizations as well as individuals. For organizations, it charges $199 per year per user for the first year, $159 per year per user for the second year, and $119 per year per user from the third year onwards.
For individuals, RubyMine charges $89 per year per user for the first year, $71 per year per user for the second year, and $53 per year per user from the third year onwards.
5. PyCharm
Developer: JetBrains
License: i) Community Edition - Apache License 2.0 ii) Professional Edition - Trialware
PyCharm is a dedicated IDE for Python. It is a cross-platform web development IDE that is compatible with macOS, Linux, and Windows operating systems. There are two editions of PyCharm, namely Community Edition and Professional Edition.
The Community Edition is free to use and comes with features like an intelligent Python editor, code inspection, VCS support, graphical debugger and test runner, and navigation and code refactorings. The Professional edition offers all the features of the Community edition and several additional tools and features, such as a Python profiler, remote development capabilities, scientific tools, and SQL support.
There are more than 1,000 plugins available for PyCharm, and it also supports plugins from other IDEs from JetBrains. Moreover, PyCharm provides an API that enables developers to write their own plugins and extend the functionality of PyCharm. Some salient features of PyCharm are as follows:
- It offers intelligent coding assistance that comes with smart code completion, on-the-fly error highlighting, quick fixes, rich navigation capabilities, and automated code refactoring.
- PyCharm also supports various Python development frameworks and template languages, including HTML/CSS, TypeScript, CoffeeScript, AngularJS, Node.js, and JavaScript.
- This IDE integrates with the IPython Notebook. This results in an interactive Python console and support for multiple scientific packages, including NumPy and Matplotlib.
PyCharm Pricing
The pricing plans of PyCharm for organizations and individuals are different. For organizations, it charges $199 per year per user for the first year, $159 per year per user for the second year, and $119 per year per user from the third year onwards.
For individual use, PyCharm charges $89 per year per user for the first year, $71 per year per user for the second year, and $53 per year per user from the third year onwards.
6. WebStorm
Developer: JetBrains
License: Proprietary
WebStorm is an open-source web development IDE for JavaScript and other related technologies. It supports various technologies, including TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Node.js, Angular, React Native, Vue, and Electron. The smart code editor of WebStorm assists developers in writing code quickly.
For suggesting relevant keywords while writing the code, the IDE for web development has the code completion feature. Also, the code quality analysis feature detects errors and typos in the code and helps us write error-free code.
WebStorm allows running and debugging Node.js and client-side applications right from its source code editor. We can write, run, and debug unit tests using Cucumber.js, Jest, Mocha, and Protractor. Also, we can integrate WebStorm with linters, such as TSLint, Stylelint, or ESLint. Further, it has a built-in HTTP client to create, edit, and run HTTP requests within the editor.
WebStorm Pricing
WebStorm comes with two different pricing packages, one for individual use and the other for organizational use. For organizational use, WebStorm charges $129 per year per user for the first year, $103 per year per user for the second year, and $77 per year per user from the third year onwards.
For individual use, you need to pay $59 per year per user for the first year, $47 per year per user for the second year, and $35 per year per user from the third year onwards.
7. Codelobster
Developer: Codelobster Software
License: Freemium License
Codelobster is an integrated development environment primarily for PHP. The IDE for web development also supports JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
The following are the key features of Codelobster IDE:
- Code highlighting and code collapsing for PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
- HTML autocomplete for HTML tags, attributes of current tags, and closing tags.
- CSS autocomplete for CSS style property names and values.
- JavaScript autocomplete for JavaScript keywords, DOM elements, and their properties.
- PHP autocomplete for standard PHP and user-defined classes, constants, keywords, and functions.
- Codelobster also provides PHP and JavaScript debuggers.
- The split window feature enables working with multiple files simultaneously.
- It offers FTP/SFTP support in the File Explorer.
- It supports Node.js and provides a Node.js debugger.
- The web development IDE provides plugins for Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, jQuery, Igniter, CakePHP, and Smarty.
Codelobster Pricing
The web development IDE offers Free and Professional versions. The former is completely free to use. On the other hand, the Professional version costs $59.95 per three activations on different devices with one year of free upgrades. For future updates, it costs $19.95 per year.
8. FlashDevelop
Developer: The FlashDevelop Team
License: MIT License
FlashDevelop is an open-source integrated development environment for developing Adobe Flash web applications, video games, websites, and desktop applications. It is written in C# and is built on the Scintilla editor component.
Using the FlashDevelop IDE, we can develop applications that run on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems, and in Adobe AIR or Adobe Flash Player. You can build ActionScript 3 and MXML applications using the free Adobe Flex SDK. Also, you get the option to develop ActionScript 2.0 applications by using the free MTASC compiler.
FlashDevelop also uses the Haxe toolkit to develop JavaScript, ActionScript 3.0, and NekoVM applications. The primary objective of the FlashDevelop IDE is to enable developers to code, edit, compile, debug, and publish a Flash ActionScript project. It includes features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, code folding, syntax coloring, snippets library, and bug fixes. Some other features of FlashDevelop include:
- Project templates for ActionScript 2.0, ActionScript 3.0, Haxe development, and Adobe AIR.
- FlashDevelop has configurable hotkeys.
- It offers support for multilingual code files.
- It has an extensive plugin system.
FlashDevelop Pricing
It is a free-to-use web development IDE.
9. IntelliJ IDEA
Developer: JetBrains
License: i) Community Edition - Apache License 2.0 ii) Commercial Edition - Proprietary License
IntelliJ IDEA is an IDE from JetBrains developed with Java and Kotlin. JetBrains developed this cross-platform IDE, especially for Java and JVM languages, namely Kotlin, Scala, and Groovy.
The Ultimate edition enables developers to build full-stack web applications, all thanks to its advanced features, such as support for JavaScript and related technologies. Also, the web development IDE offers advanced support for frameworks like Spring Boot, Jakarta EE, Helidon, Spring, and so on.
Additionally, you can add various plugins that enable working with other programming languages, including Go, Ruby, SQL, Python, and PHP . IntelliJ IDEA provides smart code assistance for Java, Scala, TypeScript, JavaScript, and Groovy. With on-the-fly inspections, this IDE can check the overall quality of the code. Such inspections enable faster coding, meeting the highest quality standards, and staying confident throughout the development process. It provides a context-sensitive code completion feature too.
Moreover, the web development IDE comes with a powerful toolset for debugging code and developing JUnit tests. IntelliJ IDEA supports popular testing frameworks like Cucumber, Selenium, and TestNG. Furthermore, it has multiple built-in tools, like profiler, compiler, and debugger, and includes integration with build tools like Maven, Ant, Gant, and Gradle.
IntelliJ IDEA Pricing
IntelliJ IDEA comes in two editions, namely Community and Ultimate. The former is free and open-source, while the latter is paid. For organizational use, it costs $499/year per user for the first year, $399/year per user for the second year, and $299/year per user thereafter.
For individual use, the Ultimate edition costs $149/year per user for the first year, $119/year per user for the second year, and $89/year per user from the third year onwards.
10. AWS Cloud9 IDE
Developer: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
License: i) Cloud9 IDE Version 2.0 - GNU General Public License ii) Cloud9 IDE Version 3.0 - Freeware License
AWS Cloud9 IDE is an online IDE. Users can get a seamless experience working with the web development IDE since it enables you to easily define resources, debug, and switch between local and remote execution of serverless applications. You can write, run, and debug applications without requiring you to install or maintain a local IDE.
Cloud9 debugger and code editor support step-through debugging, code completion, and code hinting. In addition, this IDE enables different team members to communicate and work together in real-time from within the integrated development environment.
The web development IDE comes prepackaged with tools for more than 40 programming languages, including C, C++, Python, JavaScript with Node.js, PHP, Perl, Ruby, and Go. AWS Cloud9 IDE offers syntax highlighting for various programming languages, such as C, C++, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and Java.
Cloud9 IDE provides code reformatting and refactoring features, especially for the JavaScript language. It enables users to change themes, plugins, and key bindings to make their preferred setup since Cloud9 IDE is extensible and customizable.
As Cloud9 IDE is an online IDE, it offers multiple cursors to support simultaneous editing from different users and supports the creation of public and private projects. Some other features of Cloud9 IDE are:
- A built-in terminal with basic UNIX and npm commands.
- Support for FTP servers.
- A built-in image editor.
- Support for deployment to Microsoft Azure, Joyent, Heroku, and Google App Engine.
AWS Cloud9 IDE Pricing
AWS Cloud9 IDE charges on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Conclusion
There is a slew of web development IDEs available in the market. We have listed some of the most widely used IDEs here. Among the options mentioned above, NetBeans, Eclipse, and FlashDevelop are free to use, whereas others require a subscription, except Cloud9 IDE. It charges on a pay-as-you-go basis.
All the above web development IDEs come with robust features and make it easier to develop web applications. Also, we recommend you choose a web development IDE depending upon your project requirements and the programming language and technologies you want to work with.
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